Hunting districts / Bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep hunting district · Region 1 (Kalispell)
District 123
Montana hunting district 123 (Bighorn sheep), FWP Region 1 (Kalispell): 998 sq mi in Lincoln, Sanders counties; 85% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Kootenai National Forest); median elevation 4,147 ft; FWP estimated 0 sheep harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the lowest sheep harvests of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 0 sheep harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the deepest snow right now of 12 bighorn sheep districts: 10 in at a SNOTEL station inside. NRCS SNOTEL (measured)
- Among the quietest for sheep hunters of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 0.0 sheep hunter-days per square mile in 2025. FWP harvest estimates (calculated per sq mi)
- Among the most rugged of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 6,634 ft from low point to high point. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
- Among the largest of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 998 square miles. FWP district boundary
- Among the lowest of 36 bighorn sheep districts: median elevation 4,147 ft. AWS Terrain Tiles (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 83.5% | |
| Montana state trust land | 1.3% | |
| Montana FWP | 0.2% | |
| 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.
Sheep harvest estimates
| Year | Hunters | Days | Total Harvest | Rams | Ewes | Lambs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 74 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 72 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 | 70 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 68 | 4 | 4 | 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. Boundaries of a numbered district can change between years.
Landscape
- Counties
- Lincoln, Sanders counties
- National forests
- Kootenai National Forest, Idaho Panhandle National Forests
- Wilderness
- Cabinet Mountains Wilderness (15%)
- Wildlife management areas
- Bull River
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- Cabinet Mountains
- Highest named summits
- Snowshoe Peak (≈8,501 ft), A Peak (≈8,491 ft), Bockman Peak (≈8,035 ft), Elephant Peak (≈7,684 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Milwaukee Pass, Carney Pass, Saint Paul Pass, Lost Buck Pass, Himes Pass, Silver Butte Pass
- Towns and places
- Bull Lake, Green Acres, Kootenai Falls, Libby, Troy, Yakt
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.