Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 418
Montana hunting district 418 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 480 sq mi in Judith Basin, Fergus counties; 21% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 4,629 ft; FWP estimated 186 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Elk harvest up sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: +103% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 11.2% | |
| Montana state trust land | 9.1% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.6% | |
| Other State of Montana | 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 | 186 | 53 | 122 | 11 |
| 2024 | 416 | 2,919 | 114 | 19 | 89 | 6 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 108 | 58 | 50 | 0 |
| 2022 | 297 | 1,643 | 103 | 40 | 61 | 3 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 76 | 37 | 39 | 0 |
| 2020 | 331 | 1,946 | 100 | 56 | 43 | 1 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 74 | 27 | 44 | 3 |
| 2018 | 397 | 2,127 | 69 | 43 | 27 | 0 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 82 | 48 | 31 | 3 |
| 2016 | 395 | 2,402 | 53 | 41 | 9 | 3 |
| 2015 | 443 | 2,630 | 75 | 54 | 21 | 0 |
| 2014 | 359 | 1,934 | 76 | 57 | 16 | 3 |
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 | 495 | 4,579 | 278 | 216 | 62 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 349 | 269 | 78 | 2 |
| 2023 | 493 | 2,643 | 244 | 176 | 65 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 339 | 217 | 122 | 0 |
| 2021 | 541 | 3,602 | 313 | 265 | 48 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 275 | 239 | 36 | 0 |
| 2019 | 457 | 2,217 | 247 | 210 | 37 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 280 | 252 | 28 | 0 |
| 2017 | 481 | 2,466 | 245 | 225 | 20 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 238 | 220 | 18 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 280 | 263 | 17 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 173 | 164 | 9 | 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 | 495 | 4,579 | 119 | 116 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 150 | 150 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 493 | 2,643 | 105 | 100 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 97 | 87 | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | 541 | 3,602 | 163 | 159 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 118 | 118 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 457 | 2,217 | 130 | 126 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 156 | 156 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 481 | 2,466 | 115 | 112 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 144 | 135 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 175 | 172 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 96 | 93 | 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 | 495 | 4,579 | 159 | 101 | 59 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 199 | 119 | 78 | 2 |
| 2023 | 493 | 2,643 | 138 | 76 | 60 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 242 | 130 | 112 | 0 |
| 2021 | 541 | 3,602 | 150 | 106 | 44 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 157 | 121 | 36 | 0 |
| 2019 | 457 | 2,217 | 117 | 84 | 33 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 124 | 96 | 28 | 0 |
| 2017 | 481 | 2,466 | 130 | 113 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 94 | 85 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 105 | 91 | 14 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 76 | 71 | 6 | 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
- Judith Basin, Fergus counties
- National forests
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Twin Sisters (≈7,434 ft), Pine Knob (≈6,289 ft), Indian Hill (≈6,161 ft), Red Hill (≈5,935 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Buffalo, Garneill, Hauck, Hobson, McClave, Moccasin, Philbrook (historical), Sipple, Straw
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.