First Week Of Big Season Slow On The Front

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The first week of the general big game season on the Rocky Mountain Front was slow according to figures at the Fish, Wildlife and Parks check station in Augusta.

At Augusta - the lone FWP Region 4 biological check station - hunters brought in 45 elk, 36 white-tailed deer and 58 mule deer.

"That’s a little below our five-year average," says Brent Lonner, FWP wildlife biologist. "The only bright spot was the mule deer doe harvest, which was above our five-year average."

While the numbers at the Augusta check station apply only to a handful of hunting districts on the Rocky Mountain Front, they seemed to mirror conditions elsewhere in north central Montana.

With the exception of a cool opening day, the first week of the deer and elk rifle season throughout north central Montana saw warm temperatures.

"The first week was really slow," Lonner says, "from a harvest standpoint and hunter participation."

That may change as conditions for the next week are supposed to be cooler and wetter.

The deer and elk general season runs through Nov. 30, though deer season ends earlier in some districts in north central Montana.

For specific rules hunters should consult the 2008 big game hunting regulations.

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