Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 316
Montana hunting district 316 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 466 sq mi in Park, Carbon, Sweet Grass counties; 98% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Custer Gallatin National Forest); median elevation 8,945 ft; FWP estimated 28 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 98% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the most wilderness of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 91% designated wilderness. USFS wilderness boundaries (calculated)
- Among the highest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: median elevation 8,945 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
- Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5,915 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 98.3% | |
| National Park Service | 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 | 28 | 20 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 247 | 1,931 | 39 | 30 | 9 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 37 | 28 | 9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 241 | 1,362 | 71 | 46 | 25 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 42 | 42 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 233 | 1,588 | 61 | 54 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 142 | 762 | 30 | 23 | 3 | 3 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 134 | 1,034 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 94 | 456 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 108 | 768 | 11 | 9 | 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 | 185 | 1,102 | 76 | 69 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 48 | 42 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 143 | 857 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 29 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 79 | 640 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 66 | 479 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 33 | 31 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 111 | 643 | 32 | 24 | 9 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 27 | 22 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 29 | 23 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | 63 | 390 | 17 | 14 | 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 (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 | 185 | 1,102 | 72 | 69 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 42 | 39 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 143 | 857 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 79 | 640 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 66 | 479 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 111 | 643 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 63 | 390 | 14 | 14 | 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 | 185 | 1,102 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 143 | 857 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 66 | 479 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 111 | 643 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | 63 | 390 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 0 | 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.
Landscape
- Counties
- Park, Carbon, Sweet Grass counties
- National forests
- Custer Gallatin National Forest
- Wilderness
- Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (91%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Glacier Peak (≈12,224 ft), Castle Rock Mountain (≈12,175 ft), Mount Villard (≈12,159 ft), Mystic Mountain (≈12,083 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Columbine Pass, Bull of the Woods Pass, Lulu Pass, Daisy Pass, Boulder Pass, Wolverine Pass
- Towns and places
- Cooke City, Silver Gate
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.