Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 442
Montana hunting district 442 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 298 sq mi in Teton, Lewis And Clark counties; 99% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); median elevation 6,444 ft; FWP estimated 44 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Elk harvest down sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: -75% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
- Among the most public of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 99% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
- Among the most wilderness of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 55% designated wilderness. USFS wilderness boundaries (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 98.1% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.8% |
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 | 44 | 38 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 550 | 3,920 | 58 | 32 | 26 | 0 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 52 | 44 | 6 | 2 |
| 2022 | 512 | 3,226 | 98 | 69 | 25 | 3 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 92 | 63 | 29 | 0 |
| 2020 | 690 | 4,055 | 103 | 68 | 29 | 7 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 80 | 48 | 29 | 3 |
| 2018 | 732 | 5,243 | 116 | 61 | 49 | 6 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 161 | 129 | 29 | 3 |
| 2016 | 802 | 4,846 | 117 | 55 | 59 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1,012 | 6,465 | 256 | 95 | 141 | 20 |
| 2014 | 1,036 | 6,417 | 171 | 71 | 93 | 8 |
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 | 410 | 2,463 | 94 | 55 | 39 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 116 | 82 | 34 | 0 |
| 2023 | 449 | 2,913 | 133 | 93 | 37 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 112 | 68 | 45 | 0 |
| 2021 | 498 | 2,747 | 121 | 106 | 15 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 149 | 103 | 46 | 0 |
| 2019 | 513 | 2,596 | 139 | 115 | 17 | 7 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 115 | 87 | 28 | 0 |
| 2017 | 551 | 3,595 | 182 | 165 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 168 | 150 | 18 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 151 | 135 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 166 | 136 | 31 | 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 | 410 | 2,463 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 37 | 34 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 449 | 2,913 | 50 | 47 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 498 | 2,747 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 53 | 50 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 513 | 2,596 | 86 | 79 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 44 | 38 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 551 | 3,595 | 100 | 92 | 9 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 102 | 99 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 80 | 80 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 96 | 96 | 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 | 410 | 2,463 | 67 | 28 | 39 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 79 | 48 | 31 | 0 |
| 2023 | 449 | 2,913 | 83 | 47 | 33 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 90 | 52 | 38 | 0 |
| 2021 | 498 | 2,747 | 70 | 55 | 15 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 96 | 53 | 42 | 0 |
| 2019 | 513 | 2,596 | 53 | 36 | 10 | 7 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 71 | 50 | 21 | 0 |
| 2017 | 551 | 3,595 | 82 | 74 | 8 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 66 | 50 | 15 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 70 | 54 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 70 | 40 | 31 | 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
- Teton, Lewis And Clark counties
- National forests
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- Bob Marshall Wilderness (55%)
- Wildlife management areas
- Sun River
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Rocky Mountain (≈9,265 ft), Old Baldy (≈9,006 ft), Mount Lockhart (≈8,520 ft), Arsenic Mountain (≈8,337 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Headquarters Creek Pass, Route Creek Pass, Elbow Gorge
- Towns and places
- Stoner Place
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.