Elk (Cervus canadensis) are one of the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and an icon of big-game hunting and conservation.
The depletion of Montana's wildlife, including the noticeable decline of elk herds on the landscape, during the 1800's and early 1900's inspired the beginning of Montana's conservation movement during the first half of the 20th Century.
Today, Montana is home to one of the largest elk populations in the country.
Managing Montana’s elk populations at levels compatible with other land uses and meeting the current and future demand for hunting and other recreation has become increasingly complex, demanding increased comprehensive planning. FWP has operated under some form of elk plan since 1978. In 2005, Montana adopted a new, comprehensive elk plan. In 2020, a citizens group assembled to provide overarching elk management guidance for the state of Montana, including a forthcoming update to the state's Elk Management Plan.
Population & Distribution
Charts & Maps >Current Elk Management
Public Engagement >Statewide Management Plan
2023 Plan >Elk Management Citizen Advisory
Citizens Group >Private Land Public Wildlife
Council Info >Elk Hunting
Species Guide >Brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection in domestic animals, wildlife and humans worldwide. The disease can result in abortions in some pregnant animals, including domestic cattle, bison and elk. It can also result in serious financial burdens to cattle producers, potentially resulting in quarantine of a herd, increased testing and vaccination costs and possible difficulty in trade with other states and countries. The potential for transmission to livestock has led FWP to investigate the status of brucellosis in some elk herds near Yellowstone National Park.
Because brucellosis can negatively impact Montana livestock producers, influence the acceptability of elk on the landscape, impact the overall health of wildlife populations and remains a health concern for people, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is working with the Montana Department of Livestock, livestock producers and sportsmen and women to better delineate the geographic distribution of the disease in elk, understand elk-cattle transmission risk and ways to mitigate that risk, measure its prevalence in elk populations and understand factors that may influence changes in prevalence and distribution of the disease.
FWP along with informal input from the Elk Management Guidelines in Areas with Brucellosis Working Group annually assembles an "Elk Management in Areas With Brucellosis Work Plan (PDF)" which guides implementation of potential management actions within the Designated Surveillance Area or in other specific areas where brucellosis-exposed elk have been confirmed within the previous five years. The work plan requires annual adoption by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Surveillance for brucellosis across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana has largely relied on collection of samples from hunter harvested animals. Due to difficulties in obtaining a large enough sample size from harvested elk in Montana, since 2011, FWP has embarked on a surveillance and research project that involves capturing, testing, and radio collaring elk from areas on the edge of the known distribution of brucellosis.
In the winter of 2022/2023, FWP embarked on its thirteenth year of targeted brucellosis surveillance and research in southwestern Montana. One hundred and forty-nine adult cow elk were captured in the eastern Pioneer Mountains in HD331 and HD329. All elk tested negative for exposure to brucellosis. Thirty cow elk received GPS collars to enhance our understanding of elk movement patterns, evaluate the risk elk may pose for brucellosis transmission to cattle or other elk, and improve overall elk population management. In January 2024 FWP is planning to capture up to 130 adult cow elk in the Highland Mountains for continued brucellosis surveillance.
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2023 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2022 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2021 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2020 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2019 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2018 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2017 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2016 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2011-15 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2010 Annual Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2024 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2023 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2022 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2021 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2020 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2019 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2018 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2017 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2016 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project 2015 Post Capture Report (PDF)
Elk (Cervus canadensis) are one of the largest terrestrial mammals in North America and are an icon of big game hunting and conservation. Elk are managed for the benefit of all Montanans. Managing Montana’s elk populations at levels compatible with other land uses and meeting the current and future demand for hunting and other recreation has become increasingly complex and has demanded comprehensive planning. Montana has operated under some form of elk plan since 1978.
This Elk Management Plan has multiple uses. It is intended to:
inform the decisions regarding elk management and conservation in Montana,
assist FWP personnel when considering elk management recommendations,
define FWP’s commitment to the public to responsibly manage elk populations, and
guide FWP to meet statutory requirements in sustainably managing elk populations.
