Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 315
Montana hunting district 315 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 580 sq mi in Park, Meagher, Sweet Grass counties; 20% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 5,650 ft; FWP estimated 389 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the highest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 389 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 6,296 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 17.8% | |
| Montana state trust land | 2.5% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.1% |
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 | 389 | 208 | 171 | 10 |
| 2024 | 1,858 | 12,163 | 378 | 191 | 183 | 3 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 390 | 253 | 125 | 12 |
| 2022 | 1,754 | 10,697 | 515 | 339 | 159 | 18 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 414 | 237 | 178 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,582 | 10,719 | 335 | 227 | 108 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 319 | 178 | 133 | 9 |
| 2018 | 1,873 | 11,239 | 426 | 214 | 204 | 9 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 455 | 205 | 236 | 14 |
| 2016 | 1,959 | 12,072 | 349 | 171 | 168 | 9 |
| 2015 | 1,854 | 11,175 | 503 | 182 | 291 | 29 |
| 2014 | 1,933 | 10,203 | 433 | 170 | 230 | 34 |
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 | 1,587 | 10,277 | 631 | 427 | 201 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 702 | 438 | 255 | 9 |
| 2023 | 1,482 | 8,395 | 642 | 424 | 212 | 6 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 671 | 443 | 217 | 11 |
| 2021 | 1,338 | 8,170 | 597 | 401 | 196 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 704 | 433 | 267 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,515 | 8,194 | 542 | 316 | 216 | 9 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 579 | 367 | 200 | 12 |
| 2017 | 1,674 | 8,056 | 919 | 555 | 349 | 15 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 928 | 618 | 301 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 865 | 547 | 311 | 7 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 759 | 503 | 234 | 21 |
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 | 1,587 | 10,277 | 316 | 275 | 41 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 321 | 272 | 49 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,482 | 8,395 | 253 | 208 | 45 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 293 | 260 | 31 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1,338 | 8,170 | 197 | 177 | 20 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 247 | 221 | 26 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,515 | 8,194 | 150 | 105 | 45 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 204 | 180 | 24 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,674 | 8,056 | 265 | 260 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 289 | 278 | 10 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 246 | 243 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 229 | 223 | 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 | 1,587 | 10,277 | 315 | 152 | 160 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 381 | 166 | 206 | 9 |
| 2023 | 1,482 | 8,395 | 389 | 216 | 167 | 6 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 379 | 184 | 186 | 9 |
| 2021 | 1,338 | 8,170 | 400 | 225 | 175 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 457 | 212 | 241 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,515 | 8,194 | 392 | 211 | 171 | 9 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 375 | 187 | 176 | 12 |
| 2017 | 1,674 | 8,056 | 654 | 295 | 344 | 15 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 639 | 340 | 290 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 619 | 304 | 308 | 7 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 530 | 280 | 229 | 21 |
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
- Park, Meagher, Sweet Grass counties
- National forests
- Custer Gallatin National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Kavanaugh Hills
- Highest named summits
- Iddings Peak (≈10,676 ft), Wilsall Peak (≈10,272 ft), Black Mountain (≈9,216 ft), Sugar Loaf Mountain (≈8,432 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Clyde Park, Hunters Hot Springs, Meyersburg (historical), Tyman Place, Wilsall
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.