Even with nearly 1,000 fewer hunters stopping at regional check stations this year, the 2012 big game hunting season came to a close Sunday with an increase in the deer harvest and a decrease in the elk harvest.

After five weeks of hunting, the six Northwest Montana regional check stations recorded 17,635 hunters stopping with 941 whitetail deer (including 830 bucks), 131 mule deer and 78 elk for a 6.5 percent rate of hunters with game. 

At the end of last year’s season, there were 18,561 hunters with 911 whitetail deer (including 753 bucks), 103 mule deer and 121 elk. The percentage of hunters with game was 6.1 percent. 

Jim Williams, regional wildlife manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said deer populations are still down overall compared to a few years ago, but there are signs that whitetail numbers are increasing. 

He noted the high number of yearling bucks, which reflects good fawn survival following last winter. 

For example, 48 percent of the whitetail bucks checked at Olney and 35 percent checked on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell were yearlings. Trophy bucks 5 years or older also were well represented, making up 12 percent of the bucks checked at the U.S. 2 and the Swan Valley check stations.

“Based on the total number of whitetail bucks at our check stations, deer populations are up slightly as compared to last year in Northwest Montana,” Williams said. “The number of yearling whitetail bucks in the harvest is what we expected to see based on our spring fawn survival counts, and it’s good news for hunters in the coming years.”

The check station counts represent a sampling of the overall harvest, partly because the check stations have been open only on weekends. Details of the total harvest will be known after telephone surveys of hunters are conducted in the spring. 

As usual, the U.S. 2 check station was the busiest in terms of hunter numbers, but the Swan and Thompson Falls check stations recorded the highest percentages of hunters with game, at 8 percent each. Olney had a 7.9 percent of hunters with game.

The North Fork check station was the slowest, with 1,085 hunters stopping with 24 whitetails, eight mule deer and three elk for a 3 percent rate of hunters with game.

As of Sunday, hunters had harvested 27 wolves in Region One and 80 wolves statewide. The wolf hunting season continues through Feb. 28 and wolf trapping opens on Dec. 15.