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It was not a great year for area hunters. The regular rifle season ended Sunday, and the harvest was down both in animals killed and the number of hunters, according to Fish, Wildlife & Parks Biologist Bruce Sterling.

The whitetail deer harvest was down about 39 percent compared to last year, and 28 percent compared with the 10-year average.

“If we get another winter like last year, the deer population is going to be in serious trouble,” Sterling said. “I didn’t think the winter was that hard on animals, but after talking to hunters I think mortality on bucks was a lot higher than I gave it credit.”

Of the 131 whitetail deer biologists had at the check station, 75 of those were bucks. Last year, there were 123 bucks brought through the check station. Sterling said that the hunting season ended earlier this year, so the deer weren’t yet strong into the rut.

The number of hunters through the check station also was down significantly, Sterling said. This year they had 1,657 people stop at the check station, compared with 2,162 last year. This year’s tally is also well below the 10-year average of 2,252. That’s a decrease of just under 26 percent.

The elk harvest was up slightly this year, with 30 animals through the check station compared with 27 last year. The 10-year average for elk is 22 animals.

For mule deer, the count was just five through the check station this year, down from 16 in 2016. Throughout FWP Region one, the biggest decline was in mule deer bucks. A total of 51 mule deer bucks were inspected in Region One this year, the lowest number since records were first kept in 1985.

The counts at the check stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.

Sterling said that once telephone surveys are completed in the spring, the agency will have more information about the hunting results in the entire region. He said that hunters and the public will also have an opportunity to provide feedback and input on upcoming seasons and new proposals at public meetings in Trout Creek set for January.

“We don’t know why the numbers were so low,” said Neal Anderson, FWP Region One Wildlife Manager. “Fortunately, we are initiating a mule deer study in the Fisher River and Whitefish Range in Region One this winter. We hope to get valuable information on habitat use, nutrition, and some data on mortality rates.” 

Throughout FWP Region One, 16,269 hunters passed through the six game check stations from Oct. 21 to Nov. 26. Total white-tailed deer for the region was 1,275, mule deer 51 and elk 78.