Anxious hunters eager for an opening-day kill were met with limited success, largely attributed to heavy fog, says a local wildlife biologist.

Regionally, hunters took to the forests across Northwest Montana, and the six Northwest Montana. At the six check stations in the region, a total of 2,900 hunters checked 85 white-tailed deer (66 of these were bucks), 16 mule deer, and 17 elk for a 4.1 percent rate of hunters with game. This compares with a 5.5 percent rate of hunters with game last year at the check stations.

Wildlife Biologist Tonya Chilton-Radandt said the reason for the early-season decline in numbers is difficult to pin on a single factor, but added many hunters at area check stations attributed it to the heavy, low-hanging fog.

“We had some hunters say they could not tell the difference between deer and elk,” Chilton-Radandt said. “What I can say is those hunters who were up at higher elevations — above the fog — seemed to do better.”

Officials said be patient.

“It was a slow opener, particularly for whitetail bucks,” Wildlife Manager Jim Williams said.  “Whitetail buck harvest will pick up as the season progresses. The hunting season stretches to December 1 this year, so we are just getting started.”

The Olney check station saw the best results. Hunters checked 23 whitetail bucks, 3 bull elk and one mule deer buck, for a 7.3 percent rate of hunters with game.  

Hunters are reminded that regulations for whitetails and mule deer in Region One are buck-only through the end of the hunting season. Youth 12 to 15, and some qualifying 11-year-olds, can take antlerless whitetail deer.