Troy, MT Hunting Report: Northwest Montana & Lincoln County — Week of October 29, 2026

Week one of Montana’s general rifle season is in the books, and for hunters around Troy and the rest of Lincoln County, from the Yaak and Bull Lake to the Kootenai valley and the Cabinet Mountains, the regional numbers say it started slow. The general deer and elk season opened Saturday, Oct. 24, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 29 (FWP hunting seasons page, checked Oct. 29). FWP’s opening-weekend check station results for northwest Montana, released Oct. 27, show 1,889 hunters checked at Region 1 stations and a 7.4 percent success rate, down from 10.6 percent on the 2025 opener. None of those four stations is in Lincoln County, and FWP hasn’t published Libby CWD station counts or any Lincoln County harvest tally, so we can’t tell you what’s been killed closer to home. What we can give you is the official regional snapshot, this week’s forecast, and the notices that matter.

Opening weekend by the numbers (FWP Region 1, through Oct. 25):

Across the four Region 1 check stations, hunters brought in 118 white-tailed deer (177 last year), including 56 whitetail bucks (88 last year), plus 11 mule deer (13) and 11 elk (22). FWP said overall whitetail and elk harvest was lower than last year while mule deer buck harvest held fairly steady. By station: the U.S. Highway 2 station west of Kalispell, which many Libby and Troy hunters pass, checked 1,003 hunters with 54 whitetails (27 of them bucks), 4 mule deer, and 6 elk, a 6.4 percent success rate (8.4 percent in 2025). Olney checked 465 hunters at 10.5 percent (15.6 last year), Thompson Falls checked 230 at 7.8 percent (11.0), and the Swan checked 191 at 4.7 percent (9.5). Some news write-ups this week quoted last year’s station percentages as this year’s, so the figures here come straight from FWP’s own table. “Opening weekend gives us a useful look at how the season is starting across the region,” regional wildlife manager Neil Anderson said, adding that FWP will keep tracking harvest through the season. Keep in mind that check stations only sample the harvest. They don’t count every animal taken, and one slow weekend doesn’t decide a five-week season. The preseason picture FWP gave in September is unchanged: three mild winters, strong fawn and calf survival, and more older whitetail bucks expected.

Check stations and CWD testing:

The Region 1 check stations run weekends through the general season from 10 a.m. to about 1.5 hours after sunset: U.S. Highway 2 west of Kalispell, Highway 83 north of Swan Lake, Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls, and Highway 93 near Olney. You must stop at every check station you pass, whether or not you have game. Here at home, the Libby CWD sampling station is at the MDT Libby Shop (35838 U.S. Highway 2, just south of where Big Cherry Creek crosses the highway). It’s open Saturday through Monday, 10 a.m. to sunset, through Nov. 30. You can also get an animal sampled at the FWP Kalispell office (490 N. Meridian Rd., weekdays 8 to 5) or the Thompson Falls office (Mondays 8 to 5), or take the samples yourself and mail them to the Wildlife Health Lab in Bozeman. Testing is mandatory for any animal taken on a White-tailed Deer B License 199-20 (HDs 100, 103, and 104), the Mule Deer Permit 103-50 (HD 103), or the White-tailed Deer B License 170-20 (HD 170). We didn’t find any published Libby station sample counts or CWD results for this season yet.

Region 1 rules worth repeating:

FWP’s Oct. 27 release reminds hunters that Region 1 antlerless elk B licenses are valid only on private land for 2026–27. If you plan to hunt SPP lands or the Flathead Ridge Ranch Block Management Area, there are new permission rules this year. The old SPP single-access system is now three separate BMAs, each with its own requirements, so check the Block Management maps first. Read the far-right “Opportunity Specific Details and/or Restrictions” column for your district in the regulations before you hunt it.

Seasons open now (per FWP, checked Oct. 29):

Deer and elk general: through Nov. 29, with muzzleloader Dec. 12–20. Black bear fall season: through Nov. 29. Mountain lion fall season (without dogs): through Nov. 29, and the winter season opens Dec. 1. Moose, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep general (license or permit holders): through Nov. 29. Wolf general: Sept. 15, 2026 – March 14, 2027, per FWP’s wolf species page (the general seasons page still lists 2026 wolf dates as “TBD”). Mountain grouse, partridge, and sharp-tailed grouse: through Jan. 1. Ring-necked pheasant: through Jan. 1. Fall turkey (statewide reference): Sept. 1 – Jan. 1, where open. Pacific Flyway ducks (including mergansers), coots, and geese: through Jan. 15. Snipe: through Dec. 16. Mourning dove closes Friday, Oct. 30. Shoulder seasons and permits vary by district, so check the 2026 regulations or the Hunt Planner.

New FWP notices this week:

On Oct. 28 FWP announced that the Fish and Wildlife Commission meets Dec. 10 in Helena. The agenda includes 2027 amendments to permits, quotas, season lengths, and open areas for deer, elk, and turkey, along with the Upper Thompson Conservation Easement Phase 2 in Region 1. Public comment is open through Nov. 11 through FWP’s online portal or by mail. FWP also posted an Oct. 28 notice closing black bear management unit 420 to all black bear hunting a half hour after sunset Friday, Oct. 30. That unit isn’t in northwest Montana, but it’s a reminder that bear quotas can close a unit mid-season, so check FWP’s Restrictions and Closures page if you’re hunting bears anywhere. We found no new Region 1-specific closure notices this week.

