By BRUCE AUCHLY
Heading into the final days of Montana’s big game general season, harvest numbers for elk are above the 10-year average on the Rocky Mountain Front, while mule deer and white-tailed deer numbers are below the long-term average.
The numbers were collected at Fish, Wildlife and Park’s Augusta check station– the department’s sole Region 4 biological check station – and apply only to a handful of hunting districts on the Rocky Mountain Front.
Elk hunters so far have brought in 291 animals (96 bulls, 166 cows and 29 calves) compared to the 10-year average of 238 elk.
Mule deer at the check station have numbered 238 (214 bucks, 23 does and one fawn). The 10-year average is 273 animals.
White-tailed deer numbers stand at 171 (121 bucks, 33 does and 17 fawns), while the 10-year average is 191.
The general deer and elk season runs through Dec. 1.
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