MontanaHunting Report

Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion

Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)

District 361

Montana hunting district 361 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 224 sq mi in Gallatin, Madison counties; 80% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Custer Gallatin National Forest); median elevation 6,936 ft; FWP estimated 79 elk harvested in 2025.

FWP district boundary, 2026 regulations. A boundary on a map does not grant access to any land inside it.
Area224 sq mi
USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP80%
Median elevation6,936 ft
Elevation range6,168–10,410 ft

What stands out

Publicly administered land

US Forest Service80.0%
Other State of Montana0.5%
City & county0.1%

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

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBullsCowsCalves
2025n/en/e7946313
20245815,0218737500
2023n/en/e8772160
20225874,64010675310
2021n/en/e7426452
20203272,5364833150
2019n/en/e4626200
20185164,2654728190
2017n/en/e6931380
20165664,7538325553
20154743,8746024360
20144854,0295420340

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

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20253082,375443770
2024n/en/e323200
20232291,672272070
2022n/en/e3725120
20212311,740382990
2020n/en/e251690
20192091,625302470
2018n/en/e262330
20171941,520151230
2016n/en/e3217150
2015n/en/e322390
2014n/en/e232300

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

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20253082,375373430
2024n/en/e292900
20232291,672171700
2022n/en/e282260
20212311,740382990
2020n/en/e15960
20192091,625272070
2018n/en/e232030
20171941,52012930
2016n/en/e2917120
2015n/en/e292360
2014n/en/e141400

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

YearHuntersDaysTotal HarvestBucksDoesFawns
20253082,3758440
2024n/en/e3300
20232291,67210370
2022n/en/e9360
2020n/en/e10730
20192091,6253300
2018n/en/e3300
20171941,5203300
2016n/en/e3030
2015n/en/e3030
2014n/en/e9900
20132021,5429360

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
Gallatin, Madison counties
National forests
Custer Gallatin National Forest
Wilderness
None
Wildlife management areas
—
Mountain ranges (GNIS)
—
Highest named summits
Sheep Mountain (≈10,207 ft), Coffin Mountain (≈9,911 ft), Horse Butte (≈7,041 ft)
Passes and gaps
None named in GNIS
Towns and places
Corette, Lakeshore Summer Home Area, Lonesome Hurst Summer Home Area, Railroad Summer Home Area, Romsett Summer Home Area, West Yellowstone

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.

Neighboring districts

  • HD 360 55% public · 7,429 ft median
  • HD 323 70% public · 7,113 ft median

Sources

Live weather, snow, fire and access conditions are in the atlas card for this district.