District 329, Montana

The district spans roughly 790 square miles across the western Beaverhead Mountains and the foothills and valleys west and north of Clark Canyon Reservoir. Elevation ranges from approximately 5,200 feet at the Clark Canyon Reservoir shoreline to over 10,200 feet along the Continental Divide crests of the Beaverhead Mountains (Horse Prairie Peak reaches approximately 10,200 ft; Scott Peak, just to the south, is 11,393 ft). Approximately 80% of the district has moderate slopes; steeper terrain concentrates in the upper mountain drainages along the divide. The landscape includes glacially carved valleys, willow-lined creek bottoms, open alpine meadows and high-elevation basins, and broad sage-grass flats at lower valley elevations. The Horse Prairie valley sits at roughly 6,600 feet.

Primary motorized access routes are Highway 324 (the Clark Canyon Dam road running west from I-15 toward the Idaho border, reaching Lemhi Pass via the Trail Creek-Lemhi Pass Road), the Skinner Meadows–Jackson Road (connecting the upper divide to Highway 278 near Jackson), and the Bannack-Grant Road south to Grasshopper Creek. Forest Road 181 (Bloody Dick Road) leaves Highway 324 at Red Butte and runs west into the upper Horse Prairie drainages; roads in this area can become impassable during spring runoff. The district is served by the Dillon Ranger District of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (406-683-3900) and the BLM Dillon Field Office (406-683-8000). The overall open road density is low, but historic logging and mining roads access most major drainages. Access is reasonable on the majority of public land; however, access is limited along the southeastern portions of the Big Hole Divide where several landowners have restricted entry. Block Management Areas (BMAs) are available on the north side of the district.

Upper-elevation slopes support extensive conifer forest dominated by lodgepole pine, spruce-fir, and whitebark pine on the Montana side of the Beaverhead Mountains. Mid-elevation drainages transition through mixed conifer with quaking aspen. Lower valley floors and foothills grade into sagebrush-steppe and grassland, with willow and riparian shrubs lining creek bottoms such as Horse Prairie Creek and Grasshopper Creek. Pronghorn habitat exists on the open lower-elevation sage flats. The West Pioneers subrange, which borders the northern portion of the district, contains old-growth whitebark and lodgepole pine stands.

Elk are the primary big-game species; the district is part of the Pioneer Elk Management Unit (EMU), which covers HDs 329 and 331 combined. The 2025 FWP Region 3 forecast notes numbers were particularly high in HD 329 during the prior winter due to elk from adjacent HD 331 moving in; these animals are expected to distribute across both districts during the fall hunting season. Aerial trend data shows elk numbers declined substantially from 1992 peaks; calf recruitment has been robust over the past two years with low-to-moderate hunting mortality. The rut begins as early as the first week of September. Mule deer and white-tailed deer both inhabit the district; whitetail concentrate in riparian bottoms along Horse Prairie Creek and Grasshopper Creek, while mule deer range more widely across forest and sage slopes. Pronghorn occur on lower sage-grass flats but numbers have declined following drought and hard winters from 2020 through 2023, with slow recovery underway per FWP; permits are set at the bottom of the quota range while herds recover. Mountain lion are present throughout timbered slopes. Gray wolves range through the district; Region 3 reached its 60-wolf harvest threshold early in the 2025-26 season (54 harvested), confirming active pack presence. Black bear are distributed across forested mid- to upper-elevation habitat. Grizzly bears are not considered resident in this district but GYE range expansion into the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has been documented; hunters should carry bear deterrents. Wildlife documented in adjacent areas includes moose and wolverine in the Pioneer Mountains subranges, though these species have no dedicated harvest permits within HD 329 itself.