More sportsmen and sportswomen were afield than last year when Montana’s 2025 general rifle big-game season opened to cool and windy conditions on Oct. 25. Despite the increased participation, success rates also improved.
Fourteen percent more hunters passed through the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ (FWP) Augusta check station in Region 4 than in 2024. The volume exceeds the site’s 10-year average by roughly 4 percent.
Opening weekend harvest success rates for deer and elk in that area were better than last year. They also exceeded the region’s 10-year average. Approximately 20 percent of hunters filled their tags, despite milder weather and high wind on Sunday.
Overall elk and deer harvest was 30 percent and 9 percent above average, respectively. The results were well distributed along southern Rocky Mountain Front hunting districts. Three antelope and a few game birds were also checked.
Early snow, especially in higher elevation areas, and cooler temperatures in the middle part of October helped create some animals move or begin migration to lower elevations. This is especially true for Sun River elk. A portion of that herd has already arrived on the Wildlife Management Area, creating good opportunity for holders of the limited elk B licenses for the region.
In Region 1 nearly 2,000 hunters stopped at check stations. Last weekend’s results showed an increase in overall harvest of whitetail deer and elk compared to 2024’s numbers. Mule deer numbers were down, however.
The general deer and elk seasons run through Sunday, Nov. 30. FWP biological check stations are intended primarily for biologists to gather trends and statistical information about animals and hunters. Hunters are remindedthey must stop at any check station they pass while hunting, whether or not they have harvested game.
The weekend was not a disappointing one for one person, however. A hunter in the Gibson area reported a bear claimed the elk he harvested after he was forced to leave it overnight. FWP is reminding hunters to be bear aware. Grizzly bears are still active.
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