Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 261
Montana hunting district 261 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 214 sq mi in Ravalli County; 62% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Bitterroot National Forest); median elevation 5,814 ft; FWP estimated 57 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Elk harvest down sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: -54% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 55.7% | |
| Montana state trust land | 4.8% | |
| Montana FWP | 1.8% |
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 | 57 | 36 | 21 | 0 |
| 2024 | 473 | 3,809 | 48 | 29 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 25 | 12 | 14 | 0 |
| 2022 | 520 | 3,671 | 89 | 56 | 30 | 3 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 54 | 47 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | 549 | 4,443 | 97 | 69 | 29 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 107 | 54 | 50 | 3 |
| 2018 | 691 | 4,695 | 109 | 64 | 42 | 3 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 118 | 77 | 37 | 4 |
| 2016 | 791 | 6,374 | 110 | 69 | 40 | 0 |
| 2015 | 666 | 4,914 | 102 | 66 | 32 | 3 |
| 2014 | 652 | 4,350 | 93 | 62 | 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 | 486 | 2,952 | 183 | 149 | 34 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 147 | 112 | 35 | 0 |
| 2023 | 500 | 3,392 | 185 | 143 | 42 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 175 | 125 | 49 | 0 |
| 2021 | 379 | 2,616 | 129 | 87 | 42 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 187 | 132 | 55 | 0 |
| 2019 | 562 | 4,044 | 156 | 107 | 46 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 135 | 105 | 30 | 0 |
| 2017 | 649 | 4,598 | 231 | 189 | 42 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 161 | 100 | 61 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 146 | 108 | 38 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 242 | 195 | 38 | 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 (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 | 486 | 2,952 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 500 | 3,392 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 379 | 2,616 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 562 | 4,044 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 2017 | 649 | 4,598 | 42 | 26 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 38 | 28 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 33 | 23 | 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 | 486 | 2,952 | 174 | 140 | 34 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 132 | 99 | 33 | 0 |
| 2023 | 500 | 3,392 | 177 | 135 | 42 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 160 | 116 | 44 | 0 |
| 2021 | 379 | 2,616 | 117 | 79 | 38 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 169 | 116 | 53 | 0 |
| 2019 | 562 | 4,044 | 138 | 97 | 37 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 111 | 92 | 19 | 0 |
| 2017 | 649 | 4,598 | 188 | 163 | 25 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 123 | 72 | 51 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 133 | 97 | 36 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 209 | 172 | 28 | 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 (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.
Landscape
- Counties
- Ravalli County
- National forests
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- Calf Creek
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Palisade Mountain (≈8,389 ft), Skalkaho Mountain (≈8,369 ft), Willow Mountain (≈8,107 ft), Dominic Buttes (≈7,812 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Buck Horn Saddle
- Towns and places
- Gird Point
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.