MontanaHunting Report

Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion

Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 1 (Kalispell)

District 124

Montana hunting district 124 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 1 (Kalispell): 129 sq mi in Sanders County; 66% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Lolo National Forest); median elevation 4,085 ft; FWP estimated 33 elk harvested in 2025.

FWP district boundary, 2026 regulations. A boundary on a map does not grant access to any land inside it.
Area129 sq mi
USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP66%
Median elevation4,085 ft
Elevation range2,415–7,182 ft

What stands out

Publicly administered land

US Forest Service61.4%
Montana state trust land4.2%
City & county0.2%

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.

Elk harvest estimates

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBullsCowsCalves
2025n/en/e3322110
20243262,5824123170
2023n/en/e3523120
20222681,780312460
2021n/en/e268180
20202351,61615762
2019n/en/e239140
20182811,943261980
2017n/en/e2812170
20163943,003181350
20152482,18910920
20143402,3582211100

FWP estimates from the annual hunter harvest survey; they carry sampling error. "n/e": FWP did not estimate district-level hunter numbers that year (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025). Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.

Deer harvest estimates

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20254413,426212182264
2024n/en/e176151240
20234463,681178153250
2022n/en/e158131270
20214253,216126114120
2020n/en/e163142193
20194432,615155124273
2018n/en/e196168263
20175653,303242179630
2016n/en/e2761741002
2015n/en/e229151772
2014n/en/e2871831022

FWP estimates from the annual hunter harvest survey; they carry sampling error. "n/e": FWP did not estimate district-level hunter numbers that year (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.

Mule Deer harvest estimates

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20254413,426757500
2024n/en/e535300
20234463,681656320
2022n/en/e717100
20214253,216272700
2020n/en/e444400
20194432,615505000
2018n/en/e414100
20175653,303535300
2016n/en/e606000
2015n/en/e292900
2014n/en/e393450

FWP estimates from the annual hunter harvest survey; they carry sampling error. "n/e": FWP did not estimate district-level hunter numbers that year (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.

Whitetail harvest estimates

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20254413,426137107264
2024n/en/e12399240
20234463,68111491230
2022n/en/e8760270
20214253,2169987120
2020n/en/e11997193
20194432,61510574273
2018n/en/e155127263
20175653,303189126630
2016n/en/e2161141002
2015n/en/e201122772
2014n/en/e248149972

FWP estimates from the annual hunter harvest survey; they carry sampling error. "n/e": FWP did not estimate district-level hunter numbers that year (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.

Landscape

Counties
Sanders County
National forests
Lolo National Forest
Wilderness
None
Wildlife management areas
—
Mountain ranges (GNIS)
Coeur d'Alene Mountains
Highest named summits
Cherry Peak (≈7,306 ft), Eddy Mountain (≈6,893 ft), Patricks Knob (≈6,759 ft), Sacajawea Peak (≈6,532 ft)
Passes and gaps
None named in GNIS
Towns and places
Island City (historical), Quinns

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 122 54% public · 4,301 ft median
  • HD 200 89% public · 4,304 ft median
  • HD 123 91% public · 4,383 ft median
  • HD 201 76% public · 4,682 ft median

Sources

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