Montana’s 2024 general big game hunting season closed Sunday, Dec. 1 much the way it began five weeks ago, with harvest totals up slightly from last year for both deer and elk in west-central Montana.

During each of the six weekends of the season, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks operated wildlife check stations near Anaconda, Bonner and Darby in west-central Montana, where biologists collectively recorded 9,905 hunter stops and a harvest of 288 elk, 119 mule deer and 525 white-tailed deer. This compares to 10,149 hunter stops, 225 elk, 102 mule deer and 492 white-tailed deer at the 2023 season’s end.

Elk and white-tailed deer harvest totals were up at each station compared to 2023. Mule deer harvest was up at the Darby and Anaconda station and on track with the 2023 season in Bonner.

Another hunter check station in the Fish Creek area of Mineral County operated four weekends of the season. The Fish Creek station sees fewer hunters compared to the other stations but had steady traffic during the final weekend as hunters took another chance at filling their tags. Mule deer harvest tallied at the Fish Creek station was up slightly from last year, white-tailed deer down, and elk on par.

Check stations only account for a small percentage of total harvest across the region, but because the stations have been in operation consistently for many years, they monitor important early harvest trends and are an important way to gather biological information on wildlife health and age.

“Thank you to all the hunters who stopped and shared information with us season-long,” said Lee Tafelmeyer, FWP wildlife biologist in charge of the Bonner station. "Hunter harvest information and observations are important input for FWP."

The general rifle season closed on Dec. 1, but some winter hunting opportunities, such as the muzzleloader season (Dec. 14-22, 2024), are coming up. Find out more: fwp.mt.gov/hunt. Many of Montana’s Wildlife Management Areas have seasonal closures that begin Dec. 2 to protect winter range for wildlife. Before heading to the field, hunters should review the regulations for each hunting district they plan to hunt. A list of WMAs and seasonal closure dates are available online at fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management-areas.

Montana hunters can also thank landowners for access and share stories of their season through an online portal. FWP will collect these expressions of gratitude and share them with the specific landowners at the end of the season. Notes can be submitted online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/thank-a-landowner-2024.