Events
As county construction winds down on Riverside Road, the managed waterfowl hunt units at Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) will be open and flooded by October 10. 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 and will open when Riverside Road is opened. All the waterfowl hunt units will be open for the youth and veteran’s waterfowl hunt, September 26-27, but only accessible from the east parking lots, 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 10th, the waterfowl hunt units will also be accessible via the center parking lot. 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: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kootenai/visit-us/activities/hunting.