Birds:

FWP’s Roosters for Recruitment board (updated Oct. 23) now shows 608 pheasants released at North Shore WMA and 404 at Foys Bend FCA (limited hunting by drawing). Those are both up from last week. Wild upland birds are still expected to be below normal in Region 1 after the cool, wet spring, per FWP’s August forecast. Ducks and geese are open through Jan. 15. You need HIP and a migratory bird license, plus a federal duck stamp if you’re 16 or older. We didn’t find a published northwest Montana waterfowl field report this week.

Bear safety:

The Cabinet-Yaak and the hills around Troy are grizzly country, and bears are still feeding hard. FWP’s Oct. 27 release asks hunters to store food and carcasses properly, to avoid hanging carcasses near houses or garages, and to hang them at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet out from any upright support. Carry bear spray where you can reach it and know how to use it. This has been a bad natural-food year: FWP’s bear specialist called the summer huckleberry failure “one of the worst natural food failure years on record” (Flathead Beacon, Oct. 2), which has pushed bears lower and closer to people. Black bear hunters should also be careful with identification. The Seeley Swan Pathfinder reported Oct. 29 that two nonresident hunters near Condon self-reported killing two grizzlies on Oct. 15 that they had mistaken for black bears. Color alone won’t tell you the species, so look at the shoulder hump, face profile, and ears, and if you aren’t sure, don’t shoot.

Troy weather this week:

The National Weather Service in Missoula’s forecast for Troy (updated 2:01 a.m. MDT Thursday, Oct. 29) calls for a slight chance of rain and snow early today and areas of fog before 1 p.m., then partly sunny with a high near 51 and a low around 24 tonight. Friday looks mostly cloudy, high near 52 and a low around 27. Saturday is partly sunny and near 56, with a 40 percent chance of rain Saturday night (low around 30). Sunday has a 30 percent chance of rain and a high near 53, then a low around 27. Monday through Wednesday stay mostly cloudy to partly sunny, with highs of 55 to 58 and lows near 28. Winds are calm through Friday. Expect frosty mornings and no snow in the valley forecast for the second weekend. Forecasts change, so check again before you head out.

Kootenai National Forest roads (alerts checked Oct. 29):

Spar Lake Road #384 (Three Rivers District) is still closed to motor vehicles for flood-damage repairs. Ross Creek Cedars Road #398 is still damaged from the December 2025 floods, with access limited. Upper Young Creek Road #7202 (Rexford) is still closed by a washout at milepost 3.5–3.6. The Skillet Fire closure has been rescinded, and NFS Road #315 is open again, but watch for hazard trees and loose debris in the burn. The Timberlane Campground closure (Libby District) is still in effect, and there’s still timber sale traffic near the Alexander Mountain Trail #270 off FDR #228. The Deep Creek Road #368 closure we listed last week no longer appears on the alerts page. We haven’t confirmed it’s open, so call the Fortine office before you count on it. The forest’s fire danger is rated Low. Check the alerts page and travel map before a walk-in.

Local meeting reminder:

FWP’s conservation easement meetings are Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the Ponderosa Room at Libby City Hall: Kootenai Valleys and Kootenai Forestlands (near Libby and Troy) from 11 a.m. to noon, and Thompson-Fisher from noon to 1 p.m. (FWP, Oct. 19).

Disclaimer: This report summarizes FWP regulations, news releases, and dated public sources as of the morning of Oct. 29, 2026. It does not replace the official regulations or FWP’s Hunt Planner. Check station figures are a sample of the regional harvest from stations outside Lincoln County, not a complete count. We didn’t find Lincoln County-specific harvest or Libby CWD station numbers and don’t report results we can’t verify. Seasons, closures, and weather can change, so confirm with FWP and the Forest Service before you hunt.

Sources: FWP, General deer and elk hunting season opens in northwest Montana, Oct. 27, 2026 (including its check station table); The Outdoor Wire, Oct. 28, 2026; Daily Inter Lake, Oct. 27, 2026; FWP Hunting Seasons (checked Oct. 29, 2026); FWP Wolf species page; FWP Migratory Birds page; The Western News, Oct. 20, 2026; FWP, Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet Dec. 10, Oct. 28, 2026; FWP, Notice of black bear closure BMU 420, Oct. 28, 2026.

More sources: FWP Roosters for Recruitment (updated Oct. 23, 2026); Flathead Beacon, Oct. 2, 2026; Seeley Swan Pathfinder, Oct. 29, 2026; FWP NW Montana conservation easement meetings, Oct. 19, 2026; NWS Missoula forecast for Troy (updated 2:01 a.m. MDT Oct. 29, 2026); Kootenai National Forest alerts (checked Oct. 29, 2026).

Heading back out this weekend? Stop by Booze ‘N Bait at 315 E Missoula Ave in Troy for guns, ammo, and gear, and check our best hunting days before you head out.