Unit 240 District 240 (Region 2)
Rugged wilderness canyons on the Bitterroot's west face — a public-land elk and mule deer hunt for the fit and patient.
West Bitterroot — Region 2 · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
672
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
3,200–9,000
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
HD 240 covers the steep west side of the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, west of Highway 93 and rising into the Bitterroot Mountains and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. It is dominated by Bitterroot National Forest, laced with timbered canyons — Bass Creek, Kootenai, Big Creek, Sweeney — that climb hard from valley farmland to alpine crest. Elk densities run lower than surrounding districts but bull quality is a notch above average, and mule deer have been trending up. This is as rugged as public-land hunting gets in the Bitterroot.
Terrain
Bitterroot Valley floor along the river climbs west through steep, timbered side-canyons to the granite spine of the Bitterroot crest and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness boundary.
Cover: Valley ag and cottonwood river bottom; ponderosa and Douglas-fir on lower slopes; dense lodgepole, spruce and subalpine fir in the high canyons; alpine parks and rock near the divide.
Landmarks: Bitterroot River · Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness · Bass Creek · Kootenai Creek · Lolo Peak · St. Mary Peak
Access
The mountain west of Highway 93 is overwhelmingly Bitterroot National Forest and open to the public; the valley bench and river bottom are private ag and residential. Forest access is via canyon trailheads, most feeding foot/stock trails into wilderness. A few Block Management Areas and DNRC parcels open private valley ground — check the FWP Block Management map annually.
Managers: USFS Bitterroot NF, private ranch + Block Management, MT DNRC state trust
Access points: Bass Creek trailhead / Charles Waters area · Kootenai Creek trailhead · Big Creek Road · Sweeney Creek · Highway 93 canyon access roads
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityFewer elk than neighboring districts but better-than-average bulls; animals hold in the high timbered canyons and wilderness heads, dropping only with snow.
- →Hunt the timbered benches and avalanche chutes high in the canyons where bulls hold
- →Be prepared to hike miles from the trailhead and gain thousands of feet
- →Late season, watch the transition zone as snow pushes elk toward lower timber
Mule Deer
common qualityImproving mule deer with more quality bucks taken each year; bucks summer high near the crest and in alpine basins.
- →Glass high alpine basins and open ridges early season
- →Push into wilderness pockets that see little pressure
- →Watch rock/timber edges near the divide for bedded bucks
Whitetail Deer
common opportunityWhitetails hold in the Bitterroot River bottom and lower canyon mouths on the valley edge, largely on or adjacent to private ground.
- →Hunt cottonwood river-bottom edges near ag
- →Secure private-land permission or find Block Management ground for bottomland access
- →Rut in November concentrates bucks along the river corridor
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears are widespread through the forested canyons; good numbers in spring green-up and again on fall berry/mast slopes.
- →Glass avalanche chutes and south-facing green-up in spring
- →Check berry fields on mid-elevation slopes in fall
- →Color-phase bears are common in the Bitterroot
Cougar
common opportunityHealthy mountain lion population through the canyon country; primarily a winter houndsman's pursuit on tracking snow.
- →Cut fresh tracks on forest roads after snow
- →Focus on deer-wintering canyon mouths
Moose
limited qualityA few Shiras moose inhabit the wet high-canyon willow and spruce bottoms; strictly a limited-permit opportunity.
- →Glass willow-choked creek headwaters and beaver flats
- →Expect a coveted limited-draw permit
Pro tips
- →Bull quality beats quantity here — trade easy access for a hard hike into wilderness canyon heads
- →Time a mule deer hunt to early-season high country before bucks scatter
- →Late snow is your friend: it pushes elk down predictable canyon transition zones
- →Study the Block Management map for any valley river-bottom access before relying on it
- →Have a stock or backpack pack-out plan — you can kill an elk five miles and 3,000 feet from the truck
Watch out for
- !Extremely steep, rugged terrain — physically demanding and unforgiving in bad weather
- !Valley floor and river bottom are private; verify access before hunting whitetails
- !The Bitterroot is a grizzly recovery area — grizzlies are still uncommon but increasingly documented, so hunt and handle carcasses as if in grizzly country and carry bear spray
- !Early-season snow and ice on high canyon trails; sudden mountain weather
- !Wilderness rules apply west of the boundary — no motorized/mechanized travel
Logistics
Base out of Stevensville, Victor or Hamilton along Highway 93; Missoula is under an hour north for full services. Canyon trailheads (Charles Waters, Kootenai, Bass Creek) are the jump-off points; most hunting is boot- or stock-access into steep country, so plan pack-out logistics for elk.
Nearest towns: Stevensville, Florence, Victor, Lolo, Hamilton
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Montana sources:
Research sources: Elk Hunting in Montana's HD 240 - West Bitterroot (HuntScore) · FWP Deer/Elk Hunting District 240 Map · Destination: Western Montana (Region 2) | Montana FWP
FAQ
- How big is Unit 240 in Montana?
- Unit 240 (District 240 (Region 2)) covers about 672 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,200 to 9,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 240?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Bitterroot NF, private ranch + Block Management, MT DNRC state trust. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 240?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Black Bear, Cougar, Moose. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Montana agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 240 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.