As the firearm deer hunting season winds down throughout many parts of the country, harvest numbers have hit record highs on some hunting lands, particularly in the western and central parts of Montana. The state’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department says that the numbers of whitetail deer brought into county check stations in Bonner, Darby, and Anaconda for the season were at a six-year high.
All told, over 650 whitetails were processed, along with nearly 150 mule deer and 229 elk. At the same time, the numbers of actual hunters were down from last year, despite research that shows that 72% more women hunt today than five years ago (50% more women now practice target shooting too, because American women are awesome). Nevertheless, the uptick in the deer harvest overall was welcome news for both public and private hunting property owners on Montana land, following an upward trend over the past several years.
The warmer-than-average temperatures allowed for a total of 13,420 hunter trips. But at the same time, the lack of snow and cold weather meant that elk populations were less numerous in the area.
“Whether we would have a good elk harvest or not after the first weekend was dependent on the weather,” said Montana FWP wildlife manager Mike Thomspon, “and we simply didn’t have the kind of snow and cold that would move elk.”
The lack of elk was more than made up for by a boon in the mule deer population, still rebounding from a harsh winter in 2010 to 2011 that killed off many of the animals. Central and eastern Montana had particularly high mule deer harvests.
“That’s great news for the mule deer hunters and the mule deer population,” said FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim.
Although the general big game hunting season has drawn to an official close, an extended shoulder season will open up in many parts of Montana through January and February. The shoulder season is primarily limited to antlerless elk hunting on private land.
As the game populations continue to rise in Montana, there’s never been a better time to start looking at hunting land for sale in the state. If you want to see the value of your property grow with the annual harvest, take a look at some of our hunting land for sale in Montana and throughout the big west.