District 640, Montana

Predominantly flat-to-gently-rolling short-grass and mixed-grass prairie broken by coulees, creek drainages (Big Muddy Creek, Poplar River tributaries), and occasional badland breaks. Elevation ranges from approximately 2,000 to 3,080 feet. No significant mountain ranges; the landscape is largely glaciated high plains. Heavy snow and strong wind drifts are seasonally common, and tire chains may be necessary on unimproved roads.

The district is overwhelmingly private land (approximately 90–95% private). Public land consists of scattered BLM parcels and Montana State Trust lands totaling a small fraction of the district — no large contiguous public blocks exist. The Montana FWP Block Management program is the primary access mechanism: Region 6 enrolls 454 properties totaling 1,478,129 acres across 208 BMAs, with significant enrollment in Daniels and Sheridan counties; hunters must sign in at on-site boxes (Type I) or obtain written permission from landowners (Type II). BMA maps are available from FWP after August 15 each year or at the Region 6 office in Glasgow (406-228-3700). Corner-crossing is illegal in Montana and hunters must plan routes across public parcels carefully given the checkerboard pattern. No designated wilderness areas, National Forest, or major USFS trailheads exist within the district. Primary highways accessing the district include US-2 along the Hi-Line to the south and MT-5 connecting Scobey and Plentywood. Access can be challenging due to the scattered nature of public land.

Mixed-grass and short-grass prairie constitutes the dominant cover, with winter wheat and other row-crop agriculture covering much of the district. Riparian corridors along Big Muddy Creek and smaller drainages support green ash, cottonwood, and willow thickets that provide critical thermal and escape cover for deer. Deeper coulees hold shrubby draws of sagebrush and native grass. There is virtually no conifer or forested cover; the district lacks any National Forest land.

White-tailed deer and mule deer are the primary big game species; the district produces mature bucks annually, though populations were hit hard by EHD outbreaks and severe winters (particularly 2022–23) and are in recovery. Region 6 mule deer densities in spring 2025 surveys were 22 percent below long-term averages, though fawn recruitment measured above average. Whitetail densities are generally low region-wide. Rut activity begins as early as late October and runs through late December. Elk have a general season but the district is characterized as having very low elk density or void of elk — Region 6 elk concentrate in the Missouri Breaks (HDs 621/622), not this prairie district. Mountain lion is present in low numbers as an incidental predator following deer in the coulee systems. Pronghorn antelope are present and populations have slowly increased over the past decade in Region 6, with summer 2025 survey numbers above average across the region. Black bear presence is minimal in this prairie district.

1. Public land percentage: HuntScore reports 5% public (1% USFS, 4% State, 90% private); GoHunt reports 44%. The 5% figure is used as more consistent with the known agricultural character of Daniels and Sheridan counties; GoHunt's 44% likely includes enrolled Block Management private land. 2. The 31.9% hunter success rate and 2021 harvest data from HuntScore cover all deer species combined for 2021 and may not reflect current conditions given post-2022–23 winter kill and EHD impacts. 3. Mule Deer B-license 640-00 quota of 1,500 reflects 2024 season (range 500–2,000); Region 6 cut antlerless mule deer B licenses ~50% for 2025 (2,825 to 1,425 region-wide), so actual 2025 quota for 640-00 will be lower — verify at fwp.mt.gov. 4. The district boundary per FWP legal descriptions may span portions of Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt, and Valley counties, but Daniels and Sheridan are the core counties. 5. Season dates listed are from 2024 actual dates (from LandTrust); verify current dates at fwp.mt.gov. 6. Pronghorn draw odds and specific quota for HD 640 not confirmed from sourced material; pronghorn presence and regional trend confirmed. 7. Block Management data verified from FWP Region 6 page: 454 properties, 1,478,129 acres, 208 BMAs.