General big game hunting season begins Saturday

| October 22, 2019 11:20 AM

This weekend marks the beginning of the general big game hunting season in Montana.

The general deer and elk season is Oct. 26-Dec. 1.

Here are a few reminders for hunters in Northwest Montana (Region 1):

- There is a change in the antlerless hunts in hunting districts 122 and 130 this year. General hunters can no longer harvest antlerless white-tailed deer the first week or the last week of the season in those hunting districts, regardless of land ownership. Youth 12-15 years old and those with a permit to hunt from the vehicle are still allowed to harvest an antlerless whitetail in those hunting districts from Oct. 26-Dec. 1. Only B license holders can harvest antlerless deer in those districts.

- FWP will have five big game check stations set up on weekends: U.S. 2 west of Kalispell; Highway 83 north of Swan Lake; Highway 200 on the west end of Thompson Falls; U.S. 93 near Olney; and on Highway 37 on Canoe Gulch Road east of Libby. Hunters are required to stop at check stations they encounter.

- Hunters are reminded that mule deer buck hunting in the North Fisher portion of Hunting District 103 near Libby is permit-only. See legal description in regulations and legal district booklet.

- Hunters should check their licenses in advance, and anyone with faded licenses can have them replaced at no cost at their regional Fish, Wildlife and Parks office. After Oct. 24, the cost will be $5 for each license replaced at a license provider. However, FWP will reimburse the cost to hunters and anglers who mail in a receipt along with their faded license and tags.

Another option for replacing your license is to go to fwp.mt.gov, login to MyFWP and request a digital version of your license to print at home or download to a smart phone. Digital licenses are good for everything but a carcass tag.