Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 3 (Bozeman)
District 391
Montana hunting district 391 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 3 (Bozeman): 472 sq mi in Broadwater, Lewis And Clark counties; 38% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); median elevation 5,226 ft; FWP estimated 313 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the busiest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 28.1 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2022. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 32.0% | |
| Montana state trust land | 4.2% | |
| Other federal | 1.8% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 1.4% | |
| City & county | 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 | 313 | 189 | 118 | 7 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 261 | 189 | 61 | 11 |
| 2022 | 1,727 | 13,256 | 287 | 154 | 127 | 6 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 405 | 234 | 147 | 24 |
| 2020 | 1,943 | 14,367 | 323 | 184 | 123 | 16 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 375 | 204 | 169 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2,270 | 17,217 | 505 | 212 | 272 | 21 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 841 | 343 | 448 | 50 |
| 2016 | 2,259 | 17,734 | 613 | 224 | 367 | 22 |
| 2015 | 1,677 | 12,437 | 498 | 270 | 204 | 24 |
| 2014 | 1,579 | 11,355 | 406 | 239 | 152 | 15 |
| 2013 | n/e | n/e | 311 | 181 | 119 | 11 |
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 | 1,880 | 13,605 | 677 | 504 | 172 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 670 | 532 | 136 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1,809 | 12,961 | 603 | 461 | 140 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 578 | 426 | 147 | 6 |
| 2021 | 1,595 | 11,068 | 559 | 432 | 123 | 4 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 723 | 537 | 184 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,303 | 8,413 | 545 | 276 | 270 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 561 | 342 | 216 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,188 | 7,914 | 583 | 387 | 190 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 661 | 450 | 208 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 411 | 306 | 96 | 9 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 304 | 236 | 67 | 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 | 1,880 | 13,605 | 447 | 367 | 80 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 432 | 385 | 45 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1,809 | 12,961 | 384 | 334 | 46 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 365 | 290 | 75 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,595 | 11,068 | 399 | 328 | 71 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 515 | 420 | 92 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,303 | 8,413 | 362 | 201 | 162 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 401 | 265 | 136 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,188 | 7,914 | 363 | 263 | 100 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 392 | 321 | 71 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 215 | 205 | 8 | 1 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 149 | 146 | 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.
Whitetail harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,880 | 13,605 | 229 | 137 | 92 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 238 | 147 | 91 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,809 | 12,961 | 220 | 127 | 93 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 214 | 136 | 71 | 6 |
| 2021 | 1,595 | 11,068 | 160 | 104 | 52 | 4 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 208 | 116 | 92 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,303 | 8,413 | 183 | 75 | 108 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 160 | 77 | 80 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,188 | 7,914 | 219 | 124 | 90 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 269 | 129 | 137 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 196 | 101 | 87 | 8 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 155 | 90 | 65 | 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
- Broadwater, Lewis And Clark counties
- National forests
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- Canyon Ferry
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Big Belt Mountains
- Highest named summits
- Mount Edith (≈9,436 ft), Mount Baldy (≈9,380 ft), Boulder Mountain (≈8,734 ft), Grassy Mountain (≈7,641 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Barker, Deep Creek (historical), Diamond City, Noble, Townsend, Whites City
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.