District 370, Montana

Varied topography ranging from broad river valleys and prairie bottomlands (~4,400 ft) up to rugged subalpine peaks. The Boulder Mountains reach 8,819 ft at Haystack Mountain (Jefferson County) and the Highland Mountains top out at 10,223 ft on Table Mountain (Silver Bow/Madison County, southwest of Whitehall). Mid-elevation slopes are deeply dissected with canyons and open parks, while valley floors transition quickly to sagebrush prairie as tree cover thins. Extensive historical mining and logging operations have left road networks throughout the range.

Primary road access via US Highway 69 (Boulder south toward Whitehall) and Interstate 90 along the southern boundary. South Boulder Road (Forest Service Road 107), accessed from the Cardwell I-90 exit via MT Hwy 359, provides the main USFS corridor into the Boulder Mountains; from the junction it is approximately 15 miles to backcountry trailheads. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest's Jefferson Ranger District (office in Whitehall) administers USFS land in the district; Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) available from the Whitehall office show legal motorized routes. Public land is approximately 38% of the Bull Mountains elk HD (roughly 24% USFS, 10% BLM, 4% state DNRC). FWP Block Management Areas (BMAs) in Region 3 open private lands to public hunters.

Higher elevations support lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and ponderosa pine with interspersed grassy parks and meadows. Mid-slopes mix ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and juniper. As elevations drop toward the valley floors, tree cover gives way to large expanses of sagebrush, bunchgrass, and mixed-grass prairie. Riparian corridors follow the Boulder River and smaller tributary creeks through the lower district.

Elk are the primary big-game attraction. The herd associated with HD 370 (labeled WHITETAIL-BULL MTN in the 2024 FWP elk count report) totaled approximately 1,140 animals in the 2024 count, within the management objective of 800-1,200 (status: at objective). The 2025 FWP Region 3 forecast described elk in HDs 319, 321, 340, 350 and 370 as stable and strong, with a good calf crop. Herds concentrate on summer range and migrate to lower elevations with autumn snowfall. Mule deer are present throughout but populations have been under pressure in recent years. White-tailed deer occur primarily in riparian bottoms along the Boulder River and tributary drainages. Pronghorn inhabit the lower sagebrush and grassland valley portions (Boulder Valley HD); the 2025 Region 3 forecast described pronghorn in HDs 340, 350, and 370 as strong. Black bear and mountain lion occupy the forested mountain core year-round.

HD 370 has two FWP sub-designations: Bull Mountains (deer/elk, ~185 sq mi, 38% public) and Boulder Valley (antelope/deer, ~131 sq mi, 28% public), both entirely within Jefferson County. The elk herd is labeled WHITETAIL-BULL MTN in the 2024 FWP elk count report. Season dates are 2025 per the official DEA regulations PDF. Pronghorn 370-20 quota is 75 (range 25-200). The 5.9% elk success and 118 harvest are HuntScore 2021 data (low confidence).