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Bonners Ferry — As the Kootenai Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project winds down, the Fall managed waterfowl hunt units at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) will be open and flooded by October 4. The Refuge is actively flooding wetland units thus water levels will vary between ponds as fall flood-up progresses. The auto-tour route will remain closed though early October, with a projected reopening in mid-October. All the waterfowl hunt units will be open for the youth and veterans waterfowl hunt, September 27-28, but only accessible from the center parking lot, parking along Lion’s Den Road, and the South Pond blind. Units adjacent to these areas are prioritized for flooding thus not all the ponds will be at full pool. During the regular season starting October 4th, the waterfowl hunt units will be accessible via the east parking lot, hunt access road and parking lot, and the east ADA parking lot in addition to the above listed lots. During the regular season, hunting within the waterfowl hunt units is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. All managed waterfowl hunt units are closed to hunters on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Access to the hunt units starts at 3:00 am. There are 16 blinds available on a first-come, first-served basis or hunters can also free-roam. There are two accessible blinds that hunters with mobility issues should call or email the Refuge to reserve. Please allow for 24 hours at least to reserve a blind. To make a reservation, please call the Refuge, 208-267-3888, during business hours (Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm) or email FW1KootenaiNWR@fws.gov.
For more information on the managed waterfowl hunt, please visit the hunting portion of the refuge website.
For more information on the Kootenai Floodplain Habitat Restoration Project, please visit the refuge website.
