Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 405
Montana hunting district 405 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 471 sq mi in Chouteau, Cascade counties; 7% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 3,314 ft; FWP estimated 18 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the lowest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 18 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the most private of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 7% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the quietest for elk hunters of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 1.1 elk hunter-days per square mile in 2024. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
- Among the flattest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 1,293 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| Montana state trust land | 5.3% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 1.3% | |
| Other federal | 1.1% | |
| City & county | 0.5% | |
| Montana FWP | 0.4% | |
| US Fish & Wildlife Service | 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 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 |
| 2024 | 101 | 540 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 53 | 271 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | 65 | 475 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 49 | 186 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 43 | 468 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 45 | 227 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 6 | 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 (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 | 1,279 | 6,315 | 794 | 468 | 318 | 9 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 940 | 524 | 399 | 17 |
| 2023 | 1,131 | 5,253 | 771 | 496 | 272 | 4 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 891 | 566 | 320 | 6 |
| 2021 | 968 | 4,767 | 719 | 434 | 285 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 855 | 544 | 308 | 3 |
| 2019 | 977 | 4,226 | 707 | 409 | 295 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 812 | 493 | 313 | 6 |
| 2017 | 1,031 | 4,474 | 807 | 489 | 310 | 9 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 691 | 547 | 141 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 563 | 441 | 122 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 473 | 371 | 102 | 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 | 1,279 | 6,315 | 588 | 380 | 202 | 6 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 698 | 380 | 307 | 11 |
| 2023 | 1,131 | 5,253 | 583 | 396 | 187 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 682 | 448 | 228 | 6 |
| 2021 | 968 | 4,767 | 574 | 362 | 212 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 660 | 420 | 237 | 3 |
| 2019 | 977 | 4,226 | 562 | 346 | 213 | 3 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 688 | 434 | 248 | 6 |
| 2017 | 1,031 | 4,474 | 721 | 421 | 295 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 617 | 490 | 123 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 507 | 396 | 111 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 426 | 337 | 88 | 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 | 1,279 | 6,315 | 207 | 88 | 116 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 242 | 144 | 92 | 6 |
| 2023 | 1,131 | 5,253 | 188 | 100 | 84 | 4 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 209 | 118 | 91 | 0 |
| 2021 | 968 | 4,767 | 145 | 72 | 73 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 196 | 124 | 71 | 0 |
| 2019 | 977 | 4,226 | 145 | 63 | 82 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 124 | 60 | 65 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1,031 | 4,474 | 86 | 68 | 15 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 75 | 57 | 18 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 56 | 45 | 11 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 48 | 34 | 14 | 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
- Chouteau, Cascade counties
- National forests
- —
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Rattlesnake Hill (≈3,678 ft), Shepherd Butte (≈3,648 ft), Indian Butte (≈3,527 ft), Smelter Hill (≈3,399 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Belt Creek, Belton (historical), Black Eagle, Boston Heights (historical), Box Elder (historical), Carter, Cooper, Fife, Floweree, Kershaw, Lander Crossing, Little Chicago (historical), North Great Falls (historical), Pack and Lacey Crossing
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.