Greetings, Beacon Nation! As if the woods of northwest Montana needed another shade of autumn to complement the lightning bolts of larch electrifying the landscape in the weeks leading up to Halloween, the hillsides glowed like jack-o’-lanterns on Saturday as blaze-orange-bedecked hunters headed afield for the start of the general season for deer and elk. The opener kicks off a rich and enduring tradition in Montana, which boasts one of the longest hunting seasons in the U.S., wrapping up Nov. 30.

Between now and then, hunters in northwest Montana can enjoy access to the second-largest tract of public land in the state — 6.2 million acres — as well as a diverse suite of free-ranging wildlife, including deer, elk, bears, wolves, mountain lions, and furbearers.

Four big game check stations will be open in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ (FWP) Region 1 (northwest Montana) on weekends during the general season — 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. In the Libby area, there is a chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling station located on the south end of Libby (mile marker 35 on Highway 2). Hunters are required to stop at game check stations but stopping at the Libby CWD sampling station is voluntary.

So, what should hunters expect as they prepare to head afield?

“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.”

For a full assessment of your field-to-freezer odds, keep reading.

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.

New this year: 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.

Happy hunting! Now, let’s get caught up on the rest of the Daily Roundup.

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