By Gwyneth Hyndman
A local search and rescue team was called off last minute on Sunday, Nov. 6, in the Seeley Lake Ranger District, when two snowmobilers who were illegally snowmobiling up to Lake Elsina in the Lolo National Forest broke down and were believed to be in trouble, as a severe weather warning for the area approached.
Missoula County Sheriff Sergeant Bob Parcell said his office was alerted to the situation just before 7 p.m., after a group of “irate hunters” called the U.S. Forest Service about two snowmobilers who had ridden right through an area off the westside trail they were hunting in, scaring off game, and putting themselves in danger. Parcell pointed out that the trail is not open to snowmobiling until Dec. 1.
Parcell said a U.S. Forest Service officer went out to where the pair had parked their truck and snowmobile trailer, and waited for them there. Because there was a dog in the truck, Parcell said, the officer assumed they were not planning a long expedition.
“He waited and waited and waited,” Parcell said. “But when they didn’t come out, he knew something had gone wrong.” A search and rescue team was alerted and was prepared to begin their search, when the two snowmobilers were spotted on cross-country skis, making their way back to the vehicle.
Parcell said they had “the good sense” to bring skis with them in case of a break-down, which is exactly what happened.
On their return, the two snowmobilers were cited for snowmobiling in an area that was for wheel-vehicles only until Dec. 1.
Parcell said that fortunately, this had been the only concerning incident that had been reported in relation to the big game general hunting season in the area.
A hunter himself, Parcell said the heavier snow this last week was a welcome relief from the rain that hunters had endured through opening weekend.
“With the snow here, it’s just great,” he said. “It’s like the season is finally getting going.”
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Communications Specialist Vivica Crowser said that hunter check station elk and deer harvest numbers for west-central Montana were above average halfway through the season, including the Bonner check station.
The number of hunter trips through the check stations at Bonner, Darby and Anaconda - which make up Region 2 - totaled 4,772 for the first half of the season. During the season’s first three weekends, those hunters checked 179 elk, 53 mule deer and 185 white-tailed deer, compared to 119 elk, 52 mule deer and 137 white-tailed deer in 2021. This did not include the check station off of Hwy 83, north of Swan Lake, which falls into Region 1 and includes areas west of Thompson Falls and Kalispell. Numbers for Region 1 were slightly down for mule deer and elk, with more than 4,500 hunters reporting in through the check stations.
Elk harvest was up at all three stations in Region 2, compared to 2021 and is the highest it has been in the region since 2017 at this point of the season. White-tailed deer harvest is also outpacing recent years, due in part to more liberal regulations in some hunting districts. Mule deer harvest is on track with last season and above the five-year average.
At the Fish Creek check station west of Missoula, historical data for the third weekend was not available, but FWP biologist Ryan Klimstra said despite heavy winds that made conditions difficult, animals were moving around and more available to hunters as the season draws on. He recorded 525 hunter trips through the check station so far this season with three elk, 26 white-tailed deer and one mule deer.
Hunters must stop at all check stations they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals. The general big game season runs through Sunday, Nov. 27.
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