State officials have reported varied results for the hunting season across Montana, as the general deer and elk season ended on November 30. According to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), data collected through check stations reveals success rates and the number of animals harvested. The distribution of hunter numbers in northeastern Montana was different compared to previous years, though aligning with long-term averages.
Scott Hemmer, a biologist based in Havre, noted, “Hunter numbers at the check station were up 27% at the beginning of the season after antelope and pheasant season opened, but down 15% during the general deer and elk season.” He also mentioned that deer hunter numbers decreased by 11% from last year and 14% below the long-term average. While white-tailed deer and mule doe numbers were lower, antelope numbers checked by FWP were 55% higher than in 2024, with 1,681 hunters passing through the Havre check station.
The Havre check station tallied 346 mule deer, 67 white-tailed deer, 232 antelope, and 26 elk, alongside 639 pheasants and 126 sharp-tailed grouse. Hemmer added, “Most antelope hunters reported improved numbers of antelope seen compared to recent years, and this was our largest number checked since 2010.”
In southwestern Montana, FWP described hunter harvests as “mixed.” Check stations in Alder, Cameron, Canyon Ferry, Divide, Gallatin Canyon, Lakeside, and Silver City saw 7,069 hunters, harvesting 49 white-tailed deer, 174 mule deer, and 355 elk. In southcentral Montana, FWP noted a below-average deer harvest, but an above-average elk take.
During the season, 4,203 hunters visited Big Timber, Columbus, Lavina, and Billings check stations in Region 5. FWP recorded the harvest of 487 mule deer, 384 white-tailed deer, 284 elk, and 58 antelope. A Region 5 release indicated that “Season totals for mule deer, elk and antelope were all above totals observed in 2024; total white-tailed deer harvest this year was slightly below the total from 2024.”
Region 4’s sole check station in Augusta saw over 2,800 hunters, marking a 10% increase over the five-year average but a 9% decline from the 10-year average. Overall, 679 deer and elk were harvested, with Montana residents responsible for 83% of the total harvest in Region 4. Public lands contributed 75% of the total deer and elk harvest, according to the Region 4 release.
