Mild Winters Fuel Strong Big Game Forecast for Northwest Montana
Spring surveys show healthy calf and fawn survival across elk, deer and moose, with wildlife managers pointing to three consecutive mild winters as the driver. General rifle season opens Oct. 24.
By Tristan Scott
Wildlife officials say three consecutive mild winters have left elk and deer populations in good shape heading into fall, with healthy calf and fawn survival pointing to solid hunting prospects across the region.
Archery season for deer, elk, black bears, wolves and mountain lions opened Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 18, while the general rifle season for black bears and wolves begins Sept. 15. The general rifle season for deer and elk opens Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 29.
Four big game check stations will operate 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. Hunters are required to stop at check stations. A chronic wasting disease sampling station also operates near the south end of Libby, at mile marker 35 on Highway 2; stopping there is voluntary, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) is encouraging hunters to submit samples for testing.
According to FWP’s 2026 forecast for Region 1, mild winter conditions and heavy harvest of wolves and mountain lions by hunters and trappers the past three years have combined to boost survival among elk calves and deer fawns.
Elk
Spring surveys in the Clark Fork Drainage, between Thompson Falls and Noxon, turned up 32 calves per 100 cows this year — about on par with last year and a sign of a herd that’s edging upward. Helicopter availability limited survey coverage in Hunting District (HD) 123 south of Thompson Falls and in the Lost Trail area (HD 103), though biologists who did get into the field described calf recruitment as good in HD 123. A ground survey of the Lost Trail herd tallied 414 elk, though large group sizes made it hard to pin down exact calf numbers; biologists consider that herd stable to slightly increasing. In the Bob Marshall Wilderness, calf recruitment climbed to 27 per 100 cows, an improvement over last year, though the herd there remains at low numbers overall. FWP expects regionwide elk populations to be similar to, or slightly better than, last season.
As a reminder, due to new regulations the Fish and Wildlife Commission enacted in December 2025, antlerless elk are not legal to harvest in Region 1. The commission made this change to reduce the total harvest of antlerless elk in northwest Montana.
Additionally, all Elk B Licenses in Region 1 are now valid only on private land. They are no longer valid on public land. The Fish and Wildlife Commission made this change to shift hunting pressure away from public lands and focus antlerless harvest on private lands.
To review the Deer | Elk | Antelope Hunting Regulations for 2026, click here.
White-tailed deer
White-tailed deer numbers should keep climbing this year on the strength of another mild winter, with fawn recruitment ranging from 29 to 54 fawns per 100 adults across the region’s spring surveys. Buck harvest has trended stable to increasing over the past four years, a pattern FWP expects to hold, and biologists anticipate more older bucks — 3 years and up — in the field thanks to several years of strong recruitment.
Hunters with either-sex B licenses valid in the Libby or Kalispell CWD management zones are reminded that CWD testing is required for those permits; FWP’s website or the Kalispell regional office can provide details.
Mule deer
Fawn survival was strong here too. Aerial surveys in the Fisher River drainage (HD 103) and ground surveys in the Galton Range (HD 101) recorded 41 and 39 fawns per 100 adults, respectively. FWP expects stable to slightly increasing mule deer populations across most of the region, with buck numbers similar to last year. Only bucks with at least one antler 4 inches or longer may be taken in Region 1, and there’s no antlerless opportunity. Hunting mule deer in the North Fisher area (HD 103-50) requires a permit, and any deer taken there must be tested for CWD; a permit is also required to hunt mule deer bucks in the back half of the season in HD 101.
Moose
Moose numbers remain stable across most of northwest Montana, based on past research and harvest data, though the population sits below historic highs and appears to have leveled off. In HD 111, around Tally Lake, FWP cut the number of moose licenses from 10 to 8 for this season to address declining harvest rates in that district.