Season by season
Big Sky Wildlife Management
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Plan With The Seasons

The wildlife year in Northwest Montana.

Bat season, rodent season, gopher season — every species runs on a clock. Here's the whole year at a glance, and when to schedule what.

01
Timing is the strategy

The Flathead Valley wildlife year

Wildlife work is seasonal by law and by biology. Knowing the calendar is the difference between a permanent fix and an expensive redo — here's how the year actually moves.

🌸

Spring March — May

Bats return to roosts and skunks are breeding — denning under decks, sheds, and foundations. Birds claim vents and signage for nesting before you notice. Gopher mounds appear as soon as the ground thaws.

  • Skunk denning peaks
  • Bird nesting begins
  • Bat activity resumes
  • First gopher mounds
  • Prime time: pre-season exclusion
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Summer June — August

Bat maternity season — flightless pups mean evictions are paused by regulation and ethics alike; we inspect, document, and schedule exclusion for the seasonal window. Gopher and ground-squirrel pressure hits its peak on lawns, pasture, and hay ground.

  • Bat maternity season (evictions paused)
  • Peak gopher & ground squirrel
  • Raccoons raid structures
  • Inspection & planning season
  • Bird deterrent installs
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Fall September — November

The big one. Bats depart and the exclusion window opens — the best weeks of the year to seal a structure. Every rodent in the valley starts working toward your crawlspace as nights cool. Gopher treatment runs through November.

  • Bat exclusion window OPENS
  • Rodent pressure ramps hard
  • Seal before the freeze
  • Final gopher treatments
  • Busiest season — book early
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Winter December — February

Everything that got inside in fall is now living with you — scratching in walls and ceilings is rodents, not ghosts. Winter is prime time for interior work, inspections, and planning spring exclusion while activity is easy to trace in snow.

  • Rodent work peaks indoors
  • Attic & crawlspace inspections
  • Tracks tell the story
  • Plan spring exclusion now
  • Priority response continues
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The takeaway

The best time to call is before the season turns

Fall exclusion beats winter trapping. Spring skunk prevention beats June den removal. A summer inspection means your bat exclusion is scheduled the day the window opens — not weeks into it. If you're seeing signs now, the calendar has already started without you: get an inspection on the books.

Not sure what you're dealing with? Let's take a look.

A thorough inspection gives you a clear picture and an honest plan — no pressure.

Get Help (406) 412-7735