Montana Hunting District 280
Elk
20.8%
Mule deer
3.7%
Whitetail
21.5%
For planning only. Seasons, license rules, and boundaries change, and this site can contain errors. Before you apply, buy a license, or hunt, confirm everything in the official FWP deer, elk & antelope regulations. Published state regulations always control. Terms of use
Elk
Licenses
General Elk License
Availability: Residents Over the counter · Nonresidents Draw
Included Includes bull elk
HD 280 (North Blackfoot) General Elk License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 67.
Brow-tined bull or antlerless elk: Archery Only Sep 05-Sep 14, General Sep 26-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Brow-tined bull elk: General Sep 15-Sep 25.
Brow-tined bull or antlerless elk, youth ages 12-15 only: General Sep 15-Sep 25.
No elk B licenses or elk permits are listed for HD 280.
Residents: Residents buy the General Elk License over the counter; the resident license availability chart (p. 12) lists no application deadline for it, and residents may instead buy a Sportsman's License that includes one.
Nonresidents: Most nonresidents cannot buy their General Elk License over the counter.
Per 'Elk Licenses & Permits - General Elk License' (p. 16), it must be obtained through the April 1 drawing for one of the 17,000 Big Game Combination Licenses (the Elk Combination License also includes a General Elk License).
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Other permits and B-licenses may be available for this district — not yet itemized in this dataset.
6+ point bulls: 7 of 14 total bulls harvested (2025)
Success rate history
| Year | Hunters | All | Spike | Bull | 6+ pt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | ||
| 2025 | Not published | 17 | — | 0 | — | 14 | — | 7 | — |
| 2024 | 212 | 44 | 20.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 44 | 20.8% | 32 | 15.1% |
| 2023 | Not published | 21 | — | 0 | — | 21 | — | 6 | — |
| 2022 | 196 | 32 | 16.3% | 3 | 1.5% | 23 | 11.7% | 16 | 8.2% |
| 2021 | Not published | 22 | — | 0 | — | 22 | — | 15 | — |
Source: Montana FWP harvest reports, 2024.
Mule Deer
Licenses
General Deer License
Availability: Residents Over the counter · Nonresidents Draw
Included Includes antlered buck mule deer
HD 280 (North Blackfoot) General Deer License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 67.
District NOTE: 'Backcountry-Remote location, access difficult.' Antlered buck white-tailed deer and antlered buck mule deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Sep 14, General Sep 15-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Either-sex white-tailed deer, youth ages 10-15 only: General Sep 15-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
HD 280 is one of the backcountry districts (HDs 150, 280, 316) listed under 2026 Season Dates (p. 11) with archery Sep 5-Sep 14 and general Sep 15-Nov 29.
No deer B licenses or deer permits are listed for HD 280.
Residents: Residents buy the General Deer License over the counter; the resident license availability chart (p. 12) lists no application deadline for it, and residents may instead buy a Sportsman's License that includes one.
Nonresidents: Most nonresidents cannot buy their general deer license over the counter.
Per 'Deer Licenses & Permits - General Deer License' (p. 15), it must be obtained through one of the April 1 drawings: the Big Game (deer and elk) Combination License (17,000 issued), the Deer Combination License (4,600 issued), or a Landowner Sponsored License (2,000 issued).
Nonresidents may apply for only one of these combination licenses per year.
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Other permits and B-licenses may be available for this district — not yet itemized in this dataset.
4+ point mule deer bucks: 7 of 7 mule deer bucks harvested (2025)
Deer rates divide each species' harvest by all deer hunters in the district — FWP doesn't count mule deer and whitetail hunters separately.
Success rate history
| Year | Hunters | All | Buck | 4+ pt | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | ||
| 2025 | 191 | 7 | 3.7% | 7 | 3.7% | 7 | 3.7% |
| 2024 | Not published | 12 | — | 12 | — | 6 | — |
| 2023 | 149 | 3 | 2.0% | 3 | 2.0% | 3 | 2.0% |
| 2022 | Not published | 7 | — | 7 | — | 7 | — |
| 2021 | 99 | 3 | 3.0% | 3 | 3.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: Montana FWP harvest reports, 2025.
Whitetail
Licenses
General Deer License
Availability: Residents Over the counter · Nonresidents Draw
Included Includes antlered buck whitetail
HD 280 (North Blackfoot) General Deer License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 67.
District NOTE: 'Backcountry-Remote location, access difficult.'
Antlered buck white-tailed deer and antlered buck mule deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Sep 14, General Sep 15-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Either-sex white-tailed deer, youth ages 10-15 only: General Sep 15-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
HD 280 is one of the backcountry districts (HDs 150, 280, 316) listed under 2026 Season Dates (p. 11) with archery Sep 5-Sep 14 and general Sep 15-Nov 29.
No deer B licenses or deer permits are listed for HD 280.
Residents: Residents buy the General Deer License over the counter; the resident license availability chart (p. 12) lists no application deadline for it, and residents may instead buy a Sportsman's License that includes one.
Nonresidents: Most nonresidents cannot buy their general deer license over the counter.
Per 'Deer Licenses & Permits - General Deer License' (p. 15), it must be obtained through one of the April 1 drawings: the Big Game (deer and elk) Combination License (17,000 issued), the Deer Combination License (4,600 issued), or a Landowner Sponsored License (2,000 issued).
Nonresidents may apply for only one of these combination licenses per year.
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Other permits and B-licenses may be available for this district — not yet itemized in this dataset.
4+ point whitetail bucks: 17 of 35 whitetail bucks harvested (2025)
Deer rates divide each species' harvest by all deer hunters in the district — FWP doesn't count mule deer and whitetail hunters separately.
Success rate history
| Year | Hunters | All | Buck | 4+ pt | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | ||
| 2025 | 191 | 41 | 21.5% | 35 | 18.3% | 17 | 8.9% |
| 2024 | Not published | 25 | — | 24 | — | 12 | — |
| 2023 | 149 | 10 | 6.7% | 7 | 4.7% | 7 | 4.7% |
| 2022 | Not published | 30 | — | 23 | — | 10 | — |
| 2021 | 99 | 24 | 24.2% | 24 | 24.2% | 20 | 20.2% |
Source: Montana FWP harvest reports, 2025.