Check station results through the fourth weekend of the general rifle season show steady hunter participation and generally consistent harvest numbers across Northwest Montana.

According to data collected at regional stations, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff have checked 7,148 hunters so far this season, a slight decrease from last year.

Harvest totals across major big-game species remain similar to 2024, with some shifts among deer and elk. 

White-tailed deer continue to make up the bulk of the harvest. Hunters have checked 576 white-tailed deer, down from 625 last year at this time. Mule deer harvest is trending below last year, with 59 mule deer checked compared to 74 in 2024. 

Hunters have checked 42 elk so far, slightly below the 46 recorded by this point last year. The check station at Thompson Falls has tallied 24 elk so far, followed by 13 at the U.S. 2 station.

Region-wide, 9.5% of hunters checked had harvested game, nearly identical to last year’s 9.6%. Olney currently leads the region with an 11.5% success rate.

Check stations in west-central Montana's Region 2 are collectively reporting harvest totals slightly up from last season for deer and just about the same as last for elk. The deer harvest continues to pick up pace as hunters are beginning to report rutting behavior in white-tailed bucks.

“Harvest increased considerably this weekend, and I expect the rut to be in full swing through the week and into next weekend,” said Lee Tafelmeyer, the state biologist in charge of the Bonner hunter check station.

The Bonner check station saw over twice as many white-tailed deer this past weekend compared to the weekend before and has seen more hunters this season than average. Elk harvest is on par with last season region-wide, while mule deer and white-tailed deer harvest are up slightly overall.

Ryan Klimstra, Missoula-based wildlife biologist who runs the Fish Creek wildlife check station in Mineral County said that harvest started off slow at his station on Saturday but picked up Sunday along with the rut. “Fog and warm temperatures have been making this hunting season challenging in some places,” Klimstra added.

Hunters are reminded that they must stop at any check station they encounter, whether or not they have harvested an animal.

The 2025 general deer and elk season runs through Nov. 30, with regional check stations open on weekends from 10 a.m. to approximately 1.5 hours after sunset. 

Region 1 stations are located on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell, Montana 83 north of Swan Lake, Montana 200 west of Thompson Falls, and U.S. 93 near Olney.