District 350, Montana

The district spans roughly 352 square miles of densely mountainous terrain rising from approximately 5,000 feet at the valley floors and highway corridors to about 8,700 feet along the upper ridgelines of the Boulder and Highland Mountains. Boulder Mountains peaks include Haystack Mountain (8,819 ft), Jack Mountain (8,752 ft), and Bull Mountain (8,609 ft). Open ground is largely confined to lower-elevation fringes; the bulk of the district consists of steep, timbered ridges with sporadic high-country meadows.

Approximately 68% of the district is publicly accessible land (57% USFS, 9% BLM, 2% State per HuntScore), administered primarily by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (Butte and Whitehall Ranger Districts). Primary vehicle access routes include Interstate 15 (Butte to Boulder on the northeastern boundary), Interstate 90 (southern boundary), Montana Route 69 (Boulder south toward the Boulder-Whitetail Road junction), and the Boulder-Whitetail Road, which serves as the main interior corridor through the mountain core. Delmoe Lake Road and Hay Canyon Road provide secondary access into the national forest. The district sees heavy pressure within a mile of paved roads and main forest roads, but roadless terrain in the upper Boulder and Highland Mountains drainages can be accessed by foot or horseback from trailheads off the Boulder-Whitetail Road.

Cover is predominantly dense conifer forest — lodgepole pine, spruce-fir, and mixed conifers — blanketing the mid- to upper-elevation ridges. Lower elevation edges along Interstate 15, Route 69, and the Boulder-Whitetail Road transition to CRP agricultural fields on the western fringe and open sage-covered hills with juniper on the eastern fringe. Riparian corridors follow drainages throughout the district.

Elk populations in HD 350 are described by FWP as stable and strong with a good calf crop, performing well compared to neighboring districts that suffered through harsh 2023 winter conditions. White-tailed deer are the primary deer species given the dense forest cover; mule deer occur on the sage and open hill fringes. Pronghorn numbers are strong in HD 350 and adjacent districts 340 and 370, occupying the open grassland and sage areas along the district lower edges. Moose are present at low density with a limited-entry special permit hunt available (annual quota of 2 bulls, quota range 1-3). Black bear and mountain lion are resident throughout the forested mountain terrain. The district sits within FWP Region 3, which accounts for roughly 50% of the entire Montana elk harvest statewide.