Quick Tips
- Late in the season roads can become very snow packed -tire chains are recommended
- GPS with landowner overlay
- Allow plenty of time to hunt the district
On The Ground
The Upper Blackfoot district is in portions of Powell and Lewis and Clark Counties. Helena National Forest including the southern portion of Scapegoat Wilderness Area as well as BLM lands offers thousands of acres of public lands. Special regulations apply to Lincoln Archery District. Majority of land along Blackfoot and Lower Landers Fork Rivers is privately held. Only resident may apply for a limited antlered bull license.
Neither Pope & Young or Boone and Crockett record books have any entries for this District. So if you’re not looking for a trophy bull this district might be a good choice. Be bear aware around campsite and at your kill site.
Terrain
Robert E Range in the southern area has peaks over 7,000 feet. Along the Continental Divide that forms the eastern boundary have peaks and ridges with elevations of 7,000 feet. The highest elevation in the district is Red Mountain at 9,400. All the mountains north of Blackfoot River and Lander Fork are steep, rugged and rocky above timberline. The slopes are densely forested with open meadows and isolated basins. The Blackfoot and landers Forks Valleys are broad with open meadows and rolling hills. Kleinschmidt Flat is located between North Fork Blackfoot River and Rock Creek.
Roughly 546 square miles
63.3% public land
Elevations from 4,200–9,400 feet
Vegetation
Stands of fir, spruce, ponderosa and lodgepole pine cover the slopes up to timberline. Alpine lakes and meadow are areas thick with wildflowers and moss with lichen covered rocks. Drainages may be choked with willows, mountain scrubs or ponderosa pines with groves of aspen on nearby ridges. Many open meadows dot the mountain slopes.
Access
Helena Forest Service provides miles of maintained roads with a few leading to trailheads into the Scapegoat Wilderness. Sightseeing and hunting traffic can be heavy during the early fall but tapers off late October and into November. It is always a good idea to have a four-wheel drive with chains when November rolls around.
Montana Route 200 and 279 are the main highways
Camping and Lodging
Helena National Forest offers camping for a period of no longer than 16 consecutive days at one location. The restrictions apply to all developed campgrounds as well as disperse camping sites. Lincoln is the town that services the area with limited motels, restaurants or café, hospital, and gas or diesel. Great Falls is approximately 70 miles to the east and is a regional center with a wide variety of hotels, motels, café and restaurants, medical facilities, regional airport, and 24/7 gas and diesel.
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