The state Fish, Wildlife and Parks department is recommending buck-only hunting seasons for whitetail deer in northwest Montana’s Region One.
For the last two years, the agency says it has documented a downward trend in whitetail reproduction, and results from hunting season check stations also show fewer deer on the landscape.
Those observations were echoed by hunters who spoke at a recent hearing in Kalispell on proposed season regulations for this year and next. Most of the hunters said the harvest should be limited only to bucks because of the downturn in deer numbers.
The FWP Commission will consider the recommendation when it meets in Helena on Feb. 11 for final adoption of the 2010 and 2011 season regulations. If the proposal passes, it will be the first time since 2001 that the region has had buck-only whitetail hunting.