Montana best weeks of rifle season

[Pagosa]

Does anyone know if Montana FWP has statistics on which week most of elk are harvested from the road side check stations or harvest counts? Or is this information even collected? The hunt planner on the FWP website just shows total hunters and total harvest, which I assume is a random sample and not accurate?

I'm researching for next season and from previous times hunting in Montana region 3 it seems the first week is best and later in the season the elk end up on lower private land, but I've never hunted in the last 3 weeks of rifle season? Thanks

 

[Big Fin]

That info does not exist, to my knowledge.

 

[Pagosa]

That's what I assumed, just didn't know if they posted harvest data from check stations. Thanks Bigfin

 

[mtmuley]

I'd gamble on weather helping out in the later weeks over the initial opening week crowds. mtmuley

 

[Carrion Carrier]

They do post data from check stations via FWP News or on montanaoutdoor.com. You may be able to Google up some (try looking for things posted ~10 months ago).

The best week really depends on the area.

 

[bigskyblueman]

Check station numbers are released to the media during the season , but they are incomplete as some are not open every day. The annual harvest survey , which I used to do for FWP, extrapolates the numbers to reach their estimates, taking in other factors.

 

[joelweb]

For many hunting districts the success rates are correlated with fowl weather, and the weather is different every year.

 

[whiskeydog]

For many hunting districts the success rates are correlated with fowl weather, and the weather is different every year.

...definitely a lot of ducks being taken during "fowl" weather

 

[Straight Arrow]

There are definitely some basics to learn and follow to enhance success in elk hunting. However, even if the data you are seeking and other such technological and chronological data were available, I submit to you that the overly scientific approach may bring unexpected results and contradictions to whatever hypotheses you develop. Personally, after many years hunting elk and with relatively good success, the fun and excitement remains because the wily and wonderful wapiti continues to surprise me and teach me something new with each hunting season.

 

[----]

They do post data from check stations via FWP News or on montanaoutdoor.com. You may be able to Google up some (try looking for things posted ~10 months ago).

The best week really depends on the area.

Yeah, this right here. The local papers post weekly updates throughout the season, and even do multi-year comparisons. The data is definitely out there somewhere.

Like others have said though, there's so much noise and so many variables, the chances of it correlating to your specific spot are pretty low.

 

[Pagosa]

Thanks for the help. I will look at the Montana Outdoor article. I had thought I had seen info about how many deer and elk were harvested in a particular area. I understand the weather factor and opening weekend crowds. I'm just looking to avoid units with lots of private ground that aren't hunted and create refuges, like some of region 5.

 

[Bulldog0156]

You can almost always get away from people, even if you hunt in the most popular districts.