Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 312
Montana hunting district 312 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 495 sq mi in Gallatin County; 23% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 5,075 ft; FWP estimated 281 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Elk harvest down sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: -32% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 17.9% | |
| Montana state trust land | 3.2% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 1.3% | |
| Montana FWP | 0.5% | |
| Other State of Montana | 0.2% | |
| City & county | 0.2% |
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 | 281 | 149 | 132 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,089 | 7,739 | 230 | 114 | 101 | 15 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 240 | 152 | 82 | 6 |
| 2022 | 1,169 | 7,186 | 285 | 173 | 103 | 9 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 266 | 143 | 123 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,397 | 8,269 | 326 | 160 | 159 | 7 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 381 | 178 | 191 | 12 |
| 2018 | 1,656 | 9,538 | 413 | 200 | 206 | 6 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 587 | 255 | 301 | 30 |
| 2016 | 1,885 | 10,633 | 475 | 199 | 270 | 6 |
| 2015 | 1,524 | 9,414 | 446 | 232 | 191 | 23 |
| 2014 | 1,447 | 8,178 | 375 | 211 | 158 | 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 (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 | 1,459 | 8,909 | 595 | 411 | 180 | 4 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 705 | 491 | 215 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,471 | 8,723 | 559 | 371 | 181 | 7 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 694 | 446 | 249 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,341 | 7,253 | 680 | 457 | 223 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 895 | 520 | 375 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,723 | 10,521 | 977 | 531 | 446 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 816 | 492 | 314 | 10 |
| 2017 | 1,708 | 8,790 | 993 | 464 | 524 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 1,457 | 670 | 779 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 1,387 | 543 | 820 | 24 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 1,298 | 524 | 762 | 12 |
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 | 1,459 | 8,909 | 178 | 161 | 17 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 171 | 152 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,471 | 8,723 | 189 | 168 | 17 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 191 | 163 | 28 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,341 | 7,253 | 194 | 160 | 34 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 216 | 190 | 26 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,723 | 10,521 | 195 | 172 | 24 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 186 | 158 | 28 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,708 | 8,790 | 169 | 132 | 36 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 299 | 231 | 67 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 152 | 144 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 169 | 161 | 8 | 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 | 1,459 | 8,909 | 417 | 250 | 163 | 4 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 535 | 339 | 196 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,471 | 8,723 | 370 | 203 | 164 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 503 | 283 | 221 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,341 | 7,253 | 486 | 297 | 189 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 680 | 331 | 349 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,723 | 10,521 | 782 | 359 | 423 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 630 | 334 | 285 | 10 |
| 2017 | 1,708 | 8,790 | 825 | 331 | 487 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 1,159 | 439 | 712 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 1,235 | 399 | 813 | 24 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 1,129 | 363 | 754 | 12 |
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
- Gallatin County
- National forests
- Custer Gallatin National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Bridger Range, Horseshoe Hills
- Highest named summits
- Sacagawea Peak (≈9,495 ft), Naya Nuki Peak (≈9,465 ft), Hardscrabble Peak (≈9,459 ft), Pomp Peak (≈9,354 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Ross Pass, Flathead Pass, Battle Ridge Pass, Bridger Divide
- Towns and places
- Accola, Busch, Carpenter, Clarkston, Edilou, Gallatin (historical), Gallop (historical), Hillman, Logan, Manhattan, Maudlow, Menard, Menard Wye, Penwells (historical)
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.