Hunting districts / Bighorn sheep
Bighorn sheep hunting district · Region 2 (Missoula)
District 270
Montana hunting district 270 (Bighorn sheep), FWP Region 2 (Missoula): 409 sq mi in Ravalli County; 91% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land (mostly Bitterroot National Forest); median elevation 6,181 ft; FWP estimated 12 sheep harvested in 2025.
What stands out
- Among the highest sheep harvests of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 12 sheep harvested in 2025 (FWP estimate). FWP harvest estimates
- Among the most public of 36 bighorn sheep districts: 91% USFS, BLM, state trust and FWP land. MSL Public Lands (calculated)
Publicly administered land
| US Forest Service | 84.4% | |
| Montana state trust land | 6.1% |
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 | 12 | 45 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 53 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 86 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 76 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 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
- Ravalli County
- National forests
- Bitterroot National Forest
- Wilderness
- Anaconda Pintler Wilderness (16%)
- Wildlife management areas
- —
- Mountain ranges (GNIS)
- —
- Highest named summits
- Bare Hill (≈8,681 ft), Saddle Mountain (≈8,307 ft), Cliff Point (≈8,258 ft), Shook Mountain (≈7,533 ft)
- Passes and gaps
- Porcupine Saddle, Lick Creek Saddle, Mink Creek Saddle, Guide Saddle, Bear Creek Saddle
- Towns and places
- Medicine Hot Springs, Sula
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.