Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 202
Montana hunting district 202 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 959 sq mi in Mineral, Missoula counties; 94% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Lolo National Forest); median elevation 4,957 ft; FWP estimated 79 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the deepest snow right now of 40 deer, elk and lion districts: 10 in at a SNOTEL station inside. NRCS SNOTEL (measured)
- Among the most public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 94% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 88.0% | |
| Montana FWP | 5.0% | |
| Montana state trust land | 1.4% |
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
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bulls | Cows | Calves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | n/e | n/e | 79 | 64 | 15 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,136 | 9,486 | 90 | 74 | 14 | 2 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 58 | 53 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1,094 | 8,326 | 59 | 49 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 89 | 71 | 19 | 0 |
| 2020 | 970 | 8,624 | 80 | 69 | 11 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 56 | 52 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 912 | 6,869 | 53 | 43 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 65 | 47 | 17 | 2 |
| 2016 | 933 | 7,533 | 53 | 41 | 12 | 0 |
| 2015 | 976 | 7,934 | 62 | 53 | 8 | 1 |
| 2014 | 825 | 6,921 | 49 | 39 | 7 | 3 |
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
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,814 | 11,696 | 701 | 591 | 110 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 647 | 554 | 90 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1,796 | 12,826 | 650 | 542 | 104 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 674 | 554 | 116 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,402 | 9,944 | 527 | 489 | 38 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 515 | 471 | 39 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1,263 | 8,340 | 343 | 295 | 46 | 1 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 502 | 448 | 50 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,209 | 7,655 | 490 | 440 | 50 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 453 | 438 | 15 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 428 | 383 | 45 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 408 | 381 | 24 | 3 |
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
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,814 | 11,696 | 104 | 104 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 99 | 96 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,796 | 12,826 | 83 | 83 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 67 | 67 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,402 | 9,944 | 95 | 95 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 104 | 104 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,263 | 8,340 | 108 | 108 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 88 | 85 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,209 | 7,655 | 81 | 78 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 121 | 121 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 81 | 81 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 79 | 79 | 0 | 0 |
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
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,814 | 11,696 | 598 | 488 | 110 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 547 | 457 | 87 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1,796 | 12,826 | 567 | 459 | 104 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 606 | 487 | 116 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,402 | 9,944 | 432 | 394 | 38 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 412 | 367 | 39 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1,263 | 8,340 | 235 | 187 | 46 | 1 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 414 | 364 | 47 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,209 | 7,655 | 409 | 363 | 47 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 332 | 317 | 15 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 347 | 302 | 45 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 329 | 302 | 24 | 3 |
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
- Mineral, Missoula counties
- National forests
- Lolo National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- Fish Creek
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Illinois Peak (≈7,585 ft), Straight Peak (≈7,575 ft), Crater Mountain (≈7,523 ft), Shale Mountain (≈7,467 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Schley Saddle, Chilcoot Pass, Freezeout Pass, Eagle Rock Saddle, Miller Saddle, Verde Saddle
- Towns and places
- Amador (historical), Borax, Bryson, Cedar Junction (historical), Crescent City (historical), Cyr, Drexel, East Portal, Foraker, Haugan, Henderson, Lolo Hot Springs, Oliverville, Quartz
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.
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.