NORTHWESTERN MONTANA - Despite the deer and elk harvest picking up in the final stages of 2010, hunters experienced a relatively slow season in Western Montana.

"Hunters were wishing there was more game out," John Fraley, spokesman for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said. "We've had a declining trend for the past three years."

While the FWP has B3changed their check station structure, the return rate for hunters was just 5.3 percent at the mid-season mark for 2010 but jumped up to 6.9 percent heading into the last week of the harvest. The check stations try to represent a sample of hunters and are not a total number of animals harvested.

"When you look at years that are more average you're looking at a return rate of eight or nine percent," Fraley said.

The reason for the late season jump is the deer rut, or mating season, being in full swing as well as the snow and cold. The deer are pushed to a lower elevation by the weather while the rut makes them less cautious.

At six Northwest Montana check stations last Sunday, a total of 14,456 hunters checked in with 754 white-tailed deer, 126 mule deer and 115 elk. On Nov. 14, a total of 11,589 hunters checked in 434 white-tail deer, 97 mule deer and 83 elk.

"The white-tail population is still relatively low," Fraley said.

While last year's winter was mild, the heavy snowfall before that could have con-tributed to lower deer populations.

"We did have a better survival rate this winter as opposed to previous winters. There are more young deer out there," Fraley said.

Another factor that could be affecting the deer population is the predator population.

"The wolf population is higher than it was five to ten years ago," Fraley said. "We're not able to have a hunt on wolves but we can control how much hunters take."

Wolves aren't the only culprits, as mountain lions and bears are also natural enemies, thrown together with the harsh weather and hunters.

"They all take a piece of the pie," Fraley said. "Mild winters would be a big help for the population and conservative hunting regulations."

Elk are impacted less by the winters.

"They're just not affected by the winters as much," Fraley said. "They don't get the highs and lows."

Fraley said that the FWP has a conservative approach to the hunting season. Hunters can go after only whitetail and mule bucks, while youth that are between 12-15 years old can hunt antlerless deer. Regulations vary from region to region and hunters should look at them before going out.