Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 5 (Billings)

District 535

Montana hunting district 535 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 5 (Billings): 2,765 sq mi in Musselshell, Golden Valley, Petroleum, Wheatland counties; 17% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 3,743 ft.

Open in the atlas FWP elk regulations & quotas FWP deer regulations & quotas FWP district map (PDF)

FWP district boundary, 2026 regulations. A boundary on a map does not grant access to any land inside it.

Area2,765 sq mi

USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP17%

Median elevation3,743 ft

Elevation range2,516–8,366 ft

What stands out

Among the most Block Management of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 35 BMAs, about 184,788 acres. FWP Block Management (calculated)
Among the largest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 2,765 square miles. FWP district boundary
Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5,850 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)

Publicly administered land

Bureau of Land Management	7.5%
Montana state trust land	6.1%
US Forest Service	2.9%
US Fish & Wildlife Service	0.6%
Montana FWP	0.3%
City & county	0.1%
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.

Deer harvest estimates

Year	Hunters	Days	Total Harvest	Bucks	Does	Fawns
2025	1,219	7,321	571	454	113	4
2024	n/e	n/e	609	462	143	4
2023	1,421	7,337	762	535	217	10
2022	n/e	n/e	702	458	244	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	1,219	7,321	311	286	21	4
2024	n/e	n/e	264	237	28	0
2023	1,421	7,337	423	324	89	10
2022	n/e	n/e	392	296	95	0

Whitetail harvest estimates

Year	Hunters	Days	Total Harvest	Bucks	Does	Fawns
2025	1,219	7,321	260	168	92	0
2024	n/e	n/e	345	225	115	4
2023	1,421	7,337	339	210	128	0
2022	n/e	n/e	310	161	149	0

Landscape

Counties: Musselshell, Golden Valley, Petroleum, Wheatland counties
National forests: Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Wilderness: None
Wildlife management areas: Big Snowy Mountains
Mountain ranges (GNIS): Little Snowy Mountains
Highest named summits: Old Baldy (≈8,520 ft), Tepee Point (≈8,291 ft), Lost Peak (≈8,140 ft), Red Hill (≈6,152 ft)
Passes and gaps: Durfee Gap, Daley Gap
Towns and places: Camp Three, Darrel (historical), Emory (historical), Flatwillow, Flatwillow Colony, Franklin, Gage, Hedgesville, Hoyle (historical), Judith Gap, Kelley, Kilby Butte Colony, Living Springs, Melstone

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.

Neighboring districts

HD 411 20% public · 4,350 ft median
HD 590 10% public · 3,369 ft median
HD 701 18% public · 2,867 ft median
HD 515 7% public · 4,180 ft median
HD 410 39% public · 2,894 ft median
HD 540 34% public · 5,135 ft median
HD 418 21% public · 4,629 ft median

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.