Quick Tips
- Moose numbers appear to be the highest along the Shields River and its tributaries, but they can be found --elsewhere in the district as well
- Bring maps showing land ownership as many of the moose can be on private ground
- Bring some friends to help you butcher and pack out a large animal
On The Ground
This district is located north of Livingston and includes the entire Crazy Mountains. This is a big district with a diverse amount of habitats.
Moose populations are stable and may even be on the rise in this district. This is rare in Montana since the reintroduction of wolves. Moose in this district are also widely distributed and associated with several different habitats. There are some respectable bulls in this district in the 40-44” category.
Terrain
Moose in this district are seen from the irrigated river valleys to some of the subalpine basins in the Crazies. Both the Shields River valley and the Musselshell River valley are bordered by irrigated fields. The terrain slopes up towards the Crazies for miles before reaching the forested foothills of the mountain range. Most of the Crazies rise steeply upward from the prairie and there are not many rolling foothills. The Crazies are forested about halfway up and then it is mostly rock talus slopes up to the peaks.
Roughly 365 square miles
21.1% public land
Elevations from 3,500-11,000 feet
Vegetation
The riparian areas adjacent to the rivers and many of the streams are a mix of cottonwood, willow, rose, red osier dogwood, and alder. The valleys and adjacent terraces are mostly irrigated fields, then it is long benches of mostly grasslands with some intermixing of sagebrush and occasional breaks with some juniper and cedars. Nearing the mountain it is forested with spruce, fir and pine till halfway up the mountain, and then it is timberline.
Access
There is good access to the entire district, the boundaries are highways on all four sides and there are numerous county gravel roads throughout the entire district. The national forest also has numerous accesses available. The most difficult access may be getting permission on private ground where many of these moose reside.
ATVs may come in handy
Hunting on the national forest will require some hiking through the timbered areas
Most of the hunting on the private lands will be easy hiking and lots of glassing
Shields River road, Cottonwood road, Forest Lake road and Big Timber Canyon road
Camping and Lodging
There are numerous campgrounds on the national forest. Big Timber, Harlowton, and Livingston all have motels, restaurants, gas stations and each has a sporting goods store.
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