Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 415
Montana hunting district 415 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 207 sq mi in Pondera, Glacier counties; 98% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); median elevation 6,093 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 public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 98% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Elk harvest down sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: -38% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
- Among the smallest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 207 square miles. FWP district boundary
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 97.7% |
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 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 134 | 877 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 2022 | 164 | 1,247 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | 162 | 960 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 32 | 3 | 26 | 3 |
| 2018 | 182 | 1,306 | 25 | 6 | 16 | 3 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 34 | 20 | 11 | 3 |
| 2016 | 254 | 1,727 | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| 2015 | 187 | 1,217 | 29 | 21 | 9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 205 | 1,285 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 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 | 102 | 539 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 32 | 23 | 9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 111 | 1,201 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 124 | 736 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 27 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 76 | 405 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 77 | 388 | 25 | 21 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 3 | 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.
Mule Deer harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Bucks | Does | Fawns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 102 | 539 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 111 | 1,201 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 124 | 736 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 76 | 405 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 77 | 388 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 101 | 788 | 3 | 3 | 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 | 102 | 539 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 111 | 1,201 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 76 | 405 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 77 | 388 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2013 | 101 | 788 | 3 | 3 | 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.
Landscape
- Counties
- Pondera, Glacier counties
- National forests
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Morningstar Mountain (≈8,228 ft), Mount Poia (≈8,133 ft), Scarface Mountain (≈8,123 ft), Goat Mountain (≈8,091 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Marias Pass
- Towns and places
- Bison, False Summit, Summit
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.