Hunting districts / Deer · Elk · Lion
Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 5 (Billings)
District 580
Montana hunting district 580 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 5 (Billings): 1,127 sq mi in Sweet Grass, Wheatland, Meagher, Park counties; 22% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 5,466 ft; FWP estimated 0 elk harvested in 2017.
What stands out
- Among the lowest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 0 elk harvested in 2017 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the most rugged of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 6,703 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 15.4% | |
| Montana state trust land | 6.7% | |
| Bureau of Land Management | 0.2% | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1,269 | 6,684 | 393 | 211 | 165 | 17 |
| 2011 | 1,250 | 6,872 | 349 | 180 | 151 | 18 |
| 2010 | 1,201 | 6,155 | 385 | 185 | 193 | 7 |
| 2009 | 1,210 | 6,293 | 370 | 176 | 170 | 25 |
| 2008 | 1,039 | 5,982 | 286 | 142 | 141 | 3 |
| 2007 | 1,024 | 5,348 | 339 | 164 | 158 | 18 |
| 2006 | 1,000 | 5,004 | 363 | 190 | 155 | 18 |
| 2005 | 955 | 5,323 | 323 | 144 | 162 | 18 |
| 2004 | 1,139 | 5,496 | 334 | 144 | 161 | 30 |
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 | 1,399 | 7,790 | 727 | 458 | 266 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 805 | 556 | 248 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,145 | 5,774 | 817 | 507 | 306 | 4 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 741 | 516 | 222 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,137 | 5,129 | 666 | 419 | 247 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 931 | 508 | 419 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,135 | 5,913 | 732 | 483 | 241 | 8 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 833 | 550 | 273 | 10 |
| 2017 | 1,299 | 5,772 | 911 | 637 | 267 | 6 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 959 | 790 | 165 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 845 | 772 | 70 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 915 | 830 | 85 | 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 | 1,399 | 7,790 | 231 | 204 | 28 | 0 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 217 | 204 | 13 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,145 | 5,774 | 204 | 178 | 26 | 0 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 226 | 209 | 18 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1,137 | 5,129 | 197 | 158 | 38 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 224 | 190 | 34 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,135 | 5,913 | 249 | 225 | 24 | 0 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 300 | 264 | 33 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,299 | 5,772 | 336 | 314 | 20 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 354 | 345 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 372 | 369 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 455 | 452 | 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 | 1,399 | 7,790 | 496 | 254 | 239 | 3 |
| 2024 | n/e | n/e | 588 | 352 | 236 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1,145 | 5,774 | 613 | 329 | 280 | 4 |
| 2022 | n/e | n/e | 515 | 307 | 205 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1,137 | 5,129 | 469 | 261 | 208 | 0 |
| 2020 | n/e | n/e | 707 | 318 | 386 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1,135 | 5,913 | 483 | 257 | 218 | 8 |
| 2018 | n/e | n/e | 534 | 286 | 241 | 7 |
| 2017 | 1,299 | 5,772 | 574 | 324 | 247 | 3 |
| 2016 | n/e | n/e | 604 | 445 | 156 | 3 |
| 2015 | n/e | n/e | 474 | 403 | 67 | 3 |
| 2014 | n/e | n/e | 461 | 379 | 82 | 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
- Sweet Grass, Wheatland, Meagher, Park counties
- National forests
- Custer Gallatin National Forest, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
- Wilderness
- None
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Crazy Mountains
- Highest named summits
- Crazy Peak (≈10,974 ft), Big Timber Peak (≈10,669 ft), Conical Peak (≈10,551 ft), Fairview Peak (≈10,072 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- None named in GNIS
- Towns and places
- Bill Bracket Place, Duncan Ranch Colony, Hamen, Higgins, Lebo, Loweth, Martinsdale, Melville, Norwegian Settlement (historical), Sioux Crossing, Staley Place, Twodot, Wormser (historical)
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.