Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)

District 304

Montana hunting district 304 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 439 sq mi in Madison, Gallatin counties; 42% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Custer Gallatin National Forest); median elevation 6,217 ft; FWP estimated 83 elk harvested in 2025.

Open in the atlas FWP elk regulations & quotas FWP deer regulations & quotas FWP district map (PDF)

FWP district boundary, 2026 regulations. A boundary on a map does not grant access to any land inside it.

Area439 sq mi

USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP42%

Median elevation6,217 ft

Elevation range4,442–10,433 ft

What stands out

Among the most wilderness of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 24% designated wilderness. USFS wilderness boundaries (calculated)
Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5,991 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)

Publicly administered land

US Forest Service	37.2%
Bureau of Land Management	3.3%
Other State of Montana	2.5%
Montana state trust land	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	83	69	13	0
2024	554	3,705	93	64	26	3
2023	n/e	n/e	63	49	14	0
2022	489	2,399	137	98	38	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	462	2,772	185	141	44	0
2024	n/e	n/e	188	148	40	0
2023	490	2,685	168	114	47	7
2022	n/e	n/e	181	145	36	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
2025	462	2,772	74	65	10
2024	n/e	n/e	103	94	9
2023	490	2,685	63	57	6
2022	n/e	n/e	108	103	6

Whitetail harvest estimates

Year	Hunters	Days	Total Harvest	Bucks	Does	Fawns
2025	462	2,772	110	76	35	0
2024	n/e	n/e	85	54	31	0
2023	490	2,685	105	57	41	7
2022	n/e	n/e	73	42	31	0

Landscape

Counties: Madison, Gallatin counties
National forests: Custer Gallatin National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Wilderness: Lee Metcalf Wilderness (24%)
Wildlife management areas: —
Mountain ranges (GNIS): Spanish Peaks
Highest named summits: Gallatin Peak (≈10,820 ft), Wilson Peak (≈10,436 ft), Jumbo Mountain (≈10,394 ft), Blaze Mountain (≈10,269 ft)
Passes and gaps: McCormack Pass
Towns and places: Anceney, Beacon Point, Big Sky Meadow Village, Cowboys Heaven

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

HD 360 55% public · 7,429 ft median
HD 301 85% public · 7,162 ft median
HD 311 13% public · 4,721 ft median
HD 320 47% public · 6,024 ft median
HD 309 2% public · 4,724 ft median
HD 310 91% public · 8,018 ft median

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.