Despite the continuing uptick in the number of white-tailed deer on the landscape, the weather likely won’t be helping hunters heading out for the general rifle season’s opening weekend.

Saturday is opening day of the five-week deer and elk season.

Luke Robinson, a National Weather Service meteorologist and avid hunter, said temperatures will stay above average Saturday and Sunday, with no precipitation forecast until Monday night.

“With it being as dry as it’s been, those leaves will be a lot drier and louder when you’re walking, and that could hamper hunting,” Robinson said. “It’ll be cool mornings in the 30s and afternoon highs in the low 50s, depending on how high in elevation you get.”

Monday night into Tuesday morning, Robinson said a “backdoor cold front” out of Alberta is expected to bring some cold weather to the region, with snow possible above 5,000 feet — possibly driving some game to lower elevations.

“If this was further into winter, we’d probably characterize it as an arctic front,” he said. “If the precipitation is heavy enough, it could drive the snowfall levels down to 4,000 feet, but anything that low in elevation probably wouldn’t accumulate.”

Mountain rain earlier in the week will likely have evaporated by this weekend, leaving the forest floors crunchy with dry leaves once again. However, Robinson said shaded areas might still be moist enough to dampen the sound of hunters stalking their game.

With the caveat that the weather models aren’t typically very reliable more than a few days out, he added that another cold front from the west could bring mountain snow to higher elevations near the Continental Divide and parts of the Kootenai National Forest Oct. 29 and 30.

ACCORDING TO the state’s game animal forecast, the deer and elk outlook is a mixed bag this year.

In Northwest Montana, white-tailed deer been steadily rebounding since the severe die-off in the winter of 2007-08 and have experienced a fifth straight year of strong fawn recruitment, despite prolonged drought through most of 2015.

Throughout the region, hunters can expect to find an increase in the number of bucks aged 3 years and older. Limited doe hunting is still in place in most hunting districts, although hunters heading into District 170 are encouraged to carefully review regulations for weapon restriction areas.

Mule deer are a different story, with populations remaining low. Those willing to put in the time and energy can still find mature, trophy-class bucks in some remote areas.

Despite declining populations in recent years, state wildlife biologists believe Northwest Montana’s elk population is making a comeback, in part thanks to mild winters in the past few years.

Elk in many mountainous areas with steep terrain and heavy forest cover have been stable to increasing, although those areas are also the most difficult for hunters to access. In Hunting Districts 150 and 151, located mainly in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, elk numbers appear to be holding steady.

ERIK WENUM, a wildlife specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said that those headed out on opening weekend should remember that bear activity has been exceptionally high lately. Besides staying more aware of one’s surroundings, that means taking extra precautions with fresh game meat.

Those camping out during a hunting trip should make sure to hang carcasses away from tents and at least 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet from any trees or structures that bears could climb.

Hanging a fresh kill in a garage can also create a powerful attractant, so Wenum recommends getting the meat processed in a timely fashion.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.