Includes Table of Contents, Background, Statewide Management Direction, Hunting District Information and Management Direction |
Pages 1-65 |
Pages 66-111 |
|
Region 2 Hunting Districts |
Pages 112-198 |
Region 3 Hunting Districts |
Pages 199-314 |
Region 4 Hunting Districts |
Pages 315-396 |
Region 5 Hunting Districts |
Pages 397-430 |
Region 6 Hunting Districts |
Pages 431-444 |
Region 7 Hunting Districts |
Pages 445-450 |
Literature Cited and Appendices |
Pages 453-471 |
2023 Annual Report (PDF)
Starting in early 2023, wildlife biologists are working on a multi-year project in the Lower Clark Fork near Noxon in Sanders County to better understand what is influencing elk populations.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists are partnering with researchers at the University of Montana W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation to carry out a comprehensive study of elk populations in Hunting District 121.
The project will focus on:
Survival, recruitment, and pregnancy rates of elk;
Predator-prey interactions between elk and wolves, bears, and lions;
Seasonal distribution patterns on public and private lands;
Habitat needs and land-use practices that could benefit elk;
Wildlife management strategies for northwest Montana.
“We are hoping to better understand elk population dynamics in northwest Montana by studying the top-down influences like predation and the bottom-up influences like habitat,” said Dr. Kelly Proffitt, FWP research lead for this project.
“FWP will use this information from the field to develop an adaptive management plan for elk in this region. It will also help FWP and land managers continue to collaborate on forestry practices that benefit wildlife.”
In order to properly manage any wildlife species, biologists and managers must have a good understanding of the animals and habitat conditions in an area. This new project will gather valuable local information about the drivers of elk populations, including predator-prey interactions and changes in forest management.
Biologists and researchers will capture elk, mountain lions, wolves, and black bears. The goal is to catch 60 elk, 10 mountain lions, 10 bears, and five wolves and fit the animals with GPS radio collars to track their movements, help evaluate population numbers, and identify the different causes of elk mortalities. Female elk received implants that detect when and where calves are born so biologists can capture and collar the young animals for tracking survival and mortality rates.
Elk captures involve helicopters and ground traps and will continue through the duration of the project to maintain 60 collared elk.
To learn more about where and how animals are using the landscape, remote triggered cameras will be distributed throughout the area and collect observations of wildlife for abundance estimates.
Another part of this project will include studying effects of timber management on elk habitat and distribution. This will include surveying the types of forage and forested habitats that elk are using throughout the year.
Research will also try to better understand how hunting pressure drives elk movements on public and private land throughout hunting season.
Wildlife Research Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Wildlife Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation
University of Montana W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation
Project funding was provided by revenues from the sale of Montana hunting and fishing licenses and matching Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grants to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Additional funding was provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
As part of a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) initiative to identify elk migration corridors and winter ranges and work cooperatively with partners to conserve these important habitats, there is a need to collect and assess elk movement data in eastern Montana.
Our first goal is to delineate migration corridors and seasonal ranges of the Custer and Missouri Breaks elk populations. These areas have been selected based on the local needs identified by MFWP management biologists, and where considerable community, conservation partner, and agency interest in elk habitat conservation exists.
Our second goal is to evaluate the effects of hunter access management and other important factors on elk habitat selection using location data from GPS collared elk in the Custer and Missouri Breaks study areas. Our objective is to identify important landscape and environmental factors affecting elk habitat selection in these areas, particularly during the fall hunting seasons. If factors such as security, forage, and hunter access can be identified and related to habitat selection, managers may use this information to manipulate these factors to increase the amount of time elk spend on public land, thereby furthering opportunity for hunters using public lands and reducing game damage incurred on adjacent private lands.
