Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 323
Montana hunting district 323 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 2,066 sq mi in Beaverhead, Madison counties; 70% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest); median elevation 7,113 ft; FWP estimated 748 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the highest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 748 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the highest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: median elevation 7,113 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
- Among the largest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 2,066 square miles. FWP district boundary
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 35.5% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 17.2% | |
| Montana state trust land | 14.6% | |
| US Fish & Wildlife Service | 3.3% | |
| Montana FWP | 2.7% | |
| Other federal | 1.2% |
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 | 748 | 458 | 272 | 18 |
| 2024 | 5,015 | 37,244 | 1,013 | 520 | 483 | 11 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 240 | 165 | 67 | 8 |
| 2020 | 1,003 | 6,957 | 210 | 116 | 95 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 187 | 98 | 88 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1,149 | 7,198 | 199 | 103 | 86 | 9 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 193 | 103 | 82 | 8 |
| 2016 | 1,280 | 8,438 | 143 | 49 | 85 | 9 |
| 2015 | 1,491 | 9,222 | 291 | 135 | 150 | 6 |
| 2014 | 1,495 | 8,715 | 329 | 130 | 176 | 23 |
| 2013 | n/e | n/e | 228 | 111 | 108 | 8 |
| 2012 | 1,048 | 6,250 | 182 | 108 | 66 | 8 |
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 | 2,639 | 17,036 | 671 | 458 | 210 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 717 | 445 | 273 | 0 |
| 2021 | 461 | 3,090 | 78 | 67 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 72 | 58 | 14 | 0 |
| 2019 | 546 | 3,407 | 122 | 80 | 39 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 89 | 68 | 18 | 3 |
| 2017 | 495 | 3,272 | 77 | 53 | 24 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 89 | 81 | 6 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 97 | 77 | 20 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 84 | 79 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 502 | 2,951 | 62 | 56 | 6 | 0 |
| 2012 | n/e | n/e | 61 | 56 | 3 | 3 |
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 | 2,639 | 17,036 | 400 | 306 | 94 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 474 | 333 | 141 | 0 |
| 2021 | 461 | 3,090 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 55 | 45 | 10 | 0 |
| 2019 | 546 | 3,407 | 75 | 60 | 15 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 77 | 62 | 15 | 0 |
| 2017 | 495 | 3,272 | 53 | 47 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 80 | 75 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 49 | 43 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 65 | 65 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 502 | 2,951 | 45 | 42 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | n/e | n/e | 47 | 47 | 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 | 2,639 | 17,036 | 271 | 152 | 116 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 243 | 111 | 132 | 0 |
| 2021 | 461 | 3,090 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 546 | 3,407 | 48 | 20 | 24 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 2017 | 495 | 3,272 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 48 | 34 | 14 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 502 | 2,951 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | n/e | n/e | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
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
- Beaverhead, Madison counties
- National forests
- Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- Robb-Ledford, Blacktail, Wall Creek
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Centennial Mountains, Gravelly Range, Greenhorn Range, Horn Mountains, Snowcrest Range, Western Centennial Mountains
- Highest named summits
- Hogback Mountain (≈10,479 ft), Sunset Peak (≈10,479 ft), Black Butte (≈10,459 ft), Olson Peak (≈10,381 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- The Notch, Antone Pass, Ledoford Pass, Price-Peet Divide, Lone Tree Pass, Snowshoe Pass
- Towns and places
- Abe (historical), Alder, Bowman Place, Cliff Lake, Dell, Ennis, Grahams Place, Hale Place, Lakeview, Leary Place, Leonard Place, Lima, Missouri Flats (historical), Monida
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.