Chad Wenz of Deer Lodge shows off an antler he discovered while antler hunting in the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range. This is his third year he has participated in the hunt which kicked off this year Saturday, May 15.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff ride through the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range on horseback as they monitor visitor activity during the range's opening day where guests scavenge the area looking for dropped antlers.
GREENOUGH - Wildlife enthusiasts scoured the Blackfoot Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, also known as "the Game Range," for antlers as the area opened to the public Saturday, May 15.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Sergeant Dan Curtin said that from his perspective this year's turnout was about the same as previous years and may have actually been slightly less than in the past. He estimates that there were close to 1,000 people on the Range.
"Everything went really smoothly," he said. "[Visitors] were spread out more than usual which was good to see. ... We didn't see any traffic issues on [Highway] 83. People seemed pretty respectful of each other and it just seemed like everybody enjoyed the day. A lot of folks came away with one or more than one of the antlers especially on the west side. And everybody seemed to be pretty happy with the outcome of it this year."
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