Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 204
Montana hunting district 204 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 403 sq mi in Missoula, Granite, Ravalli counties; 63% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Lolo National Forest); median elevation 5,062 ft; FWP estimated 113 elk harvested in 2025.
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 56.8% | |
| Montana state trust land | 3.2% | |
| Montana FWP | 2.7% | |
| City & county | 0.7% | |
| Other State of Montana | 0.4% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.3% |
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 | 113 | 63 | 50 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,057 | 7,560 | 76 | 44 | 32 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 58 | 24 | 34 | 0 |
| 2022 | 927 | 6,836 | 110 | 86 | 24 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 112 | 67 | 45 | 0 |
| 2020 | 914 | 6,341 | 103 | 59 | 40 | 4 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 79 | 27 | 49 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1,015 | 6,890 | 125 | 44 | 80 | 2 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 136 | 71 | 61 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1,041 | 7,932 | 128 | 97 | 32 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1,105 | 7,382 | 112 | 47 | 64 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1,032 | 7,030 | 106 | 73 | 32 | 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 (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 | 1,386 | 8,644 | 406 | 288 | 115 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 469 | 363 | 106 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,491 | 9,948 | 535 | 404 | 121 | 10 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 512 | 360 | 149 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,092 | 6,666 | 369 | 286 | 78 | 5 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 459 | 280 | 179 | 0 |
| 2019 | 873 | 5,594 | 309 | 273 | 36 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 358 | 272 | 86 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,158 | 7,248 | 372 | 286 | 87 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 491 | 356 | 131 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 493 | 369 | 115 | 9 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 554 | 450 | 104 | 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.
Mule Deer harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,386 | 8,644 | 92 | 86 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 67 | 67 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,491 | 9,948 | 138 | 138 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 95 | 82 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,092 | 6,666 | 72 | 63 | 9 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 70 | 57 | 14 | 0 |
| 2019 | 873 | 5,594 | 92 | 85 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 109 | 94 | 15 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,158 | 7,248 | 147 | 115 | 33 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 155 | 132 | 24 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 166 | 138 | 28 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 197 | 164 | 32 | 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 | 1,386 | 8,644 | 315 | 202 | 109 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 402 | 296 | 106 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,491 | 9,948 | 397 | 266 | 121 | 10 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 418 | 278 | 136 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,092 | 6,666 | 298 | 223 | 69 | 5 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 388 | 224 | 165 | 0 |
| 2019 | 873 | 5,594 | 217 | 188 | 29 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 249 | 178 | 71 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,158 | 7,248 | 225 | 171 | 54 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 335 | 225 | 108 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 326 | 231 | 87 | 9 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 357 | 286 | 72 | 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.
Landscape
- Counties
- Missoula, Granite, Ravalli counties
- National forests
- Lolo National Forest, Bitterroot National Forest
- Wilderness
- Welcome Creek Wilderness (11%)
- Wildlife management areas
- Threemile
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- South Hills
- Highest named summits
- Cleveland Mountain (≈7,339 ft), Cinnabar Point (≈7,234 ft), Miller Peak (≈6,985 ft), Cinnamon Bear Point (≈6,949 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Welcome Sawmill Saddle, Sawmill Saddle, Cinnabar Saddle, Cinnamon Bear Saddle, Welcome Sawmill Saddle, Ambrose Saddle
- Towns and places
- Bonner Junction, Clinton, Eight Mile (historical), Eightmile Saddle, Missoula, Yukon Saddle
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.