Check Station Results after Opening Weekend of General Hunting Season

By Ammoland Editor Joe Evans

USA -(Ammoland.com)- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Havre hunter check station was fairly active over the weekend (Oct. 21-22) of general deer and elk opener, with an increase of hunters checked compared to last year.

Oct. 21-22 was the third weekend that the check station has been open, as the station began collecting data Oct. 7-8, corresponding with the opening weekend of pheasant and general antelope.

Hunters had to hang on to their hats, as weather conditions over the opening weekend were windy on Saturday and very windy on Sunday. There were 253 hunters in 127 parties checked, which was up 6 percent from 2016.

However, over the three weeks the check station has been open, overall hunter numbers are down 10 percent from last year and are 3 percent below the long-term average.

“Muddy, wet weather conditions the first weekend the check station opened may have contributed to the reduction in hunters,” said Havre-are biologist Scott Hemmer, who manages the check station. “But the lower upland bird populations and corresponding bird hunter participation are also a probable cause of the lower hunter numbers.”

Mule deer harvest during the weekend increased from last year, …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand