Montana Hunting

State Overview

Known For

Montana is known for its healthy populations of big game animals, tens of millions of acres of public lands, and ample private properties available to hunters through programs like Block Management (BMA). In Montana, hunters can pursue elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, black bear, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and moose.

Terrain

Montana has all kinds of terrain, including high alpine mountains, canyons, river valleys, forests, grassy plains, prairies, badlands, and caverns. Its land area covers more than 147,000 square miles, making Montana the fourth largest state in the nation, just behind the size of California.

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Montana Hunting Seasons

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Montana Draw Specifics

MONTANA – ALL SPECIES

Point System

• For elk and deer, Montana has 2 primary license types that each use a different point system
• There are General Deer, General Elk, and General Deer/Elk combo licenses, commonly referred to as General tags
  • You need a General tag to hunt elk or deer in Montana
  • For nonresidents, the General tag drawing uses a Preference Point system
  • Residents can buy a General tag over the counter
  • The nonresident General tag drawing has some complexity and can be confusing; read this for a full description of how it works
• There are also Permits. Permits are limited entry tags for a specific unit or units. There are elk and deer permits that you can apply for, as well as permits for all other big game species.
• The drawing for Permits in Montana uses an optional Bonus Point system
• Bonus Points are like raffle tickets – the more you have, the more “chances” you have in the draw
• You get one chance for your current application, and then your current Bonus Point total is squared and you get that many more chances in the drawing (so with 4 points, you’d get 17 chances, 1 + [4*4] )
• If you apply for a tag and are unsuccessful, you will be awarded a Bonus Point for that species if you paid the optional Bonus Point fee at the time of your application
• Or you can also choose to buy a Bonus Point Only each year during a separate application period to accumulate Bonus Points
• If you draw your 1st choice on a limited-entry permit application your Bonus Point total will be purged to 0 for that species

Tag Allocation

• For limited entry elk, deer and antelope permits, up to 10% of the total tags for each hunt code can be issued to nonresidents
• For moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats, up to 10% of the total tags in each respective region can be issued to nonresidents
• Residents and nonresidents are all in the same random drawing, where each applicants Bonus Point total is applied when determining your total number of “chances”
• Once the 10% nonresident quota max is hit, no further nonresident tags will be issued for that hunt code or region

Understanding the Draw Odds

• In Montana, we include 1 draw odds column in our List View
• Draw Odds: For elk and deer, we also include supplemental General Tag information at top: Nonres. General Tag Pref. Pt. Draw Odds

Other Tips

• Montana’s application process is notorious for confusion and misunderstanding. If you are new to it, call Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to make sure you understand the process. But don’t wait – do it early in the application period to avoid the last minute rush. The application period for Elk and Deer typically begins in mid February and ends April 1.
• Bighorn sheep, moose and mountain goat tags are generally very difficult to draw anywhere. Consider steering clear of the very hardest to draw hunts and focus on the lower ⅔ if you want to increase your chances of drawing in your lifetime. It may not seem like a big difference between .10 % odds and .05% odds, but consider that is actually 1 in 1000 against 1 in 2000. If you are late to the game in accumulating points, you’ll need all the luck you can get to overcome the odds.

Montana Licenses, Permits, and Regulations

Montana hunting licenses, permits, and regulations for resident and non-resident hunters can be purchased on the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks official website. Click below to view the website.

Hunting Layers

MT Private Lands

Over 540,000 parcels mapped by the onX team, this layer helps you know who the property owners are in Montana. Tap any parcel to learn more info about the owner and acreage.

MT Gov Lands

onX has the most accurate maps of Gov Lands, covering over 40,000,000 acres in Montana. Not all Gov Lands offer access opportunities, check regulations before recreating.

SUBLAYERS (17)

MT Hunting Districts

Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Bison, Bear, Deer/Elk, Fisher, Wolf, Moose, Mountain Goat, Trapping, Turkey, Migratory Bird, Upland Bird, and Swan Hunting Districts.

Includes 17 Sublayers

• Antelope Hunt District
• Bighorn Sheep Hunt District
• Bison Hunt District
• Black Bear Hunt District
• Deer / Elk Hunt District
• Fisher Mgmt Unit
• Gray Wolf Hunt District
• Moose Hunt District
• Mtn Lion Mgmt Unit
• Mtn Goat Hunt District
• Trapping Districts
• Spring Turkey Hunt District
• Fall Turkey Hunt District
• Migratory Bird Hunt District
• Swan Hunt District
• Upland Game Bird Hunt District
• Blackfeet Tribal Hunt Zones

MT Possible Access

onX has mapped 1,100,000 acres of possible access lands in Montana including timber companies and land conservation groups. Research rules on these private lands before recreating.

MT Block Management

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Block Management. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.

SUBLAYERS (10)

MT Hunting Districts Portions

Montana Hunting District Portions are a sub unit of the hunting district that has its own given tag or special regulations compared to the corresponding hunting district.

Includes 10 Sublayers

• Bison Portions
• Elk Portions
• Mtn Goat Portions
• Mule Deer Portions
• Upland Bird Portions
• Whitetailed Deer Portions
• Furbearer Portions
• Migratory Bird Portions
• Black Bear Portions
• Bighorn Sheep Portions

MT Upland Game Bird Project

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Upland Bird Game Projects (Open Fields program). All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program.

SUBLAYERS (11)

MT Game Distribution

Montana Various Game Winter and General Distributions

Includes 11 Sublayers

• Whitetail Deer
• Mule Deer
• Elk
• Mountain Lion
• Ruffed Grouse
• Spruce Grouse
• Sharptail Grouse
• Hungarian Partridge
• Sage Grouse
• Dusky Grouse
• Turkey

Treaty of 1855

Treaty of 1855 boundary, for tribal use only.

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