Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 401
Montana hunting district 401 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 1,814 sq mi in Toole, Liberty counties; 9% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 3,451 ft; FWP estimated 106 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the most private of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 9% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the quietest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 1.4 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2024. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
- Among the most Block Management of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 16 BMAs, about 144,267 acres. FWP Block Management (calculated)
- Among the largest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 1,814 square miles. FWP district boundary
Publicly administered land
| Montana state trust land | 8.1% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.8% | |
| US Fish & Wildlife Service | 0.4% | |
| 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 | 106 | 34 | 68 | 4 |
| 2024 | 405 | 2,461 | 125 | 65 | 60 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 104 | 37 | 67 | 0 |
| 2022 | 414 | 2,734 | 98 | 41 | 54 | 3 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 42 | 20 | 22 | 0 |
| 2020 | 429 | 2,585 | 49 | 16 | 32 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 59 | 17 | 42 | 0 |
| 2018 | 525 | 3,395 | 101 | 17 | 78 | 6 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 106 | 30 | 73 | 3 |
| 2016 | 571 | 3,534 | 146 | 42 | 101 | 3 |
| 2015 | 541 | 2,711 | 169 | 34 | 126 | 9 |
| 2014 | 460 | 2,208 | 121 | 22 | 94 | 6 |
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 | 1,204 | 6,225 | 758 | 497 | 261 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 715 | 511 | 204 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,392 | 7,224 | 800 | 560 | 237 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 917 | 631 | 279 | 7 |
| 2021 | 1,330 | 6,942 | 854 | 624 | 230 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 767 | 538 | 230 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,326 | 5,530 | 755 | 552 | 203 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 886 | 585 | 289 | 13 |
| 2017 | 1,597 | 7,044 | 1,010 | 865 | 139 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 808 | 682 | 117 | 9 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 845 | 734 | 108 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 666 | 571 | 90 | 5 |
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 | 1,204 | 6,225 | 467 | 332 | 135 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 443 | 358 | 86 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,392 | 7,224 | 480 | 374 | 106 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 511 | 365 | 143 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,330 | 6,942 | 517 | 434 | 83 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 432 | 329 | 103 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,326 | 5,530 | 408 | 315 | 93 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 493 | 386 | 104 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,597 | 7,044 | 602 | 482 | 118 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 564 | 462 | 99 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 614 | 516 | 98 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 471 | 403 | 63 | 5 |
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 | 1,204 | 6,225 | 291 | 165 | 126 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 272 | 154 | 119 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,392 | 7,224 | 320 | 186 | 131 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 406 | 266 | 136 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,330 | 6,942 | 337 | 190 | 147 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 336 | 209 | 126 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,326 | 5,530 | 346 | 236 | 110 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 393 | 199 | 185 | 9 |
| 2017 | 1,597 | 7,044 | 407 | 383 | 22 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 244 | 220 | 18 | 6 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 231 | 218 | 10 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 195 | 168 | 27 | 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
- Toole, Liberty counties
- National forests
- —
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Sweet Grass Hills
- Highest named summits
- West Butte (≈6,942 ft), Mount Brown (≈6,864 ft), Mount Royal (≈6,850 ft), East Butte (≈6,486 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Alma (historical), Buelow, Devon, Eagle Creek Colony, Ferdig, Galata, Gold Butte, Hill, Joplin, Kippen, Lothair, McDermott (historical), Ohio Camp, Oilmont
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.