Hunting District 281, Upper Blackfoot: elk and deer hunting
Hunting District 281 (Upper Blackfoot) is 74.9% public land, most of it national forest (145,783 acres), by Montana's cadastral map of public land (2026). FWP estimates hunters took 77 elk and 373 deer here in 2025. In 2024, the last year FWP counted elk hunters by district, 1,213 elk hunters spent 9,303 days here and took 83 elk.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: FWP estimates for 2020 to 2025. Seasons: FWP's 2026 regulations. Land: Montana State Library, 2026-10.
National forestBLMState trust landFWP landNational wildlife refugeOther publicHD 281Neighboring districtsLake or riverHighway
| Region | FWP Region 2, West-central Montana |
|---|---|
| Size | 242,333 acres (379 square miles) |
| Public land | 74.9% (181,516 acres) |
| Block Management | 4 areas, 46,212 acres (2026) |
| Elk harvested, 2025 | 77 (60 bulls) |
| Deer harvested, 2025 | 373 (88 mule deer, 285 white-tailed) |
| General elk license, general season | Brow-tined bulls |
| Archery only, 2026 | September 5 to October 18 |
| General season, 2026 | October 24 to November 29 |
| Towns in and near it | None within 20 miles |
HD 281 is the upper Blackfoot River below the Continental Divide, around the Landers Fork and the edge of the Scapegoat Wilderness, with MT 200 running about 27 miles inside it. Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA has 6,707 acres here.
How much public land is in HD 281?
74.9% of HD 281 is public land: 181,516 of its 242,333 acres. The largest share is national forest, 145,783 acres or 60.2% of the district.
| Manager | Acres | Share of HD 281 |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 145,783 | 60.2% |
| State trust land | 16,125 | 6.7% |
| BLM | 12,273 | 5.1% |
| FWP land | 6,715 | 2.8% |
| National wildlife refuge | 620 | 0.3% |
| Other public | 24 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside FWP's district boundary from Montana Cadastral Public Lands, Montana State Library, published 2026. State trust land is open to hunting with a Conservation License where it can be reached legally; many sections touch no public road.
Block Management in HD 281
FWP's 2026 Block Management map shows 4 areas in HD 281, 46,212 acres of private land open to hunters under the program. The largest: Marcum-Kershaw Mountains (17,218 acres, Type 1), Ovando Mountain (15,836 acres, Type 1), Keep Cool Hills (12,534 acres, Type 1) and The Nature Conservancy (624 acres, Type 1). Each area has its own rules and map from FWP. FWP Block Management.
Wildlife management area in HD 281: Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA (6,707 acres here).
How many elk are harvested in HD 281?
FWP estimates 77 elk were harvested in HD 281 in 2025: 60 bulls, 14 cows and 3 calves. FWP last counted elk hunters by district in 2024: 1,213 hunters took 83 elk, about 7 elk for every 100 hunters.
| Year | Elk harvested | Bulls | Cows | Calves | Bulls 6 points or more | Elk hunters | Hunter days | Elk per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 77 | 60 | 14 | 3 | 28 | not counted | not counted | |
| 2024 | 83 | 53 | 30 | 0 | 9 | 1,213 | 9,303 | 7 |
| 2023 | 79 | 68 | 11 | 0 | 24 | not counted | not counted | |
| 2022 | 102 | 77 | 22 | 3 | 20 | 997 | 6,801 | 10 |
| 2021 | 52 | 43 | 9 | 0 | 12 | not counted | not counted | |
| 2020 | 77 | 55 | 20 | 2 | 14 | 1,119 | 8,728 | 7 |
Source: FWP Harvest Estimates (elk, 2020 to 2025). FWP counts hunters and days by district every other year; "not counted" means FWP did not publish that year's count. Elk per 100 hunters is worked out from FWP's own two figures.
How many deer are harvested in HD 281?
FWP estimates 373 deer were harvested in HD 281 in 2025: 88 mule deer and 285 white-tailed deer. In 2025, 1,229 deer hunters spent 7,880 days here.
| Year | Deer harvested | Mule deer | White-tailed deer | Bucks | Does | Bucks 4 points or more | Deer hunters | Hunter days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 373 | 88 | 285 | 334 | 35 | 218 | 1,229 | 7,880 |
| 2024 | 354 | 75 | 279 | 333 | 21 | 215 | not counted | not counted |
| 2023 | 295 | 69 | 226 | 252 | 43 | 159 | 1,153 | 8,211 |
| 2022 | 288 | 71 | 217 | 253 | 35 | 151 | not counted | not counted |
| 2021 | 315 | 51 | 265 | 300 | 16 | 177 | 956 | 6,190 |
| 2020 | 263 | 28 | 236 | 243 | 21 | 149 | not counted | not counted |
Source: FWP Harvest Estimates (deer, 2020 to 2025).
When is elk season in HD 281 in 2026?
