New hunting regulation changes for northwest Montana

The general big game hunting season begins Saturday, Oct. 26, and state officials are predicting more animals on the landscape following a mild winter.

Big game survival in Region 1, northwest Montana, was good last winter with good recruitment in elk and deer. Snow conditions were mild and other than a brief cold snap, temperatures were generally mild as well.  

New for 2024, the end of the archery season (last day Oct. 20) for deer and elk will overlap with the youth rifle hunt (Oct. 17-18) for deer, meaning all hunters must wear the mandatory minimum blaze orange clothing.

Four big game check stations, operated by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff, will be open in Region 1 on weekends during the general season: U.S. Highway 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. 

In the Libby area, there is a chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling station located on the south end of Libby (mile marker 35 on U.S. 2). Hunters are required to stop at game check stations, but stopping at the Libby CWD sampling station is voluntary.

Nevertheless, new regulations require testing for the CWD Management Zone white-tailed Deer B License (199-20) and the Mule Deer permit for portions of Hunter District 103 (103-50). 

CWD has been detected in white-tailed deer, mule deer and moose in the Libby area. Hunters need to be aware of the Libby CWD Management Zone and its boundaries, which include portions of HDs 100, 103 and 104. CWD has been found in a few cases outside the Management Zone and it is recommended that hunters get deer, elk and moose tested. 

Hunters wishing to have harvested deer, elk and moose tested can submit samples themselves, visit the Libby CWD sampling station from 10 a.m. to sunset Saturday, Sunday and Monday or from 1 p.m. to sunset Tuesday afternoons during the general season, or stop by the Region 1 headquarters in Kalispell (490 North Meridian) during business hours, Monday through Friday. 

FWP staff’s ability to collect samples at game check stations will be limited and will occur only if it can be done safely and check stations are not busy. Hunters are encouraged to submit samples for testing so FWP can better assess the status of CWD in northwest Montana. 

For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/chronic-wasting-disease. 

Elk  

Calf survival and recruitment in Hunting District 121 (Thompson Falls to Noxon area) averaged 48 calves per 100 cows in 2024 spring surveys. This is the highest level of recruitment observed in this district in more than 30 years. 

Recruitment in other areas of the region is expected to be higher than normal as well and elk numbers should be slightly higher across the region. Elk hunting is challenging in northwest Montana due to difficult terrain, heavily forested habitat, and densities relatively lower than some areas in Montana.  

White-tailed deer 

White-tailed deer numbers in Region 1 should be on the increase this year due to a mild winter. The number of fawns to survive the winter was the highest FWP staff have seen in years. 

Wildlife biologists observed whitetail recruitment ranging from 34 to 54 fawns per 100 adults during the 2024 spring surveys. Hunters should see an increase in young bucks in the field with numbers of older-aged bucks similar to last season.

For more information on white-tailed deer numbers and harvest, see the Region 1 2023 Annual Report at fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/regions/region1.  

New this year is the mandatory CWD testing of deer harvested within the Libby CWD Management Zone (MZ) White-tailed Deer B License (199-20). Hunters who have this license can only hunt in the Libby CWD MZ and are required to have deer tested for CWD within 10 days of harvest.  

Mule deer  

The mild winter contributed to a high survival of fawns in the region. 

Officials expect stable to slightly increasing populations in much of the region, with larger numbers of yearling bucks observed. The number of older-age bucks should be similar to last year. 

Antlered bucks (i.e., a deer with an antler or antlers at least 4 inches long as measured from the top of the skull) may be harvested in Region 1. No antlerless harvest opportunity exists in the region. The North Fisher area in HD 103 requires a permit to hunt mule deer (HD 103-50), and CWD testing is required for any deer harvested with this permit (new this year). 

More information on the status of mule deer in Region 1 can be found here: fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/regions/region1. 

Moose  

Results from a 10-year study on moose indicated that the Cabinet-Salish population wintering south of Libby appears to be stable to slightly increasing. 

Overall numbers are below historic highs and the moose population looks to have stabilized at the current level. Similar trends in moose populations likely exist in most of Region 1. 

Visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/moose for more information.