Deer · Elk · Lion hunting district · Region 7 (Miles City)

District 704

Montana hunting district 704 (Deer · Elk · Lion), FWP Region 7 (Miles City): 5,428 sq mi in Custer, Powder River, Big Horn, Rosebud counties; 30% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land; median elevation 3,215 ft; FWP estimated 492 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.

Area5,428 sq mi

USFS · BLM · state trust · FWP30%

Median elevation3,215 ft

Elevation range2,175–4,692 ft

What stands out

Among the highest elk harvests of 138 deer, elk and lion districts: 492 elk harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
Elk harvest up sharply of 106 deer, elk and lion districts: +114% (2013–2015 vs 2023–2025 three-year averages). FWP harvest estimates (calculated)
Among the largest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 5,428 square miles. FWP district boundary
Among the most Block Management of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: 23 BMAs, about 142,517 acres. FWP Block Management (calculated)
Among the lowest of 139 deer, elk and lion districts: median elevation 3,215 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)

Publicly administered land

US Forest Service	12.6%
Bureau of Land Management	11.8%
Montana state trust land	5.8%
Other State of Montana	0.2%
Montana FWP	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	492	250	232	10
2024	1,601	13,141	534	233	287	14
2023	n/e	n/e	396	166	207	24
2022	1,323	10,458	342	169	163	10
2021	n/e	n/e	401	191	206	3
2020	1,492	11,973	421	153	263	5
2019	n/e	n/e	301	122	164	15
2018	1,409	10,525	327	123	194	10
2017	n/e	n/e	333	139	174	20
2016	1,119	8,384	224	98	120	6
2015	1,002	7,359	236	89	133	13
2014	907	6,130	217	102	109	5

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	4,306	25,609	2,421	2,134	283	5
2024	n/e	n/e	2,288	1,981	296	11
2023	4,258	23,302	2,459	1,997	455	7
2022	n/e	n/e	2,426	1,809	611	6
2021	5,005	26,625	3,188	2,384	799	4
2020	n/e	n/e	4,241	2,856	1,382	3
2019	5,182	26,420	4,062	2,846	1,190	26
2018	n/e	n/e	4,052	2,750	1,293	10
2017	4,925	25,066	4,319	2,874	1,418	27
2016	n/e	n/e	4,063	2,970	1,054	39
2015	n/e	n/e	2,749	2,337	398	14
2014	n/e	n/e	2,648	2,365	275	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 (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	4,306	25,609	1,770	1,720	50	0
2024	n/e	n/e	1,572	1,526	42	3
2023	4,258	23,302	1,703	1,596	107	0
2022	n/e	n/e	1,780	1,450	327	3
2021	5,005	26,625	2,295	1,823	472	0
2020	n/e	n/e	3,187	2,207	980	0
2019	5,182	26,420	3,333	2,414	897	23
2018	n/e	n/e	3,274	2,313	955	7
2017	4,925	25,066	3,512	2,459	1,032	21
2016	n/e	n/e	3,241	2,523	696	21
2015	n/e	n/e	2,057	2,006	51	0
2014	n/e	n/e	2,016	2,013	3	0

Whitetail harvest estimates

Year	Hunters	Days	Total Harvest	Bucks	Does	Fawns
2025	4,306	25,609	652	415	233	5
2024	n/e	n/e	716	455	253	8
2023	4,258	23,302	756	401	348	7
2022	n/e	n/e	647	360	284	3
2021	5,005	26,625	893	561	328	4
2020	n/e	n/e	1,054	649	402	3
2019	5,182	26,420	728	432	293	3
2018	n/e	n/e	778	437	338	3
2017	4,925	25,066	807	415	386	6
2016	n/e	n/e	822	447	358	18
2015	n/e	n/e	692	331	347	14
2014	n/e	n/e	633	352	273	8

Landscape

Counties: Custer, Powder River, Big Horn, Rosebud counties
National forests: Custer Gallatin National Forest
Wilderness: None
Wildlife management areas: —
Mountain ranges (GNIS): Blue Mountains, The Pine Hills
Highest named summits: Horn Mountain (≈4,734 ft), Eagle Nest Peak (≈4,551 ft), Buffalo Jump (≈4,537 ft), Half Moon Hill (≈4,455 ft)
Passes and gaps: Suicide Pass, Camps Pass, Griffin Pass
Towns and places: Ashland, Beebe, Birney, Bluffport, Brandenberg, Broadus, Cameron Crossing, Coalwood, Cutler (historical), Decker, Epsie, Gopher (historical), Kirby, Mizpah

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 705 30% public · 3,307 ft median
HD 703 16% public · 2,620 ft median
HD 702 10% public · 3,100 ft median
HD 701 18% public · 2,867 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.