Quick Tips
- Clean campsites are a must when camping in bear country
- GPS, maps, or a compass are highly recommended
- This district is used almost entirely for the management of problem bears and is not recommended for anyone looking to experience a western bear hunt
On The Ground
This hunting district is found in south eastern Montana and is a new district for 2018. Bears have started moving from the Black Hills of South Dakota, and from other parts of Montana, into this area and a small quota for the spring and fall seasons has been set. This small quota is primarily being used to handle problematic bears that are getting into orchards, stock tanks, and other human inhabited areas. Once the bear quota is met, the unit will close within 48 hours. This is not a hunt for someone looking to experience western bear hunting
This district, which is a quota based hunt that was created to deal with problematic bears.
Terrain
Like most of the eastern side of Montana, this area is mostly comprised of open prairie land and rolling hills. Some of the terrain can be steep in areas though the total elevation gain and loss will be minimal. Glassing opportunities will be hugely abundant when hunting here.
Roughly 29,946 square miles
24.8% public land
Elevations range from 2,800-4,500 feet
Vegetation
Generally speaking, this area is going to be comprised almost entirely of sage, natural grasses, rock, cactus, and small patches of juniper. In isolated areas, large stands of ponderosa pine will also be encountered. The highest concentration of trees will be found along the Powder River on the southern end of the range though this coverage will still be considered light for typical bear habitat.
Access
This area is largely checkerboarded with public and private lands. In Montana, corner hopping is considered illegal so hunters will need to pay close attention to land boundaries when accessing areas. The largest collections of public land can be found west of Broadus and just south of Ekalaka. Physically accessing these areas will be easy for just about everyone due to the gentler nature of the terrain and relatively low amount of dense ground cover.
Camping and Lodging
Lodging options can be found in nearly every small town scattered throughout this area. Due to the sheer size of the district and the extremely low population of bears, hunters will be faced with a lot of driving time and miles upon miles in search of bears making pinning down a central location for lodging next to impossible.
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