General Deer and Elk Hunting Season Opens Strong in Northwest Montana

Montana’s general deer and elk hunting season opened Oct. 25 with nearly 2,000 hunters stopping at mandatory check stations in northwest Montana over the weekend, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials. That figure includes 10.6% of hunters who reported success.

All told, 1,195 hunters checked 300 animals over the opening weekend as wildlife managers clocked a higher success rate for hunters in the region compared to last year’s opener. The check station results from the opening weekend show increased overall harvests of white-tailed deer and elk across the region, while mule deer numbers were down, according to FWP.

The check station totals included 177 white-tailed deer, including 88 bucks, as well as 13 mule deer and 22 elk. That compares to 163 white-tailed deer last year, a figure that included 67 bucks. Hunters in 2024 reported 21 mule deer and 16 elk. The overall hunter success rate is 10.6% percent to date, compared to 10% percent after last year’s opening weekend.

Montana’s 2025 general deer and elk hunting season runs through Nov. 30.

Check stations are open on weekends during general season from 10 a.m. until about 90 minutes past sunset. The four big game check stations are located on Highway 2 west of Kalispell, Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Highway 200 on the west end of Thompson Falls, and Highway 93 near Olney.

Hunters must stop at any check station they encounter whether they harvested an animal or not. The counts at the stations represent a sampling of the harvest and do not represent the complete number of animals taken, according to FWP.

This year’s improved hunter-success rate aligns with FWP’s hunting forecast for northwest Montana, which reported strong deer and elk populations following last year’s mild winter.

“Big game survival and recruitment in northwest Montana was good last winter with good recruitment in elk and deer,” according to the 2025 Big Game Hunting Forecast for FWP’s Region 1. “Winter temperature and snow conditions were generally mild, other than a brief cold snap, resulting in favorable conditions for fawn and calf survival.”

During their spring surveys, local wildlife managers report observing good fawn and elk calf survival following a mild winter, with white-tailed deer numbers forecast to increase this year. White-tailed deer recruitment (a fawn’s success at surviving until a certain age and joining, or being “recruited,” into the adult deer population) ranged from 39 to nearly 70 fawns per 100 adults during the 2025 spring surveys across the region.

“We have experienced an overall increasing trend in buck harvest within the region over the last three years and expect to see that trend continue this season,” according to the forecast.

Meanwhile, elk calf survival and recruitment in the Clark Fork Drainage (Thompson Falls to Noxon area) averaged 32 calves per 100 cows. This is lower than what was observed last year, but still indicates a moderate increase to the elk population. Calf recruitment in Hunting District 103 (the Lost Trail area) was approximately 20 calves per 100 cows, which is more indicative of a stable population. With the exception of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, which is still experiencing low elk numbers, hunters should expect elk populations to be similar to slightly better than last year.

Based on aerial surveys along the Fisher River (Hunting District 103) and in the Galton Range (Hunting District 101), the mild winter also led to good survival rates for mule deer fawns. The survey results showed 38 and 34 fawns per 100 adults in each hunting district, respectively.

“We expect stable to slightly increasing populations in much of the region, with buck numbers similar to last season,” according to the forecast.

Based on past research and hunter harvest metrics, moose populations in the region appear to be stable across much of northwest Montana. Overall numbers are still below historic highs, however, and the moose population looks to have stabilized at the current level. To address declining harvest rates in the Purcell Mountains, FWP officials last year decreased the number of moose licenses they issued in that district.

CWD was detected one year ago for the first time in wild deer populations in Flathead County, leading wildlife managers to establish a new CWD management zone and offer “B licenses” for either sex of white-tailed deer. Hunters are encouraged to consult the FWP website or contact the Kalispell regional office for more details.

FWP is hosting a sampling clinic at its Kalispell office on Thursday, Oct. 30 to help hunters learn how to collect lymph nodes for testing. The clinic will be from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. with staff available to help teach hunters how to self-submit samples. Hunters can bring a recently harvested deer or elk head or FWP will have some heads available.

CWD Testing

CWD testing is voluntary in most places in Montana. All hunters in Hunting District 170 are encouraged to get their harvested deer and elk tested for CWD.

There are mandatory testing requirements for tags associated with CWD management near Libby. Testing is required for all animals harvested using the Deer B License 199-20 in hunting districts 100, 103 and 104, or Deer Permit 103-50 in hunting district 103.

FWP strongly recommends that hunters receive a negative CWD test result before bringing their deer, elk or moose to a meat processor or donating it to a food bank.

If the animal tests positive for CWD, FWP will advise the hunter on proper carcass and meat disposal and give instructions on how to request a replacement license.

In northwest Montana, hunters may self-submit samples at the Libby CWD Sampling Station, located at the Montana Department of Transportation shop on U.S. Hwy 2. It will be open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to dusk.

Hunters can also submit samples at a game check station, or by visiting the Region 1 office in Kalispell at 490 N. Meridian during weekday business hours.

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