Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 285
Montana hunting district 285 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 662 sq mi in Missoula, Powell counties; 73% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Lolo National Forest); median elevation 4,908 ft; FWP estimated 113 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most Block Management of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5 BMAs, about 89,141 acres. FWP Block Management (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 50.4% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 11.5% | |
| Montana FWP | 6.2% | |
| Montana state trust land | 5.2% | |
| Other State of Montana | 2.8% |
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 | 113 | 88 | 25 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,798 | 15,286 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 89 | 61 | 28 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1,545 | 11,964 | 87 | 61 | 23 | 3 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 70 | 54 | 16 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,377 | 11,203 | 91 | 63 | 25 | 4 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 68 | 53 | 15 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1,421 | 11,563 | 111 | 70 | 41 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 110 | 83 | 27 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1,508 | 11,532 | 110 | 69 | 41 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1,442 | 11,999 | 47 | 38 | 9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1,573 | 11,279 | 79 | 68 | 11 | 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 | 3,133 | 20,680 | 1,107 | 1,010 | 97 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 982 | 875 | 107 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,665 | 18,860 | 929 | 773 | 150 | 7 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 813 | 665 | 144 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2,106 | 14,948 | 703 | 629 | 74 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 567 | 491 | 76 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2,092 | 14,419 | 625 | 536 | 86 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 681 | 581 | 97 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2,076 | 13,486 | 794 | 613 | 174 | 8 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 880 | 742 | 129 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 785 | 643 | 134 | 9 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 673 | 550 | 117 | 6 |
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 | 3,133 | 20,680 | 144 | 142 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 109 | 104 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,665 | 18,860 | 100 | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 85 | 82 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2,106 | 14,948 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 40 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2,092 | 14,419 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 41 | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2,076 | 13,486 | 56 | 47 | 9 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 49 | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 60 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 51 | 45 | 6 | 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 | 3,133 | 20,680 | 962 | 868 | 95 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 872 | 771 | 102 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2,665 | 18,860 | 829 | 676 | 146 | 7 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 728 | 583 | 142 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2,106 | 14,948 | 659 | 585 | 74 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 528 | 452 | 76 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2,092 | 14,419 | 574 | 485 | 86 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 640 | 540 | 97 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2,076 | 13,486 | 738 | 566 | 165 | 8 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 831 | 693 | 129 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 725 | 583 | 134 | 9 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 622 | 505 | 112 | 6 |
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
- Missoula, Powell counties
- National forests
- Lolo National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- Marshall Creek, Blackfoot-Clearwater
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Crescent Mountain (≈8,494 ft), Morrell Mountain (≈8,061 ft), Devine Peak (≈7,936 ft), Matt Mountain (≈7,923 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Steves Pass
- Towns and places
- Barite, McNamara, Seeley Lake, Sunset, Twin Creeks
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.
Neighboring districts
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.