Hunters on par with past year

Hunting success in Region 1 is on par with last year, Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported. A total of 5,783 hunters checked 207 white-tailed deer - 155 or 75 percent of these were bucks - along with 22 mule deer and 37 elk for a 4.6 percent rate of hunters with game.

In the North Fork, hunting success continued at a slow pace last weekend. The North Fork check station recorded 479 hunters but just seven whitetails and only three bucks. One elk was also reported. Only 1.7 percent of hunters had game.

Last year in the second week of the season, 601 hunters were counted up the North Fork with 22 whitetails, 17 bucks and three elk.

The number of hunters reporting at check stations across Region 1 was higher compared to last year on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell, at Canoe Gulch Ranger Station in Lincoln County and on Highway 83 heading into the Swan, but they were lower at all other Region 1 check stations.

Both the U.S. 2 and Canoe Gulch check stations reported higher numbers of whitetails, white-tailed bucks and elk. The U.S. 2 station also reported higher numbers of mule deer.

Success rate was highest at Thompson Falls, with 7 percent, and the Swan, with 6.8 percent, and lowest at Canoe Gulch, with 2.7 percent.

Hunting conditions could improve by the weekend with temperatures dropping into the 30s and a chance of snow.