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

District 555

Montana hunting district 555 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 5 (Billings): 790 sq mi in Carbon County; 63% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 4,741 ft; FWP estimated 59 elk harvested in 2025.

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.

Area790 sq mi

USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP63%

Median elevation4,741 ft

Elevation range3,346–10,118 ft

What stands out

Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 6,772 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)

Publicly administered land

Bureau of Land Management	37.7%
US Forest Service	21.5%
National Park Service	5.4%
Montana state trust land	3.3%

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
2025	n/e	n/e	59	20	39
2024	217	1,797	44	14	30
2023	n/e	n/e	30	25	5
2022	126	875	28	24	4

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
2025	578	3,339	260	173	87
2024	n/e	n/e	214	158	56
2023	443	2,480	235	144	91
2022	n/e	n/e	186	128	58

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
2025	578	3,339	174	123	50
2024	n/e	n/e	159	124	36
2023	443	2,480	172	106	66
2022	n/e	n/e	106	78	28

Whitetail harvest estimates

Year	Hunters	Days	Total Harvest	Bucks	Does
2025	578	3,339	86	50	37
2024	n/e	n/e	55	34	21
2023	443	2,480	64	38	26
2022	n/e	n/e	80	50	30

Landscape

Counties: Carbon County
National forests: Custer Gallatin National Forest
Wilderness: None
Wildlife management areas: —
Mountain ranges (GNIS): Pryor Mountains
Highest named summits: Tolman Mountain (≈9,803 ft), Maurice Mount (≈9,213 ft), East Pryor Mountain (≈8,796 ft), Big Pryor Mountain (≈8,780 ft)
Passes and gaps: Bobcat Pass, Hatcher Pass
Towns and places: Belfry, Bowler, Chance, Dryhead (historical), Eagle (historical), Golden (historical), Hillsboro, Richel Lodge, Wade, Warren

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 502 10% public · 3,999 ft median
HD 525 64% public · 6,578 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.