Wildlife Research Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Research Technician
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Professor
Department of Ecology
Montana State University, Bozeman
M.S. Candidate
Department of Ecology
Montana State University, Bozeman
Funding was provided by revenues from the sale of Montana hunting and fishing licenses and matching Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grants to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Funding was also provided by the Bureau of Land Management.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of a recent, large-scale wildfire on the elk population in the Blackfoot Clearwater area of west-central Montana. In August and September of 2017, the 160,000-acre Rice Ridge fire burned the majority of the historical summer range of the Blackfoot-Clearwater elk population. Fire severity varied across the area, with low, mid, and high severity wildlife burning approximately 80% of the elk summer range. Our goal in this project is to evaluate the effects of low severity and high severity wildlife on elk forage and distribution to better understand the effects of wildfire on elk populations. To assess post-fire effects of a large-scale wildfire on the elk population and habitat over the first four years post-fire, we are evaluating elk movements using a combination of GPS collared individuals and camera traps positioned across the study area. We are also evaluating the forage quality, abundance, and phenology within the Blackfoot-Clearwater elk range to better understand the seasonal effects of low severity and high severity wildfire on forage in the years shortly after fire.
Wildlife Research Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Research Technician
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Area Wildlife Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Professor
University of Montana
M.S. Candidate
University of Montana
Project funding was provided by revenues from the sale of Montana hunting and fishing licenses and matching Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grants to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Additional funding was provided by the Campfire Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of changes in travel management and hunter access on male and female elk movements and hunting-season distributions in the North Sapphire Mountains. This project follows the North Sapphire Elk Research Project, which produced several important findings on the effects of forage, security, and hunter access on elk migratory behaviors and hunting-season distributions. Since the completion of that project in 2016, there have been substantial changes in travel management on public lands, hunter access management on private lands, and hunting regulations. Our goals in this project include the following:
Wildlife Research Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Area Wildlife Biologist
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Leader (Retired)
University of Montana
M.S. Candidate
University of Montana
MPG Ranch
MPG Ranch
Project funding provided by revenues from the sale of Montana hunting and fishing licenses and matching Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grants to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Funding also provided by MPG Ranch, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, and Back Country Hunters and Anglers.
Evaluating carnivore harvest as a tool for increasing elk calf survival and recruitment
Evaluating the summer landscapes of predation risk and forage quality for elk (PDF)
Integrated Carnivore-Ungulate Management: A Case Study in West-Central Montana (PDF)
Simulation-based validation of spatial capture-recapture models: A case study using mountain lions (PDF)
Carnivore Management and Elk Recruitment Bitterroot Summary 2020 (PDF)
Annual Reports
North Sapphire Elk Research Project
Land management alters traditional nutritional benefits of migration for elk (PDF)
Native forage mediates influence of irrigated agriculture on migratory behavior of elk (PDF)
A century of changing fire management alters ungulate forage in a wildfire-dominated landscape (PDF)
Elk Forage and Risk Tradeoffs during the Fall Archery Season (PDF)
Project Final Report (PDF)
Fall 2015 (PDF)
Spring 2015 (PDF)
Fall 2014 (PDF)
Spring 2014 (PDF)
Elkhorn Mountains Elk Research Project
Bitterroot Elk Study
Bitterroot Elk Study (PDF)
Wildfire extends the shelf life of elk nutritional resources regardless of fire severity (PDF)
Annual elk calf survival in a multiple carnivore system (PDF)
Linking landscape-scale differences in forage to ungulate nutritional ecology (PDF)
Annual elk calf survival in a multiple carnivore system (PDF)
Montana Outdoor Report (Video)
Hunter Access and Fall Elk Distribution in the Missouri Breaks
Hunter Access and Fall Elk Distribution in the Missouri Breaks (PDF)
Report Summary (PDF)
Hunter access affects elk resource selection in the Missoula Breaks, Montana (PDF)
Additional Completed Research
Non-invasive monitoring of multiple wildlife health factors by fecal microbiome analysis (PDF)
Deer and Elk Hunter Recruitment, Retention, and Participation Trends in Montana (PDF)
Evaluating elk summer resource selection and applications to summer range habitat management (PDF)
Effects of Elk Archery Regulations on Elk Hunter Effort and Harvest (PDF)
Elk and Grazing on Wall Creek Wildlife Management Area (PDF)
Hunter Surveys
2023 Elk Resident Hunter Survey Summary (PDF)
This summary was updated Aug. 30, 2023 to reflect minor language edits
2021 CWD (PDF)
2014 HD 204 Elk (PDF)
2013 CWD (PDF)