Caravans of more than 100,000 hunters departed for secret spots and the hallowed promise of a fulfilling elk and deer season opener Saturday, and many since have returned home. 

Montana’s 2012 general big game hunting season—or rifle season—for deer and elk opened Saturday and ends Nov. 25.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks estimated about 100,000 hunters will be out for the state’s opening weekend of deer and elk hunting.

“For so many Montanans this is one of the most important weekends of the year,” said Ron Aasheim, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks spokesman in Helena.

Friends and family return home, sleep-deprived youngsters head to hunting camps for the first time, and some seasons are marked by the realization that it might be Grandpa’s last trip to the mountains or the plains.

 The numbers are noteworthy. More than 100,000 resident and visiting elk hunters and about 150,000 deer hunters are expected to chart more than 2 million days afield in 2012. And if past years are an effective measure, they’ll spend more than $200 million in Montana over the course of the hunting season.