Unit 415 District 415 (Region 4)

The Front and its backcountry drainages hold a wild elk herd tied to the Bob Marshall complex and the Sun River winter range; bulls run to good age class in this rugged, lightly roaded country, though numbers were reported lower in a recent survey year.

• →Hunt deep — get past the trailhead crowds into the backcountry drainages by horse or foot
• →Glass avalanche chutes, timber-park edges and high basins at first and last light
• →Locate bugling bulls in the early season, then work the dark north-slope timber where they hold
• →Time later hunts to storms that push elk down off the high country and out of the wilderness onto the Front

The Rocky Mountain Front is renowned for producing giant mule deer, and HD 415's high basins, reefs and foothill benches grow the kind of mature bucks the region is famous for — a genuine trophy-quality opportunity for hunters willing to climb.

• →Glass high alpine basins, rockslides and reef faces for bedded bucks
• →Hunt the timberline transition and steep hogback country the big Front bucks favor
• →Push into the higher backcountry away from road access for the mature age class
• →The late rut brings big bucks into the open on the foothill benches

Whitetails use the lower creek bottoms and aspen-and-willow riparian cover along Birch Creek and the foothill drainages, a secondary opportunity below the high country.

• →Hunt aspen and willow creek bottoms on the lower foothill benches
• →Time effort to the November rut in the riparian corridors

The high peaks and reefs of the Front support mountain goats, offered on a coveted limited-entry once-in-a-lifetime permit — a demanding alpine hunt for those who draw.

• →Apply for the limited-entry permit — this is a draw-only, once-in-a-lifetime tag
• →Glass cliff bands, reef faces and alpine ledges near the Divide
• →Be ready for technical, steep terrain and unpredictable Front weather

Rocky Mountain bighorns inhabit the escarpments and grassy faces of the Front near the district, a rare limited-draw trophy opportunity on classic Front sheep terrain.

• →Apply for the limited-draw sheep permit and scout the escarpment faces early
• →Glass grassy benches and reef faces where rams hold
• →Be prepared for extreme terrain and long spot-and-stalk approaches

Shiras moose use the willow bottoms, beaver drainages and wet timber along the backcountry creeks, available on a limited-entry permit for hunters who draw.

• →Apply for the limited-entry permit
• →Hunt willow creek bottoms and beaver-pond drainages at first and last light
• →Glass timbered draws and riparian meadows in the backcountry

Black bears are common on the timbered slopes and avalanche chutes of the Front, with spring green-up and fall berry crops drawing them onto huntable public ground — but this is core grizzly country, so bear identification is critical.

• →Glass green-up on south-facing slopes and avalanche chutes in spring
• →Check berry fields and mast in the drainages in fall
• →Be absolutely certain of black-vs-grizzly identification before any shot — grizzlies are present and protected

Mountain lions follow the deer and elk through the Front's timbered breaks and drainages; a winter tracking-snow pursuit in rugged, avalanche-prone country.

• →Cut tracks on the accessible Front roads and lower trails after fresh snow
• →Focus on deer-and-elk wintering slopes on the foothill benches