Unit 262 District 262 (Region 2)
Private ag-bottom district where permission is the whole game
Bitterroot Valley Floor — Region 2 · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
125
sq mi
Public land
5%
approx.
Elevation
3,200–4,600
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
HD 262 is the Bitterroot Valley floor between the Big Ditch (irrigation canal) and the East Side Highway around Stevensville and Florence — flat ag ground, river and creek bottoms, brushy sloughs and rolling hay flats. It's almost entirely private. It holds good numbers of whitetails plus mule deer and elk, and the biggest bucks and bulls tend to hole up on lower-valley ranches during the rut, but public access is extremely limited. Landowner permission or a Block Management Area is essentially mandatory to hunt it.
Terrain
Nearly flat valley bottom — irrigated ag fields, winding Bitterroot River and creek bottoms, brush and slough thickets, low rolling hills grading into big open flats.
Cover: Alfalfa/hay and grain fields, cottonwood and willow river bottoms, dense brush sloughs, scattered ponderosa on the drier benches and fencelines.
Landmarks: Bitterroot River · The Big Ditch (Supply Ditch) irrigation canal · East Side Highway (MT 269) · Stevensville and Florence farmland
Access
This is a private-land district — public ground is scarce and scattered. Access comes down to knocking on doors for permission or hunting an enrolled Block Management Area; the FWP fishing access sites on the Bitterroot River give a foothold for waterfowl and some deer. Line up permission well before the season. State trust parcels, where present, are open with the required permit.
Managers: private ranch + Block Management, MT DNRC state trust, FWP river access / fishing access sites
Access points: Bitterroot River FWP fishing access sites · Block Management Areas (check current Region 2 BMA list) · County roads off the East Side Highway to ranch access with permission
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityThe bread-and-butter species — whitetails thrive in the river bottoms, brush sloughs and ag edges, with strong numbers and mature bucks on lightly-hunted private ground.
- →Hunt the November rut in the cottonwood/willow bottoms and brush funnels
- →Sit ag-field edges at first and last light where does feed
- →A single trusted permission or BMA can define your whole season here
Mule Deer
common qualityMule deer use the drier benches, fencelines and rolling flats. Fewer than whitetails but some good bucks come off the ranches, especially during the rut.
- →Glass the open flats and bench edges at dawn
- →Watch fenceline and coulee travel routes
- →Target the rut when mature bucks push into the open after does
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityValley-floor elk shelter on the larger private ranches and river bottoms, feeding in ag fields. Access is the limiter, not elk numbers — the bigger bulls rut on private lower in the valley.
- →Locate elk on ag ground and secure permission to the specific ranch
- →Hunt field-edge and bottom travel corridors at the ends of the day
- →Understand the Bitterroot's permit structure before planning a bull hunt
Pro tips
- →Secure written permission or a Block Management Area before opening day — it's the whole ballgame
- →Hunt the whitetail rut in the river bottoms for your best mature-buck odds
- →Use FWP fishing access sites as legal footholds along the Bitterroot
- →Be a good guest — valley access reputations travel fast among ranchers
- →Verify current Bitterroot elk permit rules before counting on a bull
Watch out for
- !Almost entirely private — trespass risk is high and access is the dominant challenge
- !Small district with concentrated pressure on the few public/BMA parcels
- !Respect ag operations, gates and livestock to keep access open for everyone
- !Public parcels are scattered and easy to misjudge — run parcel maps
Logistics
This is the most road-accessible district imaginable — county roads grid the valley and Missoula's services and airport are 20-40 minutes north. The challenge is not travel or terrain; it's earning access to the ground. Do your relationship-building and Block Management homework months ahead.
Nearest towns: Stevensville, Florence, Missoula, Hamilton
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Montana sources:
Research sources: MTFWP 2026/2027 Deer/Elk/Antelope Legal Descriptions · GOHUNT Montana Unit 262 Profile · Ravalli Republic — Bitterroot elk permit district coverage
FAQ
- How big is Unit 262 in Montana?
- Unit 262 (District 262 (Region 2)) covers about 125 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,200 to 4,600 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 262?
- Approximately 5% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private ranch + Block Management, MT DNRC state trust, FWP river access / fishing access sites. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 262?
- Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Montana agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 262 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.