Forecast shows healthy numbers for big game hunting season

Big game survival and recruitment in Northwest Montana showed positive trends this spring, according to a hunting forecast by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, released as hunting season falls upon the Flathead Valley.  

“In general, we feel like we have good recruitment,” said Dillon Tabish, the Region 1 regional communication and education program manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “Spring surveys appear to be positive and so we are excited for hunting season.” 

Montana’s elk and deer archery season opened Sept. 7 and runs through Oct. 20. The general rifle season opens Oct. 26 and wraps up Dec. 1. 

While recruitment was strong, Tabish mentioned that hunters will continue to see the effects of rough winters in previous years, specifically in age classes among animals.  

Elk survival and recruitment in the Thompson Falls to Noxon area averaged 48 calves per 100 cows in spring surveys, the highest level of recruitment in the area in over 30 years. Other regions are expected to have higher than normal recruitment, so elk numbers should be slightly higher across the region.  

Similarly, white-tailed deer numbers should be on the increase after a mild winter. Hunters should expect an increase in young bucks in the field, with numbers of older bucks staying similar to last season.  

“The number of [white-tailed] fawns to survive the winter was the highest we have seen in years,” the forecast states.  

New this year, any deer harvested within the Libby Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone White-tailed Deer B License (199-20) is required to be tested for the disease within 10 days of harvest. This requirement was optional in past years. 

Mule deer followed a similar trend with high survival rates through the winter and a regulation change for the 2024-25 season. The North Fisher area, or Hunting District 103, requires a new permit to hunt mule deer and testing for chronic wasting disease is mandatory.  

Hunters can expect to see stable to slightly increasing populations of mule deer on the landscape, the forecast states.  

The moose population in Region 1 appears to be stable, but overall numbers are below historic highs.  

Another change to the season will impact hunters who harvest on Flathead Ridge Ranch, a large piece of land west of Kalispell enrolled in block management. This year, to hunt on the ranch, a person will need to get a permission card, Tabish said. This helps the wildlife agency gauge hunting use.  

Chronic wasting disease is a concern this year, specifically within the Libby Management Zone, which includes Hunting Districts 100, 103 and 104. Wildlife officials encourage all hunters to get harvested deer, elk and moose tested. Testing is mandatory for the two aforementioned areas. 

Four big game check stations will be open in Region 1 on weekends during the general season. These include on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell, Montana Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Montana Highway 200 on the west end of Thompson Falls and U.S. Highway 93 near Olney. The chronic wasting disease sampling station is on the south end of Libby, located at mile marker 35 on U.S. 2.  

Hunters are required to stop at game check stations, the forecast says.  

To submit a sample for chronic wasting disease testing, hunters can go to the sampling station in Libby or to the Region 1 Headquarters office in Kalispell. 

For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt/seasons/forecasts.