South-central Montana: FWP Region 5 elk and deer hunting
FWP Region 5, run from Billings, has 10 deer and elk hunting districts and is 23.1% public land (Montana Cadastral Public Lands, Montana State Library, published 2026). FWP estimates 3,444 elk and 8,097 deer were harvested in Region 5 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: FWP estimates to 2025. Land: Montana State Library, 2026-10. Block Management: FWP, 2026.
Region 5 is south-central Montana around Billings: the north face of the Beartooth and Absaroka mountains, the Crazy Mountains' east slope, the Pryors and the Bull Mountains. Public land is about 23% of its districts, most of it national forest along the Wyoming line. The Crow Reservation lies inside the region; it is not FWP ground, and hunting there is under tribal rules.
Which hunting districts are in Region 5?
All 10 deer and elk districts in Region 5, with FWP's latest harvest estimate and the public land in each. The most elk were taken in HD 590 (766), HD 525 (421) and HD 515 (340). The most public land: HD 565 (98.6%), HD 525 (63.8%) and HD 555 (62.6%).
| District | Name | Square miles | Public land | Block Management acres | Elk harvested, 2025 | Deer harvested, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD 502 | Crow Line | 733 | 10.4% | 11,069 | 70 | 952 |
| HD 515 | Painted Robe | 2,521 | 7.5% | 117,838 | 340 | 1,095 |
| HD 525 | Beartooth-Absaroka | 1,631 | 63.8% | 3,819 | 421 | 1,198 |
| HD 535 | Southern Snowy Mountains | 2,765 | 17.5% | 252,121 | 571 | |
| HD 540 | Southeast Little Belt Mountains | 583 | 33.5% | 30,044 | 205 | 281 |
| HD 555 | Pryor Mountains-Cottonwood Triangle | 790 | 62.6% | 2,785 | 59 | 260 |
| HD 565 | Upper Boulder | 205 | 98.6% | 0 | 18 | 40 |
| HD 575 | Absarokee | 819 | 4% | 24,838 | 245 | 1,145 |
| HD 580 | East Slope Crazy Mountains | 1,127 | 22.4% | 10,106 | 727 | |
| HD 590 | Bull Mountains-Pine Ridge | 2,917 | 9.7% | 48,420 | 766 | 1,734 |
Harvest: FWP Harvest Estimates (elk and deer, 2020 to 2025). Public land and Block Management acres measured by FilledTag inside FWP's district boundaries from Montana Cadastral Public Lands, Montana State Library, published 2026 and FWP Block Management area boundaries (2026).
How many elk and deer are harvested in Region 5?
FWP's region totals, year by year. In 2024, 10,931 elk hunters spent 85,831 days in Region 5.
| Year | Elk harvested | Bulls | Elk hunters | Deer harvested | Mule deer | White-tailed deer | Deer hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,444 | 1,532 | not counted | 8,097 | 4,347 | 3,750 | 14,867 |
| 2024 | 3,447 | 1,294 | 10,931 | 8,402 | 4,013 | 4,389 | not counted |
| 2023 | 3,644 | 1,555 | not counted | 8,255 | 4,249 | 4,006 | 14,298 |
| 2022 | 3,083 | 1,608 | 10,042 | 8,782 | 4,463 | 4,319 | not counted |
| 2021 | 2,528 | 1,034 | not counted | 8,986 | 4,724 | 4,262 | 15,495 |
| 2020 | 2,989 | 1,207 | 9,829 | 10,940 | 6,186 | 4,754 | not counted |
How much public land is in Region 5?
| Manager | Acres | Share of the region |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 1,127,572 | 12.5% |
| BLM | 456,867 | 5.1% |
| State trust land | 454,524 | 5% |
| National park (no hunting) | 27,184 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuge | 21,319 | 0.2% |
| Other public | 20,356 | 0.2% |
| FWP land | 18,202 | 0.2% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 545 | under 0.1% |
Block Management: FWP's 2026 map shows 110 areas in Region 5, about 498,124 acres: 86 where hunters fill in their own permission slip (Type 1) and 24 where the landowner or FWP gives permission (Type 2).
Wildlife management areas in Region 5
FWP manages 6 wildlife management areas open to hunting in Region 5, from Big Snowy Mountains (5,670 acres) down to Grant Marsh (537 acres).
- Big Snowy Mountains: 5,670 acres
- Yellowstone: 4,407 acres
- Big Lake: 3,371 acres
- Haymaker: 1,334 acres
- Silver Run: 651 acres
- Grant Marsh: 537 acres
Get a Montana hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Montana are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Montana included.
Sources: FWP Harvest Estimates (elk and deer, 2020 to 2025); Montana Cadastral Public Lands, Montana State Library, published 2026; FWP Block Management area boundaries (2026); FWP wildlife management area boundaries. FilledTag is not part of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
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