Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 250
Montana hunting district 250 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 555 sq mi in Ravalli County; 97% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Bitterroot National Forest); median elevation 6,578 ft; FWP estimated 38 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 97% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5,630 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 96.9% | |
| Other State of Montana | 0.3% | |
| Montana state trust land | 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.
Elk harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bulls | Cows | Calves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | n/e | n/e | 38 | 17 | 21 | 0 |
| 2024 | 130 | 1,517 | 51 | 36 | 15 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 138 | 1,410 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | 136 | 1,355 | 39 | 35 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 46 | 32 | 14 | 0 |
| 2018 | 147 | 1,336 | 33 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 128 | 1,450 | 32 | 29 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 113 | 1,125 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 132 | 790 | 22 | 22 | 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 (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 | 449 | 3,207 | 175 | 165 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 172 | 153 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | 421 | 2,640 | 188 | 165 | 23 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 180 | 170 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | 328 | 2,089 | 141 | 141 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 100 | 96 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 235 | 1,645 | 94 | 91 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 69 | 60 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 252 | 1,500 | 87 | 76 | 8 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 81 | 72 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 88 | 67 | 19 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 106 | 87 | 17 | 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 | 449 | 3,207 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 421 | 2,640 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 328 | 2,089 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 235 | 1,645 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 252 | 1,500 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 13 | 13 | 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 | 449 | 3,207 | 157 | 147 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 155 | 136 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | 421 | 2,640 | 165 | 144 | 21 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 158 | 148 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | 328 | 2,089 | 123 | 123 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 86 | 82 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 235 | 1,645 | 78 | 74 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 60 | 50 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 252 | 1,500 | 67 | 59 | 5 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 69 | 60 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 68 | 46 | 19 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 93 | 74 | 17 | 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
- Ravalli County
- National forests
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Wilderness
- Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (11%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Trapper Peak (≈9,990 ft), Boulder Peak (≈9,685 ft), North Trapper Peak (≈9,386 ft), Mount Jerusalem (≈9,186 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Nez Perce Pass, Buck Creek Saddle, Nezperce Pass, Tough Creek Saddle, Took Creek Saddle, Mud Creek Saddle
- Towns and places
- Alta
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.