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
Hunting Districts (150, 280) *HD 316 does not have an Archery Only Season
Hunting Districts (150, 280, 316)
Check regulations for more details
Daily bag limit: 7 ducks; shall not include more than 2 hen mallards, 1 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, and 2 scaup.
Please note Pacific Flyway exceptions.
Bag limit: The daily bag limit is 6 ducks or mergansers. The daily bag limit may contain no more than 5 mallards of which no more than 2 may be hens, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, and 1 scaup. During the first 9 days of the regular duck season in both Zones (Sept. 30 – Oct. 8), the daily bag may include 2 additional blue-winged teal. The possession limit may not exceed three times the daily bag limit of any species and sex.
Bag limit: The daily bag limit is 6 ducks or mergansers. The daily bag limit may contain no more than 5 mallards of which no more than 2 may be hens, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, and 1 scaup. During the first 9 days of the regular duck season in both Zones (Sept. 30 – Oct. 8), the daily bag may include 2 additional blue-winged teal. The possession limit may not exceed three times the daily bag limit of any species and sex.
Bag limit: The daily bag limit is 6 ducks or mergansers. The daily bag limit may contain no more than 5 mallards of which no more than 2 may be hens, 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 hooded mergansers, 1 pintail, 2 canvasbacks, and 1 scaup. During the first 9 days of the regular duck season in both Zones (Sept. 30 – Oct. 8), the daily bag may include 2 additional blue-winged teal. The possession limit may not exceed three times the daily bag limit of any species and sex.
Daily bag limit: 7 ducks; shall not include more than 2 hen mallards, 1 pintail, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks
Standard bag limit excluding scaup. Please note Pacific Flyway exceptions.
Hunting Districts (150, 280) *HD 316 does not have an Archery Only Season
Hunting Districts (150, 280, 316)
Check regulations for more details
Only licensed youth ages 15 and under; Standard bag limits apply
Only licensed youth ages 15 and under; Standard bag limits apply
Daily limit: 20 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross’s) and 5 dark geese (all other geese). The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
Please note Pacific Flyway exceptions.
Daily limit: 20 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross’s) and 5 dark geese (all other geese). The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
Daily limit: 20 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross’s) and 5 dark geese (all other geese). The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
Daily limit: 20 white geese (Snow, Blue, Ross’s) and 5 dark geese (all other geese). The possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.
General Turkey License: Over-the-Counter valid in General Hunting Areas (see map).
- Either-sex Wild Turkey. Not valid in Region 4.
Region 1 Turkey License: Valid in Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, and Lake counties and those portions of Sanders and Missoula counties within Region 1. Not valid on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
- 199-00 Either-sex Wild Turkey. 199-01 Female or beardless Wild Turkey.
Region 2 Turkey License: Valid in Missoula and Ravalli counties
- 299-00 Either-sex Wild Turkey. 299-01 & 299-02 Female or beardless Wild Turkey. 299-02 also valid in Mineral County.
Region 7 Turkey License: Valid in that portion of Garfield County south and west of Fort Peck Reservoir, west of Big Dry Creek and south of HWY 200, Rosebud County, Treasure County, Prairie County, Custer County, Powder River County, that portion of Richland County south of HWY 200, that portion of Dawson County south of HWY 200, that portion of McCone County south of HWY 200, Wibaux County, Fallon County, and Carter County.
- 799-00 Either-sex Wild Turkey.
(except for portion of Carbon County, where it is Sept. 1 – Jan. 10)
Season open date may vary by HD. Please see the regulations for further details
Research. Draw. Hunt.
Hunt Research Tools is designed to help hunters research, plan, and apply for hunts and tags every year.
- Build a successful strategy with easy-to-understand, accurate data
- Covers all 12 Western states and all major big game species
- Simple and powerful filtering sorts answers quickly
- Compare across states, species, weapons, dates, and hunt types
- Free with onX Hunt
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 GPS Maps
Every hunter in Montana should have hunting GPS maps on hand. Montana hunting maps are available from onX Hunt. With a paid membership you can access Satellite, Topo, or Hybrid Basemaps, over which you can view GMU maps, along with BLM, Forest Service, and other public and private property boundaries. You can view trails and roads, and even download maps to the Hunt App for use offline. Click below to get onX Hunt for Montana.
Hunting Districts
Montana is divided into different hunting districts, organized by region. The hunting district boundaries correspond to specific regulations for each game animal and hunting season. A Montana hunter must be aware of the governing quotas and regulations in place for each district, as well as where the boundaries are. Click below to view Montana’s hunting district maps for all major species in more detail through an interactive map.
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.
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.
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.
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
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