Montana

Big Sky Country. World-record bighorn rams, vast public river breaks, and backcountry wilderness elk.

Montana - Big Sky Country & North American Crown Jewel

Montana offers outstanding sportspeople opportunities, rich wildlife habitats, and extensive public land access. From trophy big game hunting to abundant upland bird coverts and waterfowl flyways, Montana provides a premier destination for hunters of all experience levels.

Montana Bighorn Ram on Rocky Mountain Front Precipice

Managed under strict wildlife conservation guidelines by the state department of natural resources, hunting in Montana contributes directly to habitat preservation and healthy game populations across the state.

Montana Backcountry Bull Elk in Bob Marshall Wilderness

Top Hunting Attractions in Montana

Discover the premier wildlife management areas, big game habitats, and renowned wingshooting regions across Montana.

Bob Marshall & Scapegoat Wilderness Backcountry

Over 1.5 million roadless acres offering traditional wall-tent pack-in horseback hunts for bugling elk, mule deer, and wolves.

Missouri River Breaks Trophy Elk & Bighorn Sheep

Units 410 and 622 producing 380-to-400+ class bull elk and record-book bighorn rams along dramatic gumbo river breaks.

Eastern Montana Prairie Pronghorn & Mule Deer

Endless rolling sagebrush coulees and grain fields across Custer National Forest and vast Block Management Area (BMA) private ranches.

Flathead & Bitterroot Valleys Mountain Whitetails

Vast public mountain timber tracts where big-bodied northern whitetails are hunted along river drainages and cedar benches.

Hunting Benefits

Big Sky Big Game: World-class Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, and pronghorn.

Block Management Access: Millions of private acres leased for free public hunting access.

Vast Public Wilderness: Millions of acres across USFS, BLM, and Wilderness Areas.

Spring & Fall Black Bear: Excellent spot-and-stalk black bear hunting in mountain drainages.

Upland Bird Paradise: Incredible sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, pheasant, and mountain grouse.

Hunter's Bottom Line

Summary

Montana represents the pinnacle of North American big game hunting. With over 30 million acres of public land, endless mountain ranges, vast prairie river breaks, and thriving populations of elk, mule deer, whitetails, and pronghorn, it is a bucket-list destination.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) conducts an annual non-resident big game combination draw with a strict deadline of April 1. Applicants can apply for general elk, general deer, or big game combination licenses, with bonus points available to improve long-term draw odds.

Montana's general rifle season spans a generous five-week window from late October through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This allows rifle hunters the rare opportunity to hunt both mule deer and whitetails during the peak November breeding rut across public lands.

The state's Block Management Program (BMA) opens over 7 million acres of private land to free public hunting through cooperative landowner agreements. Hunters must secure regional BMA maps and respect individual landowner reservation protocols.