Area bow hunters will have to maneuver around fire closures

As massive wildfires continue to burn throughout Northwest Montana, hunters getting a jump on the upcoming bow season may have to alter their plans due to fire-related closures.

The bow-hunting season for big game opens Saturday, Sept. 5.

Currently, all of the Great Bear Wilderness and the Flathead National Forest’s portion of the Bob Marshall Wilderness are closed as firefighters work to control fires burning in those areas.

However, all of the Flathead Forest’s Tally Lake Ranger District and most of the Glacier View Ranger District are still open to the public, along with nonwilderness forest land near Hungry Horse Reservoir.

A small portion of Glacier View — between Red Meadow Lake and Trail Creek Road — is closed due to the Marston Fire.

“One of [Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow’s] main objectives is to make the closure on the Bob Marshall and Great Bear wildernesses as short as possible,” spokesman Al Koss said Wednesday. “The basic thing we’re looking at is to make sure that areas around the fire are secure and safe for both firefighters and the public to go in there.”

Fires have burned around 95,000 acres on the Spotted Bear Ranger District.

Closures are in effect on the Kootenai National Forest north and east of U.S. 93 to the Flathead National Forest boundary. Additional Kootenai closures are in effect south of Libby and in portions of the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness extending southeast to Montana 200 and west to the Idaho border. Fire-threatened areas southwest of Sylvanite and southwest of Trout Creek also are temporarily closed.

Larry Friedman, who works at Spirit Quest Archery in Kalispell, said crispy conditions in the woods will make stalking game more challenging for bow hunters, but noted that this season’s fire-related land closures don’t seem to have hindered business thus far.

“It’s been about pretty much the same as usual, which is good. We’re a bit concerned about it, but it’s good that it’s busy,” he said. “A lot of people coming in don’t necessarily run out on the first weekend. A lot of times they’ll have a weeklong hunt maybe the second or third week in, so to them what’s happening this week isn’t necessarily as important.”

Friedman added that with the severe drought conditions throughout the region, many game animals may be moving into different areas in search of water and food.

Stage 2 fire restrictions, prohibiting all campfires, still are in effect for Flathead, Lake, Lincoln and Sanders counties, as well as all state and federal public lands. The Flathead Indian Reservation will downgrade from Stage 2 to Stage 1 fire restrictions effective Friday.

John Fraley, a spokesman for the regional Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks office, asked hunters to take extra precautions, such as carrying a bucket, shovel and ax in case of an accidental fire start, as well as avoiding parking vehicles in tall grass.

“They should observe the area around their vehicle for a few minutes to make sure everything’s OK,” he added. “Just be aware and have common sense that it’s extremely dry right now.”

Due to the high potential for new fire starts, private Plum Creek and Stoltze land is closed to motorized use off of open public roads, but walk-in hunting is still allowed.

Camping and campfires are not currently allowed, nor are target shooting or smoking both in and out of vehicles. Plum Creek also has temporarily banned firewood cutting.

More information on private land use policies for those lands can be found at Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional offices.

The archery-only season for deer, elk, antelope, wolves, mountain lions, black bears and bighorn sheep begins Sept. 5. For bears, wolves and bighorn sheep, the bow-hunting season ends Sept. 14, while deer, elk and mountain lion season ends Oct. 18.

Sept. 15 marks the start of the fall rifle season for sheep, bears, moose, wolves and mountain goats, with the deer, elk and mountain lion rifle season starts Oct. 24.

For backcountry districts 150 and 151, the archery season for deer and elk runs Sept. 5 through Sept. 15 while the rifle season runs Sept. 15 through Nov. 29.

Before heading out on a hunting trip, use the following websites and phone numbers for the most up-to-date closure information:

•  Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (Kalispell): (406) 751-2240.
•  Flathead National Forest: (406) 758-5204, or fs.usda.gov/flathead.
•  Kootenai National Forest: (406) 283.7694, or fs.usda.gov/kootenai.