Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is providing chronic wasting disease sampling stations to assist hunters at select locations during the hunting season.
FWP regional staff and volunteers have usually operated five mandatory big game check stations across the region on weekends.
But this year, FWP is replacing those check stations with CWD sampling stations where hunters can stop for assistance collecting samples.
The stations will be open 11 a.m. to dusk on weekends, and Monday in select locations. The sampling stations include:
- U.S. Highway 2 West of Kalispell, Montana Highway 83 north of Swan Lake
- Highway 200 west of Thompson Falls, and Highway 93 near Olney.
- Near Libby, Montana Department of Transportation shop on U.S. Highway 2 south of town Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, 11 a.m. to dusk
- Eureka Lincoln County Fairgrounds Mondays 11 a.m. to dusk and at Thompson Falls Mondays from 11 a.m. to dusk.
FWP will assist hunters with sample collection and submission at the Kalispell office, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
They will also hold an online CWD informational presentation October 22nd at 7 p.m. The presentation will be streamed live online at questions with FWP to ask questions to staff.
FWP will cover the cost of testing hunter-harvested animals for CWD and results will be posted online. Hunters will also be notified directly if they have a positive animal.
