Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 240
Montana hunting district 240 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 672 sq mi in Ravalli, Missoula counties; 80% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Bitterroot National Forest); median elevation 6,201 ft; FWP estimated 136 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most wilderness of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 48% designated wilderness. USFS wilderness boundaries (calculated)
- Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 6,204 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 79.4% | |
| Montana state trust land | 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 | 136 | 68 | 69 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,209 | 8,811 | 120 | 68 | 47 | 6 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 136 | 89 | 43 | 4 |
| 2022 | 1,266 | 9,421 | 203 | 104 | 99 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 207 | 82 | 124 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,316 | 9,497 | 288 | 140 | 142 | 7 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 227 | 100 | 127 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1,654 | 12,110 | 254 | 71 | 181 | 3 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 234 | 99 | 132 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1,653 | 12,506 | 169 | 74 | 92 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1,365 | 9,639 | 150 | 60 | 88 | 3 |
| 2014 | 1,289 | 8,420 | 204 | 110 | 85 | 9 |
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 | 2,009 | 13,438 | 775 | 573 | 202 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 907 | 695 | 213 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,226 | 15,797 | 985 | 735 | 247 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 872 | 635 | 237 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,993 | 12,889 | 877 | 687 | 190 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 918 | 683 | 225 | 10 |
| 2019 | 2,006 | 14,554 | 704 | 517 | 187 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 819 | 597 | 216 | 6 |
| 2017 | 2,111 | 13,906 | 828 | 622 | 204 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 1,002 | 744 | 245 | 13 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 684 | 550 | 128 | 6 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 875 | 615 | 247 | 14 |
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 | 2,009 | 13,438 | 135 | 131 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 132 | 132 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,226 | 15,797 | 114 | 114 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 108 | 94 | 14 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,993 | 12,889 | 114 | 103 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 120 | 113 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2,006 | 14,554 | 112 | 102 | 10 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 100 | 87 | 13 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2,111 | 13,906 | 106 | 100 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 136 | 121 | 16 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 106 | 106 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 118 | 108 | 10 | 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 | 2,009 | 13,438 | 640 | 441 | 198 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 776 | 563 | 213 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,226 | 15,797 | 871 | 621 | 247 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 763 | 541 | 223 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,993 | 12,889 | 763 | 584 | 179 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 798 | 570 | 218 | 10 |
| 2019 | 2,006 | 14,554 | 592 | 415 | 177 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 719 | 511 | 202 | 6 |
| 2017 | 2,111 | 13,906 | 723 | 522 | 198 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 865 | 623 | 229 | 13 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 577 | 443 | 128 | 6 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 757 | 506 | 237 | 14 |
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
- Ravalli, Missoula counties
- National forests
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Wilderness
- Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (48%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- El Capitan (≈9,869 ft), Saint Joseph Peak (≈9,551 ft), Saint Mary Peak (≈9,278 ft), Como Peaks (≈9,229 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Bitterroot Pines, Conner, Dutch Hill (historical), Florence, Gorus, Peaks and Pines Park, Pinesdale, University Heights, Victor
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.