Elk Hunting in Montana HD 540 - South Little Belt Mountains

Numbers of elk observed during post-season aerial surveys in this EMU have increased since the 1992 Elk Management Plan (Figure 1). The average number of elk observed in the EMU during post-season (late winter-early spring) aerial surveys in 2001-2003 ...

HD 540 - South Little Belt Mountains

Scores


Scores
User Scores
Ease of Drawing
97
 
97
Success
67
 
67
Trophy Potential
3
 
3
Public Access
33
 
33
Ease of Terrain
0
 
N/A
Room to Breathe
8
 
8
Opportunity
67
 
67
Convenience
32
 
32
Ease of Effort
0
 
N/A
54
HuntScore

Access Notes


Bureau of Land Management
US Forest Service
Local Gov't
State Gov't
Indian Reservation
State Wildlife/Wilderness Areas
National Park Service
Army Corps
Other Federal Land
Other

Land Ownership
Legend


Those portions of Meagher and Wheatland Counties lying within the following-described boundary: Beginning at Harlowton, then westerly along US Highway 12 to Spring Creek-Whitetail Cabin Road (USFS Road 274), then northerly along said road to its intersection with the Willow Park Road (USFS Road 189), then easterly along said road to its intersection with USFS Trail 603, then easterly along said trail to the Mt. High Lookout Tower, then easterly along USFS Road 382 to a permanent boundary marker (Wheatland/Judith Basin county line) then northeasterly along the Wheatland County line to US Highway 191, then southerly along said highway to Harlowton, the point of beginning.

Access varies across the EMU and among hunting districts. Portions of the EMU currently have high road densities, providing easy access by vehicle, but other areas are reasonably remote and better ... Create a free account to read the rest of this access note!

County

Meagher, Wheatland

Size

584 Square Miles (373,495 Acres)

Land Ownership

35% Public, 28% USFS, 7% State

Latitude/Longitude

46.5904, -110.0916

Amenities

There are 4 hospitals, 2 hotels, 3 campgrounds, and 1 grocery stores within a 20 mile radius.

Elk Notes


Numbers of elk observed during post-season aerial surveys in this EMU have increased since the 1992 Elk Management Plan (Figure 1). The average number of elk observed in the EMU during post-season ... Create a free account to read the rest of this elk hunting note!

HuntScore Tip

Public land and private land percentages can sometime be misleading. A unit may have 80% public land, but a particluar species may only occupy 20% on the entire area. And that 20% species distribution may lie 100% within private lands. Does that sound confusing? Just remember that there are always exceptions to the rule, and land ownership is just one piece of the puzzle.

Other Species in Unit

Deer, Mountain Lion,

HuntScore Members' Experience


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Businesses Serving Elk Hunters In HD 540 - South Little Belt Mountains


Advertise Your Business!

Category: Guide/Outfitter

: 555-555-5555

: [email protected]

: www.yourbusiness.com

About

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Unit Elevation Profile

HuntScore generates thousands of synthetic hikes in the unit to create an elevation profile. This profile is what you can expect to experience within a 2 mile hike from a road or trail in this unit.

Elevation in this unit ranges from 4117' to 8133' with a median elevation of 5602'. If you are preparing to hunt this unit you should train for hiking up and down slopes of 6.3%.

Distribution of Slopes From Hikes
Common Slope

This is typical incline or decline experienced while hiking from a road or trail in the unit

Elevation Range
Max Elevation: 8133'
Median Elevation: 5602'
Min Elevation: 4117'

Common Elevation Profiles

Elk Over The Counter Hunts (2020)


Below are OTC hunts available for HD 540 - South Little Belt Mountains.
Residency Species Deer Sex Manner Season Type Dates Notes
RS
E
ANY
G
OTC
all archery only seasons: 09/05 - 10/18, all regular rifle seasons: 10/24 - 11/29

Elk Drawing Stats (2021)


Total Quota
9,600
Licenses Drawn
4,302
Licenses Surplus
5,298
Resident Quota
8,640
Nonresident Quota
960
Landowner Quota
0
Youth Quota
0
97.3%
Overall Unit
1st Choice Draw Odds
Choose a hunt below to take a deeper dive into hunt scores, drawing trends, and harvest data.
Stats Apply For Sex Manner Season Type Quota Drawn Surplus Resident Draw Odds NonResident Draw Odds Min Res. Points Min NonRes. Points Notes
595-00-B
F
ANY
G
3500 1809 1691
100%
100%
0 0 Not valid on National Forest Lands or FWP WMAs. 595-00 license holders may also use an unused General Elk License to harvest antlerless elk. 595- 00 and General Elk License not valid on National Forest Lands or FWP WMAs after general season.
595-00-B
F
ANY
G
3500 1809 1691
100%
100%
0 0 Not valid on National Forest Lands or FWP WMAs. 595-00 license holders may also use an unused General Elk License to harvest antlerless elk. 595- 00 and General Elk License not valid on National Forest Lands or FWP WMAs after general season.
540-00-B
F
ANY
G
100 100 0
57.9%
22.2%
0 0
005-00-B
F
ANY
G
2500 584 1916
100%
100%
0 0 Not valid on National Forest lands.

Elk Harvest Stats (2021)


Total Hunters
0
Total Harvest
268
Harvest Male
119
Harvest Female
134
0%
Average Success
Manner Season Type Sex Hunters Harvest Male Female Youth Success Rate Days Hunter
ALL
ALL
NA
N/A 0 268
119
134
0
0% 0
Any
Any
N
N/A 0 103
68
32
0
0% 0
Any
Any
R
N/A 0 165
52
102
0
0% 0
HuntScore Tip: Montana tracks antler points of elk. However, they only track spikes, 5 points or fewer, and 6 points or more. We wished it was more granular, but you can still tell how many mature bulls are harvested from a particular unit.

Harvests Trends


Overall harvests trends are broken down by hunt_code, manner, season, sex, type, and species of deer (if applicable) to the extent state wildlife managers provide such data.

Total Harvest

Success Rate

Avg. Days Hunted

Weather Insights


Weather can vary by elevation. See how weather varies by elevation within a unit by selecting an elevation range. Elevation ranges are based on weather stations in or near the unit. Not all weather elements are available within the unit.

Average Temps

Use temperature ranges to plan and prepare for your hunt. Large swings indicate a good layering system should be used. Be sure to make note of the extreme temperatures as these often pose the greatest risk to hunters. If you plan on hunting in higher elevation, as a rule of thumb, expect the tempture to decrease roughly 5° for every 1000' in elevation gain.

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  • Precip totals by month
  • Snow depth by month
  • Min/Max precip and snow depth
  • Average # of days between precip or snow event
  • Wind speed and wind direction by month
  • Sunshine and cloud cover stats by month
  • Probability of other weather events (thunder, hail, etc...) by by month

Precipitation

The probability of precipitation is the likelihood of experience rain, snow, hail, etc... on a given day within the month. A good trick is to invert the probability to estimate how many days will pass, on average, between precipitation events. Hover or click a month to see how many days will pass between precipitation events.

Use the average and maximum precipitation events to set expetations for what rain gear to bring. Also remember that water availability can influence wildlife patterns, so be sure to check out the current weather patterns leading up to your hunt.

Snow

Each month of the year brings it's own challenges for weather. Select a month to see what you can expect and how to prepare for extreme events.

Likely Wind Directions

Wind Speed

Sunshine




Cloud Cover




Other Weather Events

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