Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 270
Montana hunting district 270 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 664 sq mi in Ravalli County; 85% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Bitterroot National Forest); median elevation 6,083 ft; FWP estimated 621 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the highest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 621 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the busiest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 45.2 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2024. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 80.3% | |
| Montana state trust land | 4.3% |
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 | 621 | 312 | 301 | 8 |
| 2024 | 3,320 | 29,984 | 662 | 321 | 333 | 9 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 424 | 234 | 184 | 6 |
| 2022 | 2,876 | 22,919 | 633 | 342 | 283 | 8 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 408 | 268 | 140 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2,731 | 23,936 | 489 | 272 | 210 | 7 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 461 | 234 | 211 | 17 |
| 2018 | 2,875 | 22,751 | 441 | 238 | 199 | 5 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 519 | 389 | 126 | 5 |
| 2016 | 2,594 | 21,719 | 348 | 221 | 121 | 6 |
| 2015 | 2,768 | 23,018 | 437 | 326 | 106 | 5 |
| 2014 | 2,488 | 19,278 | 430 | 359 | 64 | 7 |
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 | 1,968 | 16,116 | 395 | 314 | 81 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 495 | 396 | 99 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,887 | 14,284 | 497 | 404 | 93 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 345 | 269 | 76 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,501 | 12,220 | 385 | 291 | 94 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 291 | 188 | 103 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,335 | 11,145 | 290 | 221 | 69 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 270 | 209 | 60 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,248 | 9,645 | 306 | 267 | 36 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 275 | 227 | 45 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 326 | 263 | 58 | 5 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 389 | 288 | 96 | 5 |
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 | 1,968 | 16,116 | 77 | 62 | 15 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 80 | 67 | 13 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,887 | 14,284 | 87 | 72 | 16 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 67 | 54 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,501 | 12,220 | 92 | 70 | 22 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 86 | 60 | 27 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,335 | 11,145 | 77 | 41 | 36 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 76 | 49 | 27 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,248 | 9,645 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 42 | 42 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 56 | 56 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 52 | 46 | 3 | 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.
Whitetail harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,968 | 16,116 | 318 | 251 | 67 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 414 | 329 | 86 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,887 | 14,284 | 410 | 333 | 78 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 279 | 215 | 64 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,501 | 12,220 | 293 | 221 | 72 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 205 | 129 | 77 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,335 | 11,145 | 214 | 180 | 33 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 194 | 160 | 34 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,248 | 9,645 | 257 | 218 | 36 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 233 | 185 | 45 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 270 | 207 | 58 | 5 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 337 | 242 | 93 | 2 |
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
- Anaconda Pintler Wilderness (10%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Bare Hill (≈8,681 ft), Saddle Mountain (≈8,307 ft), Cliff Point (≈8,258 ft), Shook Mountain (≈7,533 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Skalkaho Pass, Porcupine Saddle, Lick Creek Saddle, Mink Creek Saddle, Bobcat Saddle, Guide Saddle
- Towns and places
- Como, Darby, Holtet Court, Medicine Hot Springs, Sula
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.