Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 322
Montana hunting district 322 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 456 sq mi in Madison, Beaverhead counties; 26% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 5,692 ft; FWP estimated 284 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Elk harvest up sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: +268% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
- Among the busiest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 30.4 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2024. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
Publicly administered land
| Bureau of Land Management | 17.8% | |
| Montana state trust land | 7.7% | |
| City & county | 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 | 284 | 136 | 146 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1,844 | 13,839 | 418 | 213 | 197 | 9 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 1,651 | 781 | 835 | 35 |
| 2022 | 8,436 | 56,329 | 2,865 | 1,199 | 1,602 | 64 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 530 | 233 | 278 | 20 |
| 2020 | 990 | 5,803 | 250 | 124 | 123 | 4 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 224 | 93 | 117 | 15 |
| 2018 | 1,017 | 5,685 | 192 | 88 | 91 | 12 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 209 | 109 | 83 | 17 |
| 2016 | 984 | 5,767 | 170 | 73 | 82 | 16 |
| 2015 | 1,030 | 5,590 | 265 | 78 | 166 | 21 |
| 2014 | 997 | 5,414 | 231 | 130 | 87 | 14 |
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 | 1,599 | 10,598 | 688 | 368 | 320 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 769 | 446 | 319 | 3 |
| 2023 | 6,176 | 42,243 | 2,270 | 1,378 | 872 | 19 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 2,376 | 1,482 | 867 | 27 |
| 2021 | 1,354 | 6,729 | 914 | 481 | 433 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 1,144 | 469 | 667 | 8 |
| 2019 | 1,322 | 5,831 | 1,070 | 515 | 541 | 14 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 1,074 | 488 | 573 | 13 |
| 2017 | 1,303 | 6,749 | 950 | 469 | 477 | 4 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 1,086 | 519 | 564 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 1,085 | 456 | 609 | 20 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 1,148 | 471 | 663 | 14 |
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 | 1,599 | 10,598 | 261 | 190 | 71 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 338 | 223 | 112 | 3 |
| 2023 | 6,176 | 42,243 | 1,248 | 854 | 380 | 13 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 1,304 | 996 | 299 | 10 |
| 2021 | 1,354 | 6,729 | 239 | 184 | 56 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 220 | 151 | 69 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,322 | 5,831 | 221 | 152 | 65 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 323 | 216 | 102 | 4 |
| 2017 | 1,303 | 6,749 | 230 | 172 | 58 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 268 | 184 | 84 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 163 | 155 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 169 | 154 | 15 | 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 | 1,599 | 10,598 | 427 | 178 | 249 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 431 | 224 | 207 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6,176 | 42,243 | 1,022 | 524 | 492 | 6 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 1,072 | 486 | 569 | 17 |
| 2021 | 1,354 | 6,729 | 675 | 298 | 377 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 925 | 319 | 598 | 8 |
| 2019 | 1,322 | 5,831 | 850 | 363 | 476 | 11 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 751 | 272 | 471 | 9 |
| 2017 | 1,303 | 6,749 | 720 | 297 | 420 | 4 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 818 | 336 | 480 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 922 | 301 | 601 | 20 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 979 | 317 | 648 | 14 |
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
- Madison, Beaverhead counties
- National forests
- —
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Ruby Range
- Highest named summits
- Table Mountain (≈6,142 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Ball Place, Bishop Place, Burdick Place, Campbell Place, East Bench (historical), Fairview (historical), Fries Place, Holden Place, Kingrey Place, Laurin, Sweetwater (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.