Kalispell — Montana’s general hunting season is hitting the midway point and the overall harvest is expected to increase with the onset of the deer breeding season in the coming weeks.

So far in 2021, there have been fewer hunters reported but a higher percentage of success among those coming through the regional check stations in northwest Montana. A total of 4,529 hunters have been reported at the four weekend stations this year, compared to 6,020 two years ago. The overall game harvest this year was 602 animals checked compared to 625 in 2019. The white-tailed buck harvest is lagging behind the 2019 pace, while the mule deer and elk harvests are slightly higher. The overall white-tailed deer harvest was almost identical to 2019 figures through the same period of time.

FWP did not operate game check stations on weekends during the 2020 season. The counts at the stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken.

Check stations are open on weekends during hunting season from 10 a.m. to approximately 1.5 hours past sunset. The regional game check stations are located at U.S. Highway 2 West of Kalispell, Montana Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls, and Highway 93 near Olney.

Hunters must stop at all check stations that they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals.

A table below summarizes the results through the first three weekends of the season at four check stations. The Canoe Gulch station in Libby has been replaced with a voluntary chronic wasting disease sampling station on Highway 2 south of Libby.

The deer breeding season, known as the “rut,” typically begins in early-to-mid November. The arrival of winter weather would also bode well for hunters as snow cover improves the ability to track animals.

The general deer and elk season runs through Nov. 28, 2021.

Northwest Montana (Region 1) Reminders

• Hunters should review the regulations for each hunting district they plan to hunt.
• Elk hunting is brow-tined bull only in Region 1 (northwest Montana). Spike elk are not legal game in this region.
• Hunters who purchased the 199-20 either-sex white-tailed deer B license can only use that license within the Libby CWD Management Zone.
• Mule deer buck hunting in the North Fisher portion of Hunting District 103 near Libby is permit-only.
• Many private lands that were historically owned by corporate timber companies have changed ownership, and hunters should review the Block Management Program for Region 1 to view available public access opportunities and restrictions on private lands.
• Hunters should “Be Bear Aware” and properly store food and carcasses. Hunters should avoid hanging carcasses near houses or garages. Carcasses should be suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet out from any upright support. Hunters are encouraged to carry bear spray and know how to use it. More food storage and safety information are available on the FWP website, fwp.mt.gov.
• The four rules of firearm safety: Always be sure of your target and beyond; Always point the muzzle of your gun in a safe direction; Always treat every gun as if it were loaded; Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.

Chronic Wasting Disease

This year, FWP will continue surveillance for chronic wasting disease in specific areas known as Priority Surveillance Areas. In northwestern Montana, those areas include Hunting Districts 100, 103, 104, 120, 121, 122 and 170. In those specific areas, hunters are asked to voluntarily submit a sample from their animal. For instructions on how or where to submit a sample, visit fwp.mt.gov/cwd.

Testing for CWD is voluntary throughout the state. FWP will assist hunters with sample collection and submission. In northwest Montana, hunters can bring their animal to the FWP office in Kalispell, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. FWP staff will also assist with CWD sample collection at game check stations when possible and safety allows, based on traffic at the station. Stopping at game check stations remains mandatory. FWP will cover the cost of testing hunter-harvested animals for CWD.

A CWD sampling station in Libby will operate Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, 10 a.m. to 1.5 hours past sunset at the Montana Department of Transportation shop on U.S. Highway 2 south of town. Hunters are not required to stop at the Libby CWD sampling station.

Hunters who want their animal sampled should leave 2 to 4 inches of the neck below the low jawbone and base of the skull to ensure lymph nodes are present and not inadvertently left with the carcass. Samples cannot be collected from frozen heads.

To help prevent the spread of CWD, all carcasses, including the head and spinal column, must be disposed of in a class II landfill after butchering and processing. Dumping carcasses is illegal, unethical and can spread diseases, including chronic wasting disease. This requirement applies to all deer, elk, and moose carcasses harvested by hunters or as vehicle-killed salvage.

Contact a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional office for more information. In northwest Montana, call (406) 752-5501.

FWP REGION 1 CHECK STATION SUMMARY

Through Third Weekend – November 7, 2021

STATION	NUMBER HUNTERS		WHITE-TAILED DEER		WT BUCKS		MULE DEER		ELK		% HUNTERS WITH GAME
	2021	2019	2021	2019	2021	2019	2021	2019	2021	2019	2021	2019
Hwy 2	2,052	2,978	154	136	85	99	29	21	12	16	13.6	5.8
Swan	747	838	44	45	35	38	0	2	3	3	11.0	6
Thompson Falls	697	928	22	32	18	24	11	4	15	8	9.4	4.7
Olney	1,033	1,276	104	113	59	74	7	7	4	3	16.9	9.6
Totals	4,529	6,020	324	326	197	235	47	34	34	30	13.3	10.4

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