Black bear hunting district · Region 5 (Billings)

District 580

Montana hunting district 580 (Black bear), FWP Region 5 (Billings): 11,215 sq mi in Yellowstone, Musselshell, Wheatland, Golden Valley counties; 14% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 3,970 ft.

Open in the atlas FWP regulations & quotas FWP district map (PDF)

FWP district boundary, 2026 regulations. A boundary on a map does not grant access to any land inside it.

Area11,215 sq mi

USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP14%

Median elevation3,970 ft

Elevation range2,526–10,272 ft

What stands out

Among the most private of 35 black bear districts: 14% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
Among the most Block Management of 35 black bear districts: 105 BMAs, about 427,930 acres. FWP Block Management (calculated)
Among the largest of 35 black bear districts: 11,215 square miles. FWP district boundary
Among the most rugged of 35 black bear districts: 7,746 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Among the lowest of 35 black bear districts: median elevation 3,970 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)

Publicly administered land

Montana state trust land	5.6%
US Forest Service	4.6%
Bureau of Land Management	3.4%
US Fish & Wildlife Service	0.3%
Montana FWP	0.2%
City & county	0.2%
Other State of Montana	0.1%

Area of Montana State Library 'Montana Public Lands' polygons (derived from the Montana Cadastral Framework, Department of Revenue ownership records) intersected with the FWP district boundary, measured in NAD83(2011) Montana State Plane (EPSG:6514). Ownership is not access: some public land is closed to hunting or has no legal access.

Landscape

Counties: Yellowstone, Musselshell, Wheatland, Golden Valley counties
National forests: Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Custer Gallatin National Forest
Wilderness: None
Wildlife management areas: Yellowstone, Big Snowy Mountains, Big Lake, Haymaker, Grant Marsh
Mountain ranges (GNIS): Bull Mountains, Cayuse Hills, Crazy Mountains, Franklin Hills, Kavanaugh Hills, Little Snowy Mountains
Highest named summits: Crazy Peak (≈10,974 ft), Iddings Peak (≈10,676 ft), Big Timber Peak (≈10,669 ft), Conical Peak (≈10,551 ft)
Passes and gaps: Daisy Notch, Daisy Narrows, Morrisy Coulee Narrows, Nevada Narrows, Haymaker Narrows, Durfee Gap
Towns and places: Absher (historical), Acton, Anita, Ballantine, Barber, Baseline, Belmont, Big Timber, Bill Bracket Place, Billings, Billings Heights, Boyd, Bridger, Broadview

Elevations sampled on a regular grid inside the district from AWS Terrain Tiles (Terrarium, zoom 10, ~105 m pixels; compiled from USGS 3DEP and SRTM). Approximate: summits read lower than their surveyed height.

Neighboring districts

HD 411 26% public · 3,386 ft median
HD 700 22% public · 2,949 ft median
HD 520 49% public · 5,569 ft median
HD 420 29% public · 4,140 ft median
HD 319 30% public · 5,407 ft median
HD 510 64% public · 4,688 ft median
HD 440 21% public · 5,138 ft median
HD 341 62% public · 7,234 ft median

Sources

District boundary: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hunting district layer.
Public land: Montana State Library, Montana Public Lands (published 2026-10-06).
Harvest: FWP Harvest Estimates, retrieved 2026-10-30.
Places: USGS Geographic Names Information System. Wilderness and forests: USDA Forest Service.
Elevation: AWS Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM).

Live weather, snow, fire and access conditions are in the atlas card for this district.