District 262, Montana

Low-relief valley floor at 3,560–4,000 ft elevation. The district is characterized by flat to gently rolling terrain: irrigated agricultural fields, orchards, brushy creek and river bottoms, and gentle foothill benches transitioning to the Sapphire Mountain foothills on the east. The Bitterroot River runs along the western edge. Roughly 80% of the area has a slope of 5% or less.

HD 262 is almost entirely private land (~94% private, ~6% combined public and state). There is no National Forest, wilderness area, or BLM block within the district boundaries. Road access follows Eastside Highway (County Road 203) along the north-and-east boundary, County Road 269 from Stevensville south, US Highway 93 from Stevensville to Hamilton, and State Route 38 (Skalkaho Road) along the southern boundary. Internal access is via private farm roads and county roads crossing the valley floor. Gaining hunting access requires advance landowner permission. FWP's Block Management Area program enrolls approximately 480,000 acres region-wide in Region 2; specific BMA enrollment in HD 262 varies by year and must be confirmed through the FWP Hunt Planner map or the annual BMA guide (available mid-August). The Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (2,800 acres, archery-only deer and waterfowl) lies near Stevensville and is adjacent to the district. No USFS trailheads or wilderness entry points exist within HD 262.

Riparian cottonwood and red-osier dogwood corridors along the Bitterroot River and tributary creeks; irrigated agricultural fields of alfalfa, wheat, and corn; orchards and dairy pastures; brushy creek bottoms; native bunch-grass and sage on drier foothill benches transitioning to the Sapphire Mountains. No significant conifer forest exists within the district boundaries — the district is fundamentally a valley-bottom agricultural and riparian landscape.

Elk: The herd associated with HD 262 (counted as the 'Eight Mile/North' unit) has been cited above the 400–600 population objective for multiple consecutive years, with counts of approximately 790 (2025), 732 (2024), and 743 (2023) per FWP elk count reports (note: these figures are from secondary sources; the primary FWP elk count PDFs were not extractable for independent verification). Animals use agricultural fields and river bottoms heavily, particularly during and after the rut. Mule deer: The district is one of Montana's premier trophy mule deer areas; bucks exceeding 190 Boone and Crockett inches have been regularly documented. Most trophy bucks are resident on private ranches. White-tailed deer: A resident whitetail population uses riparian corridors and agricultural edges; rut activity begins as early as late October and extends through late December. Black bear: Present in valley and foothill transition zones. Mountain lion: Present, utilizing deer concentrations in brushy creek bottoms and foothills. Gray wolf: Present in western Montana's Region 2 and can move through the valley corridor.

1. Public land percentage (6%) combines HuntScore data (3% public + 3% state); GoHunt shows 1.6% public land only — discrepancy reflects differing classification of state vs. federal land. Treat as approximate. 2. Mule deer reported_harvest of 15 and quota of 25 are from GoHunt secondary sources; an earlier quota of 35 has also been cited — confirm with FWP Commission records before publishing. 3. Elk B-license 262-01 is described as OTC antlerless for private land only (not drawn). A late season end date change to January 8 was noted in December 2025 FWP Commission PI sheet but the PDF was binary-encoded and not independently readable. 4. A brow-tined bull elk limited permit (quota ~20) cited for HD 262 in 2024-2025 in a search result summary was not independently verified and has been omitted from species_data pending confirmation. 5. Elk count figures (790/732/743) are from secondary source citations; the primary FWP elk count PDFs were binary-encoded and not extractable. 6. Black bear OTC status for Region 2 confirmed; draw permits 510 and 520 are specific Bear Management Units not applicable to HD 262. 7. No USFS roads, wilderness, or significant public trailheads confirmed within HD 262 boundaries. Lee Metcalf NWR (~2,800 ac, archery-only) is near Stevensville and may be adjacent to the district.