Northwest Montana hunter check station big game results

The general deer and elk hunting season wrapped up last week in Montana and game check stations in northwest Montana reported activity levels nearly identical to 2024 while harvest totals reflect small shifts among species.

White-tailed deer harvest remained the backbone of the region’s big game season, according to the check station information. Hunters checked 1,009 white-tailed deer, including 784 bucks, slightly ahead of last year’s buck harvest. Mule deer and elk harvests were down modestly compared to 2024.

The Thompson Falls check station reported the most elk killed with 27. That was a big jump from 2024 when only 12 were checked.

The U.S. 2 station west of Kalispell reported 20 elk, down from the 30 a year ago. Elk hunters turned in nine at Olney and three at the Swan station.

Olney saw a solid jump in white-tailed deer harvest with 246 bucks, up from 204 last year, and overall, 333, up from 292 in 2024.

Across all stations, 10.9 percent of hunters had harvested game, up slightly from 10.2 percent last year.

Check stations were open on weekends during general hunting season and only sampled a small portion of hunter participation and harvests across the region. They help biologists track monitoring trends and collect information on wildlife age, health, and other observations from the field. 

Telephone surveys, conducted over the upcoming winter months with hunters, will gather definitive harvest data and information. Harvest reports from each season are posted online and regional species reports are posted on the Region 1 webpage.

Hunters still have opportunities into winter. Certain areas have continued elk hunting opportunities and there's also Montana’s Muzzleloader Heritage season for deer and elk, Dec. 13-21, 2025.

As the season wraps up, hunters can thank Montana landowners for access and share stories through an online portal. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is offering this opportunity to say thank you to landowners who have provided access and helped to make your hunting season great. 

FWP will collect these expressions of gratitude and share them with the specific landowners at the end of the season. Notes can be submitted online at https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/thank-a-landowner.