Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 280
Montana hunting district 280 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 305 sq mi in Lewis And Clark, Powell counties; 100% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Lolo National Forest); median elevation 6,737 ft; FWP estimated 17 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 100% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the lowest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 17 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the most wilderness of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 77% designated wilderness. USFS wilderness boundaries (calculated)
- Among the highest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: median elevation 6,737 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 100.0% |
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 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 212 | 1,509 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 196 | 1,643 | 32 | 26 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 181 | 1,197 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 198 | 1,227 | 36 | 30 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 23 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 236 | 1,485 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 194 | 1,495 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 232 | 1,529 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 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 | 191 | 1,204 | 48 | 41 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 37 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 149 | 968 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 37 | 30 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 99 | 522 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 112 | 872 | 27 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 142 | 996 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 37 | 37 | 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.
Mule Deer harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 191 | 1,204 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 149 | 968 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 99 | 522 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 112 | 872 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 142 | 996 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 9 | 9 | 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 | 191 | 1,204 | 41 | 34 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 149 | 968 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 30 | 23 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 99 | 522 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 112 | 872 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 142 | 996 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 28 | 28 | 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.
Landscape
- Counties
- Lewis And Clark, Powell counties
- National forests
- Lolo National Forest, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- Scapegoat Wilderness (77%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Red Mountain (≈9,321 ft), Evans Peak (≈8,799 ft), Olson Peak (≈8,747 ft), Pyramid Peak (≈8,550 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Limestone Pass, Windy Pass, Camp Pass, Dry Fork Flathead Divide
- Towns and places
- —
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.