The majority of the deer units in Montana are managed for hunter opportunity and not trophy hunting. Montana’s general deer tags provide a great opportunity for hunters to harvest a nice mule deer or whitetail buck. The archery season is September 6-October 19, rifle season is October 25-November 30, and muzzleloader season is December 13-21. The rifle season dates allow hunters to hunt the entire rut. The downside of hunting the rut is that most of the mature bucks on public land are harvested every season, and it does not allow for many older age class bucks on the landscape. The reason Montana can manage this way is due to all the private land that allows a sanctuary for deer to get some age on them. Finding a 160” mule deer buck on public land is harder today than at any time in the last decade.

The eastern side of the state typically provides the best general mule deer hunting, but the populations are way down. That side of the state has a lot of private land, but there is plenty of Block Management and public land for anyone to have a good hunt. For hunters wanting to see more deer, the central and eastern parts of the state are where they should be looking. For hunters who enjoy mountain hunting and not seeing a lot of mule deer, they should look towards regions 1, 2, and 3. There have been more mature bucks being taken in these more timbered mountain areas. A big buck can come from anywhere in the state as long as he can get some age on him.

A hunt that is gaining popularity is the muzzleloader hunt. This hunt is post-rut with bucks feeding hard to put some body weight back on for the winter. This is the best time to be out in the field if you do not want to see a lot of other hunters. Be prepared for a cold weather hunt if you plan on hunting the mid-December muzzleloader hunt.

Over the last six years, all non-resident permits were drawn by non-resident landowners in unit 261, and 13 out of 21 tags for unit 270 were drawn by non-resident landowners. Unit 262 is still producing a couple of good bucks a year, but if you don’t want to hunt on private land around houses, don’t apply for this unit. This is not going to be a fun hunt for a self-guided non-resident as access is typically granted to local hunters who spend the spring and summer months knocking on doors to secure areas to hunt. Access is getting harder to come by as many landowners in the area have grown tired of being asked for permission to hunt their land. Outfitters are also struggling to find access in this unit. Finding a big buck in unit 262 is more difficult now than in the past.

The 2024 mule deer population estimate was the lowest it has been since 2013. The units in Eastern Montana have taken the biggest population hit, especially in regions 6 and 7. Hunters had to work a lot harder in 2024 to fill their tags. The herds in Western Montana are small but stable.

The central and eastern parts of the state are stable to declining populations of mule deer. The 2024 statewide estimate was 249,157, which is a 3% decline over the 2023 population estimate. They further broke that number down into each region as follows: region 1 with 8,499; region 2 with 13,191; region 3 with 43,037; region 4 with 55,998; region 5 with 23,510; region 6 with 45,878; and region 7 with 59,044. Hopefully, Montana will continue with cutting mule deer doe tags and give these deer a chance to rebound. If you are a doe mule deer hunter, remember that all mule deer doe permits will only be valid on private land in regions 6 and 7.

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