Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 4 (Great Falls)
District 452
Montana hunting district 452 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 4 (Great Falls): 338 sq mi in Meagher County; 39% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); median elevation 5,846 ft; FWP estimated 299 elk harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the deepest snow right now of 40 deer, elk and lion districts: 11 in at a SNOTEL station inside. NRCS SNOTEL (measured)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 32.2% | |
| Montana state trust land | 6.2% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.3% | |
| 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 | 299 | 173 | 119 | 7 |
| 2024 | 1,349 | 8,575 | 334 | 141 | 179 | 15 |
| 2023 | n/e | n/e | 284 | 122 | 160 | 3 |
| 2022 | 1,366 | 7,631 | 360 | 178 | 181 | 0 |
| 2021 | n/e | n/e | 335 | 146 | 170 | 19 |
| 2020 | 1,498 | 8,386 | 414 | 187 | 223 | 4 |
| 2019 | n/e | n/e | 249 | 114 | 132 | 3 |
| 2018 | 876 | 4,368 | 244 | 98 | 128 | 19 |
| 2017 | n/e | n/e | 265 | 120 | 131 | 14 |
| 2016 | 979 | 5,491 | 180 | 89 | 78 | 13 |
| 2015 | 1,258 | 6,348 | 342 | 135 | 186 | 20 |
| 2014 | 627 | 3,240 | 197 | 74 | 118 | 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 | 962 | 6,026 | 345 | 281 | 61 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 351 | 269 | 82 | 0 |
| 2023 | 830 | 5,002 | 254 | 194 | 57 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 301 | 234 | 67 | 0 |
| 2021 | 795 | 4,337 | 312 | 254 | 58 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 260 | 179 | 78 | 3 |
| 2019 | 372 | 1,934 | 107 | 81 | 26 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 100 | 85 | 15 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 1,692 | 105 | 50 | 55 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 134 | 123 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 118 | 100 | 15 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 91 | 78 | 13 | 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 | 962 | 6,026 | 232 | 229 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 211 | 205 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 830 | 5,002 | 161 | 157 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 148 | 142 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 795 | 4,337 | 190 | 187 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 111 | 105 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | 372 | 1,934 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 64 | 64 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 1,692 | 76 | 38 | 38 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 84 | 84 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 46 | 46 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 47 | 47 | 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 | 962 | 6,026 | 113 | 52 | 58 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 139 | 63 | 76 | 0 |
| 2023 | 830 | 5,002 | 93 | 37 | 54 | 3 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 152 | 92 | 60 | 0 |
| 2021 | 795 | 4,337 | 123 | 67 | 56 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 149 | 74 | 72 | 3 |
| 2019 | 372 | 1,934 | 55 | 29 | 26 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 36 | 21 | 15 | 0 |
| 2017 | 354 | 1,692 | 29 | 12 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 50 | 39 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 72 | 54 | 15 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 44 | 31 | 13 | 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
- Meagher County
- National forests
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Castle Mountains
- Highest named summits
- Wapiti Peak (≈8,537 ft), Elk Peak (≈8,435 ft), Willow Peak (≈8,327 ft), Woodchuck Mountain (≈8,251 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Bruno, Castle Town, Groveland, Lennep, Moss Agate, Robinson, White Sulphur Springs
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.