Last Week of Hunting Season Rolls in With Extremely High Whitetail Harvest

The final week of general rifle hunting season is upon us and according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Public Information Officer Vivaca Crowser, this year is already one of the best in recent memory for whitetail deer hunters.

"We saw a lot more whitetail deer through the check stations, that's kind of the high-point of the last week," Crowser said. "We kind of expect that this time of year with the rut being in full-swing, but it's the best harvest year for white-tail season we've had since 2008 and I expect more of the same the last week of the season."

The big story for hunters this year has been the lack of snowfall, which makes elk hunting very difficult. Right now the elk harvest is only at 200, nearly a full 100 below the harvest in 2015, but Crowser says there is still hope for hunters.

"As far as elk, it's kind of the same story we've seen all season long: slow and steady," Crowser said. "We are still sitting about 30 percent behind where we were last year and it will really all come down to if we get the snow they are saying we might get at the end of this week... we might be able to bump it back up to close to what we had last year."

General rifle season for deer and elk will come to a close at the end of the day Sunday, November 27.