Dispatch / 11.02.26· Agencies & Hunting ·Montana
Augusta Check Station Logs 630 Hunters and 26% Success on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front
Montana FWP checked 167 elk and deer at its Region 4 station through Nov. 1, 20 percent above the recent average. Elk harvest of 71 runs more than 30 percent above the long-term average.
Key Facts
- 630 hunters passed the Augusta check station through Nov. 1, nine percent above average.
- 26 percent of hunters had game, compared with a ten-year average of 19 percent.
- 167 elk and deer were checked: 71 elk, 41 mule deer and 55 white-tailed deer.
- Elk harvest is more than 30 percent above the long-term average.
- Montana's general deer and elk seasons close Nov. 29, 2026.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a release from Great Falls on Nov. 2 that 630 hunters had stopped at its Augusta check station through the first full week of the general rifle season, nine percent above average.
Through the second Sunday of the season on Nov. 1, 26 percent of hunters stopping at the station had taken big game in the southern Rocky Mountain Front, compared with a ten-year average of 19 percent. Snow and cool weather gave hunters good conditions in the opening days.
The station has checked 167 elk and deer, 20 percent above the recent average and 15 percent above last year at this point. Deer harvest is about 12 percent above average and five percent above last year, with 41 mule deer and 55 white-tailed deer checked. Elk harvest stands at 71 animals, more than 30 percent above the long-term average.
Harvest is spread across the deer and elk districts the station monitors: hunting districts 422, 424, 425, 442, 444 and 450. Early snow pushed elk onto the Sun River Wildlife Management Area in October, but milder weather since has slowed elk movement and success in HD 442 has dropped somewhat. The HD 442 elk quota remains open to antlerless harvest. If the quota is met, antlerless elk hunting closes there, while the brow-tined bull season runs through Thanksgiving weekend.
Hunters also brought five antelope, one wolf and a mix of upland birds and waterfowl through the station. FWP said hunters keep reporting grizzly bears and bear sign, and it urged caution around carcasses, camp food storage and while packing meat.
Hunters must stop at any check station they pass while hunting, whether or not they have game. The Augusta station on Main Street is the only biological check station in Region 4. It runs seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and to 10 p.m. on weekends. FWP said check stations sample a small share of hunter effort and harvest but capture the trends used in wildlife management.
Montana’s general deer and elk seasons close Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, and FWP’s Augusta station stays open through the final weekend.
Sources
- 1 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks · After two weekends, hunter numbers and harvest continue to be above average in north-central Montana · accessed 2026-11-02
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