Archery only: September 5 to October 18. General season: October 24 to November 29, 2026. Every elk license and permit FWP lists for HD 281:
| License or permit | What may be taken | Apply by | Quota | Archery only | General | Other seasons | FWP's restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Elk License | Brow-tined Bull or Antlerless Elk | Sep 5-Oct 18 | |||||
| General Elk License | Brow-tined Bull Elk | Oct 24-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 | ||||
| General Elk License | Brow-tined Bull or Antlerless Elk | Oct 24-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 | Only youth ages 12-15. Resident hunters 75 years old and older may harvest an antlerless elk on private land. | |||
| Elk B License: 281-01 | Antlerless Elk | Jun 1 | 25 | Sep 5-Oct 18 | Oct 24-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 |
When is deer season in HD 281 in 2026?
On the General Deer License in the general season, HD 281 allows white-tailed deer of either sex (Oct 24-Oct 30), mule deer bucks (Oct 24-Nov 29) and white-tailed deer bucks (Oct 31-Nov 29).
| License or permit | What may be taken | Apply by | Quota | Archery only | General | Other seasons | FWP's restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Deer License | Either-sex White-tailed Deer | Sep 5-Oct 18 | Oct 24-Oct 30 | ||||
| General Deer License | Antlered Buck Mule Deer | Sep 5-Oct 18 | Oct 24-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 | |||
| General Deer License | Antlered Buck White-tailed Deer | Oct 31-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 | ||||
| General Deer License | Either-sex White-tailed Deer | Oct 31-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 | Only youth ages 10-15. | |||
| Deer B License: 281-00 | Antlerless White-tailed Deer | Jun 1 | 25 | Sep 5-Oct 18 | Oct 24-Nov 29 | Muzzleloader: Dec 12-Dec 20 |
Source: FWP 2026 Deer, Elk & Antelope Regulations, pages 67 to 68, with FWP's corrections. FWP can change a season or quota during the year: check FWP's page for HD 281 before you go.
How do you get to HD 281?
Highways through the district: MT 200 (about 27 miles inside it).
Which districts border HD 281?
HD 281 touches 8 other deer and elk districts. Their public land and 2025 harvest, for comparison:
| District | Name | Public land | Elk harvested | Deer harvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD 280 | North Blackfoot | 100% | 17 | 48 |
| HD 284 | Lincoln Archery District | 12.6% | 15 | 27 |
| HD 285 | Monture | 73.3% | 113 | 1,107 |
| HD 290 | Helmville-Ovando Archery District | 18% | 80 | 88 |
| HD 293 | South Lincoln-Nevada Creek | 56.1% | 231 | 242 |
| HD 298 | Ovando-Helmville | 6.8% | 56 | 108 |
| HD 421 | Birdtail Hills-South Dearborn | 11.4% | 184 | 800 |
| HD 422 | North Dearborn | 45.1% | 136 | 306 |
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt elk in HD 281 on a general license?
Yes. In 2026 the General Elk License allows brow-tined bulls in HD 281 during the general season, October 24 to November 29, with the restrictions FWP prints for the district (regulations page 67). FWP also lists 1 elk B license or permit opportunity here.
What is the closest town to HD 281?
No town lies inside HD 281, and none is within 20 miles of its boundary in the Census Bureau's list of places.
Does HD 281 have Block Management?
Yes. FWP's 2026 Block Management map shows 4 areas covering 46,212 acres in HD 281: all 4 are Type 1, where hunters give themselves permission. The largest is Marcum-Kershaw Mountains at 17,218 acres.
Where is FWP's map of HD 281?
FWP publishes a printable map of the district: HD 281 map (PDF). The boundary in words is in FWP's legal descriptions.
FWP's legal description of HD 281
Those portions of Powell and Lewis and Clark Counties lying within the following described boundary: Beginning at Rogers Pass on State Route 200, then southwest on said route to the Landers Fork River Bridge, then northeasterly up Landers Fork to its intersection with the Great Falls to Ovando powerline, then westerly along said powerline to its intersection with the Beaver Creek Road, then southerly along said road to State Route 200, then west along said route to Monture Creek Road 89, then north on said road to the Monture Creek Campground, then north on Monture Creek Trail 27 to Falls Creek Trail 16, then easterly along said trail through Camp Pass to Lake Creek Trail 61 near Lake Otatsy, then southeasterly along said trail to the North Fork Blackfoot Trailhead, then north on North Fork Blackfoot Trail 32 to the Scapegoat Wilderness Boundary, then southeast along said boundary to Arrastra Mountain, then northeasterly along Scapegoat Wilderness Boundary to Red Mountain, then northeasterly on Red Mountain-Ringeye Creek Trail 423 to its junction with Webb Lake Trail 481, then east along said trail to its junction with Heart Lake-Bighorn Creek Trail 478 near Heart Lake, then north along said trail to Landers Fork River, then southeasterly along said river to Falls Creek (of the Landers Fork River), then northeasterly along said creek to the Continental Divide, the southeast along said divide to Rogers Pass, the point of beginning.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, hunters and days: FWP Harvest Estimates (elk and deer, 2020 to 2025).
- Seasons, licenses, quotas and restrictions: FWP 2026 Deer, Elk & Antelope Regulations, pages 67 to 68.
- Public land: Montana Cadastral Public Lands, Montana State Library, published 2026. Block Management: FWP Block Management area boundaries (2026). District boundary: FWP deer, elk and lion hunting districts.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Numbers are copied from FWP and the State of Montana, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Montana hunting Region 2 HD 280 HD 284 HD 285 HD 290 HD 293 HD 298 HD 421 HD 422