While general rifle season doesn’t  officially begins until Saturday, young  hunters have an opportunity to get ahead of the game. Starting tomorrow hunters between the ages of 10 and 15 have a chance to take an early shot.

“A couple things that are important to remember is youth must have a non-hunting adult with them,” Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Public Information Officer Vivica Crowser said. “That typically ends up being a parent or grandparent, somebody that can mentor them in the field. It’s only for deer and not elk, so that's also important to remember and all regular regulation for the hunting district they are hunting in also apply.”

Although mule deer populations seem to be in decline, both whitetail and elk numbers indicate that this may be a good season for hunters.
“We have seen really goods success from the archery hunters so far in our spring survey that help us estimate that deer and elk populations in a lot of areas,” Crowser said. “It  looks really good, populations seem like we're on a upward trend in most spots. There's a few exceptions where numbers aren't where we want them to be but by and large there is a lot of opportunity out there so now it really comes down to what will happen with the weather.”

FWP sold out of it's out-of-state licenses this past week, something that hasn’t happened in years, which means more visitor money will be flowing into Montana during hunting season than last year.

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