Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 318
Montana hunting district 318 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 270 sq mi in Jefferson County; 81% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest); median elevation 6,824 ft; FWP estimated 210 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the busiest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 42.4 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2024. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
- Among the highest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: median elevation 6,824 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 75.4% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 5.8% | |
| Montana state trust land | 0.3% | |
| Other State of Montana | 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 | 210 | 115 | 95 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1,214 | 11,454 | 190 | 91 | 94 | 6 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 135 | 78 | 54 | 3 |
| 2022 | 1,204 | 10,706 | 129 | 87 | 36 | 6 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 138 | 88 | 49 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1,264 | 11,118 | 169 | 84 | 81 | 4 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 159 | 69 | 83 | 7 |
| 2018 | 1,246 | 11,962 | 184 | 110 | 72 | 3 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 220 | 123 | 92 | 6 |
| 2016 | 1,268 | 11,889 | 114 | 57 | 48 | 9 |
| 2015 | 1,451 | 13,690 | 249 | 132 | 108 | 10 |
| 2014 | 1,435 | 13,072 | 187 | 110 | 70 | 7 |
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 | 696 | 7,052 | 99 | 85 | 14 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 162 | 137 | 26 | 0 |
| 2023 | 654 | 4,896 | 120 | 97 | 20 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 112 | 99 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | 597 | 5,217 | 112 | 101 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 100 | 74 | 26 | 0 |
| 2019 | 481 | 4,188 | 53 | 33 | 21 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 86 | 69 | 17 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 2,113 | 125 | 88 | 36 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 102 | 72 | 31 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 127 | 114 | 13 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 68 | 59 | 9 | 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 | 696 | 7,052 | 78 | 69 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 151 | 134 | 17 | 0 |
| 2023 | 654 | 4,896 | 101 | 94 | 3 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 93 | 86 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 597 | 5,217 | 91 | 80 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 90 | 67 | 23 | 0 |
| 2019 | 481 | 4,188 | 37 | 29 | 8 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 68 | 57 | 11 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 2,113 | 98 | 75 | 22 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 86 | 64 | 22 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 110 | 104 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 60 | 59 | 1 | 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 | 696 | 7,052 | 21 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 2023 | 654 | 4,896 | 20 | 3 | 16 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 20 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 597 | 5,217 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 481 | 4,188 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 19 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 2,113 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 8 | 0 | 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.
Landscape
- Counties
- Jefferson County
- National forests
- Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Boulder Mountains, General Eisenhower Range (not official)
- Highest named summits
- Jack Mountain (≈8,707 ft), Thunderbolt Mountain (≈8,510 ft), Three Brothers (≈8,471 ft), Rocker Peak (≈8,340 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Champion Pass
- Towns and places
- Amazon, Basin, Comet, Fuller, Leadville, Trask, Woodville
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.