In western Montana, look for excellent whitetail hunting this season with plenty of mature bucks awaiting patient hunters. In the northwestern region, John Fraley, an information officer with the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks in Kalispell, reports that the whitetail trend is "still on the upswing" and is approaching the high population numbers found in the area just prior to the devastating 1996-'97 winter. Although trophy quality dropped in the years following that disaster, that situation has reversed itself as well. Last season, hunters brought right at 1,100 whitetail bucks through northwest check stations, the second highest number since the establishment of permanent checking facilities. Of those, almost 75 percent had at least four points on each antler.

Thanks to good fawn survival and a healthy carryover of adult deer, whitetail hunting should again be excellent in the northwest this season. Fraley notes that the Swan Valley "is always a great bet for whitetails," but advises those seeking an exceptional buck to be patient. "Hunt the last two weeks of the season," he recommends. "The majority of the big deer come through the check stations during the rut."

This fall's rut should also be very kind to Treasure State mule deer hunters. With just few exceptions, mulies are faring well statewide. Where are those problem areas? In Region 3, wildlife management sources report that despite favorable wintering conditions and habitat, mule deer numbers in the Bridger Mountains are slipping. Up in Region 6, fawn recruitment was low in 2004 in the Glasgow area, which will result in fewer yearling bucks this season. Hunters may also notice slightly fewer deer overall, but northeastern Montana hunters should still have a good season.

In Region 5, the Billings area and the prairie habitat north of the Yellowstone River has been more heavily impacted by drought than any other region in the state. Even though winter has been essentially non-existent in this area for the past several years, both adult mule deer numbers and fawn production appear to be dropping. Biologists also report that due to poor forage conditions, antler growth on mature bucks is poor.

However, mule deer populations in the mountains and foothills are still doing well. Last season I took a youth on his first deer hunt in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains west of Absarokee. Not only did Judah drop his first buck with a single shot, he got plenty of practice spotting mule deer as we looked over at least 30 head by mid-morning.

With the exception of the areas noted above, the outlook for both mule and whitetail deer hunting is excellent all across eastern Montana. Last season, I traveled extensively in the southeastern corner of the state and believe that deer numbers were as high as they've been in a decade. Hunting with my two young sons in the Alzada area in early November, we located numerous deer every day, including high numbers of bucks that appeared to be in the 2 1/2-year-old and older category. On the third day of the hunt, I took a tall-antlered, classic 5x5 just before nightfall. Hunters should find similar opportunities this season pretty much anywhere south of Miles City to the Wyoming border.

No matter which state or region within it you choose, don't miss this year's deer hunt. At this writing the hot, dry shroud of drought is still draped over the western landscape. The prospects for deer hunting are excellent this fall, but the future remains uncertain. If the saying "let's get while the gettin's good" applies to deer hunting, it holds doubly this season.