District 405, Montana

Gently rolling northern Great Plains prairie, dryland grain fields, and brushy coulees. The Missouri River forms the northern edge of the district, providing riparian bottomlands. Elevation ranges roughly from 2,700 ft near the Missouri River corridor to approximately 3,500–3,700 ft on the higher prairie benchlands. There is no significant mountain terrain within the district; the Highwood Mountains lie immediately to the east in adjacent HD 447.

The district is approximately 88% private land (landownership figure from the FWP Golden Triangle EMU summary, which covers all eight HDs in the EMU including HD 405). The main highway corridors are US-87 along the southern and western edge (Great Falls to Fort Benton), Route 223, Route 80, and Route 228 near Highwood. Scattered BLM surface parcels exist within the district; the BLM North Central Montana District (Lewistown, 406-538-1900) administers public lands in this general area. The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument begins at historic Fort Benton — the northern anchor of the district — and is managed by the same district. Access to isolated BLM tracts often requires crossing private land and landowner permission. Montana FWP's Block Management Program (Region 4 operates 156 BMAs covering over 1.3 million acres) provides the primary legal public hunting access to private lands; contact FWP Region 4 BMP at 406-454-5862 or fwpr4bmp@mt.gov for current BMA listings. The main Region 4 HQ is at 4600 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls (406-454-5840). There are no wilderness areas, National Forest units, or major trailheads within HD 405.

Dominant cover is dryland small-grain cropland (wheat, barley) and native mixed-grass prairie. Riparian corridors along the Missouri River and Belt Creek support willows, cottonwoods, and dense brush. Scattered coulees throughout the district provide brushy shrub cover (serviceberry, rose, snowberry) that concentrates deer. There is no National Forest within HD 405.

Mule deer are the primary big-game species. FWP documents note numbers have been strong in HD 405, with both post-season and spring surveys showing large fluctuations attributed to weather variation; the population may be increasing. CWD has been confirmed in both mule deer and white-tailed deer in HD 405 per the 2025 FWP mule deer management document; FWP is managing for reduced prevalence through targeted harvest of older male deer. White-tailed deer use riparian corridors along the Missouri River, Belt Creek, and agricultural grain field edges. Pronghorn occur on open prairie and are regulated through separate antelope hunting districts that geographically overlap (antelope HDs 444, 471, and 447 cover adjacent and overlapping areas — hunters must identify the correct antelope HD number for their specific parcel). Elk: FWP's Golden Triangle EMU management plan states explicitly that 'permanent or suitable elk habitat does not exist' in HD 405 and the management objective is to 'tolerate no permanent occupancy by elk.' Elk presence is limited to occasional passage of lone animals or small groups along major drainages traveling to or from adjacent HDs. Mountain lions are not typical of this open prairie landscape. Gray wolves are present in north-central Montana and may occasionally move through the district.

1. Public land percentage (12%) is from the FWP Golden Triangle EMU summary covering all eight HDs (400, 403, 404, 405, 406, 419, 444, 471); the figure for HD 405 alone may differ. 2. Season dates are 2026 per FWP regulations pages (deer archery Sep 5–Oct 18, general Oct 24–Nov 29, muzzleloader Dec 12–20; pronghorn archery Sep 5–Oct 9, general Oct 10–Nov 8). 3. Elk are listed because a general elk license is valid in HD 405, but FWP states permanent elk habitat does not exist and the management goal is no permanent elk occupancy; expect essentially zero opportunity in most years. 4. CWD confirmed in both mule deer and white-tailed deer in HD 405 as of FWP 2025 mule deer management document. 5. The 405-00 mule deer antlerless B-license quota of 750 is from 2025 regulations; confirm with current FWP regs before applying. 6. The Highwood Mountains are in adjacent HD 447, not within HD 405 — the eastern boundary follows Belt Creek and Route 228/Hwy 80. 7. BLM Havre Field Office attribution removed — North Central Montana District (Lewistown, 406-538-1900) cited as the managing entity for BLM lands and the UMRBNM at Fort Benton; verify which field office has jurisdiction over specific parcels within HD 405. 8. Harvest and hunter success data for HD 405 specifically were not available in sourced documents.