Montana Big Game Hunting

Season: General rifle season---last Sunday of October through Sunday following Thanksgiving

This northwest corner of Montana is a place of tremendous natural beauty and is not typical big sky country. This is a place where the Pacific rainforest ecosystem crashes into the spine of the Rocky Mountains. It's a place of dense, coniferous forests, and could be considered one of the last wild places left in the lower forty-eight.

Specifically our big game hunts are located in the Yaak Valley, Montana and while we have healthy populations of elk and mule deer, we concentrate on big whitetails. These deer are heavy, wild, and very active during the rut. We combine still-hunting and stand hunting and always incorporate some rattling and grunting as well. Forest Service logging roads provide great access and from there we hunt on foot. Terrain and topography is relatively mountainous with elevations averaging 3500-5000 feet so it pays to be in relatively good shape before you arrive.

Linehan Outfitting Company has over 100 hundred square miles of hunting area permitted by the Kootenai National Forest. All hunting is absolutely fair chase and we uphold the standards of fair chase philosophy to the highest degree. We like to hunt hard and we like to earn our trophy.

There are two ways to obtain a non-resident Montana big game license: guaranteed Outfitter Sponsored and general lottery. Guaranteed outfitter sponsored licenses are variably priced each year depending on demand. If you book with an outfitter, and choose a guaranteed license, you will receive that license and have to be fully guided for your entire hunt. If you choose to enter the general lottery, you may or may not get a license.