Game Check Stations Up And Running

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With the general deer and elk season set to open Oct. 24, hunters should remember that state law requires them to stop at all game checking stations on their routes of travel to and from hunting areas, even if they have no game to check. 

Hunters can expect to encounter two basic types of game check stations--law enforcement stations and biological stations.

Officers at law enforcement stations will normally ask to see hunters’ licenses and if they were successful in bagging an animal.   They will also check to make sure that any animals taken are properly tagged and that all other laws and regulations governing the taking of that animal were observed.

Wildlife biologists generally operate biological checking stations. When hunters stop at biological checking stations, they may be asked a variety of questions including how many deer or elk or antelope they saw and in which drainages or general locations their hunting took place. The biologist may weigh the animal, measure its antlers or horns, or remove a tooth from its lower jaw, all to provide an index to the health and condition of a particular herd or population.