State guide

Public land that may allow hunting in Montana

166 named public land units in Montana from PAD-US 4.1: 80 state wildlife & game areas, 26 forests & grasslands, 36 wildlife refuges & WPAs, 12 BLM units, 11 lake & reservoir project lands, 1 other public land units. The largest are BLM Miles City Field Office Public Lands, Flathead National Forest, Lolo National Forest.

  • 166listed areas
  • 27.4Macres (approx.)
  • 80state wildlife & game areas
2026 deer season opening dates by state. For Montana, check the agency link below.

Regulations & licenses: Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks

This site does not list seasons, bag limits, license or permit rules. Those change every year and differ by area. Check them with the state agency before you go, and confirm the specific area is open to the hunting you plan.

Check regulations with Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks

Where the listed areas are

State wildlife & game areas (80)Forests & grasslands (26)Wildlife refuges & WPAs (36)BLM public land (12)Lake & reservoir project land (11)Other public land (1)

One dot per area at its reference point; larger dots are larger areas. Outline: U.S. Census Bureau.

Acres by land type

Forests & grasslands17.5M acBLM land8.0M acLake & reservoir715K acRefuges & WPAs626K acState wildlife areas504K acOther28K ac

Approximate acres for the portion of each unit inside Montana.

Photos from Montana public lands

All photo credits

Public-domain photos by U.S. federal agencies, taken in the place named on each card.

All 166 areas, largest first

Acreage is calculated from simplified PAD-US boundaries for the portion inside Montana. “Access” is the PAD-US public access field, not a statement about hunting. National wildlife refuges are generally coded “restricted” in PAD-US because of seasonal or area closures.

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