HD 104
Elk
Resident licenses
General Elk License
Availability: Over the counter
✅ Includes bull elk
Residents buy the General Elk License over the counter; the resident license availability chart (p. 12) lists no application deadline for it, and residents may instead buy a Sportsman's License that includes one.
HD 104 (Cabinets) General Elk License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 50.
District NOTE: 'Bull River WMA closed Dec 02-May 15.' Brow-tined bull elk: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Elk B license 104-00 is also listed for this HD; not itemized here (general license only).
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Nonresident licenses
General Elk License
Availability: Draw
✅ Includes bull elk
Most nonresidents cannot buy their General Elk License over the counter.
Per 'Elk Licenses & Permits - General Elk License' (p. 16), it must be obtained through the April 1 drawing for one of the 17,000 Big Game Combination Licenses (the Elk Combination License also includes a General Elk License).
HD 104 (Cabinets) General Elk License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 50.
District NOTE: 'Bull River WMA closed Dec 02-May 15.' Brow-tined bull elk: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Elk B license 104-00 is also listed for this HD; not itemized here (general license only).
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Other permits and B-licenses may be available for this district — not yet itemized in this dataset.
6+ point bulls: 30 of 74 total bulls harvested (2025)
Success rate history
| Year | Hunters | All | Spike | Bull | 6+ pt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | ||
| 2025 | Not published | 91 | — | 0 | — | 74 | — | 30 | — |
| 2024 | 1092 | 78 | 7.1% | 0 | 0% | 60 | 5.5% | 30 | 2.7% |
| 2023 | Not published | 31 | — | 0 | — | 24 | — | 12 | — |
| 2022 | 816 | 61 | 7.5% | 0 | 0% | 39 | 4.8% | 10 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | Not published | 73 | — | 0 | — | 63 | — | 16 | — |
Success by residency
| Year | Residents | Nonresidents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunters | Harvest | Rate | Hunters | Harvest | Rate | |
| 2025 | Not published | 91 | — | Not published | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 1039 | 75 | 7.2% | 53 | 4 | 7.5% |
| 2023 | Not published | 29 | — | Not published | 3 | — |
| 2022 | 772 | 58 | 7.5% | 44 | 3 | 6.8% |
| 2021 | Not published | 69 | — | Not published | 3 | — |
Source: Montana FWP harvest reports, 2024.
Mule Deer
Resident licenses
General Deer License
Availability: Over the counter
✅ Includes antlered buck mule deer
Residents buy the General Deer License over the counter; the resident license availability chart (p. 12) lists no application deadline for it, and residents may instead buy a Sportsman's License that includes one.
HD 104 (Cabinets) General Deer License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 50.
District NOTE: 'Bull River WMA closed Dec 02-May 15.' Either-sex white-tailed deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Oct 30.
Antlered buck mule deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Antlered buck white-tailed deer: General Oct 31-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Either-sex white-tailed deer: General Oct 31-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20, 'Only youth ages 10-15 and hunters with a PTHFV.' Deer B licenses 104-00 and 199-20 are also listed for this HD; not itemized here (general license only).
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Nonresident licenses
General Deer License
Availability: Draw
✅ Includes antlered buck mule deer
Most nonresidents cannot buy their general deer license over the counter.
Per 'Deer Licenses & Permits - General Deer License' (p. 15), it must be obtained through one of the April 1 drawings: the Big Game (deer and elk) Combination License (17,000 issued), the Deer Combination License (4,600 issued), or a Landowner Sponsored License (2,000 issued).
Nonresidents may apply for only one of these combination licenses per year.
HD 104 (Cabinets) General Deer License opportunities, 2026 regulations p. 50.
District NOTE: 'Bull River WMA closed Dec 02-May 15.' Either-sex white-tailed deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Oct 30.
Antlered buck mule deer: Archery Only Sep 05-Oct 18, General Oct 24-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Antlered buck white-tailed deer: General Oct 31-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20.
Either-sex white-tailed deer: General Oct 31-Nov 29, Heritage Muzzleloader Dec 12-Dec 20, 'Only youth ages 10-15 and hunters with a PTHFV.' Deer B licenses 104-00 and 199-20 are also listed for this HD; not itemized here (general license only).
Source: FWP regulations (2026)
Other permits and B-licenses may be available for this district — not yet itemized in this dataset.
4+ point mule deer bucks: 27 of 57 mule deer bucks harvested (2025)
Success rate history
| Year | Hunters | All | Buck | 4+ pt | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | Harvest | Rate | ||
| 2025 | 1575 | 64 | 4.1% | 57 | 3.6% | 27 | 1.7% |
| 2024 | Not published | 66 | — | 59 | — | 40 | — |
| 2023 | 1264 | 59 | 4.7% | 56 | 4.4% | 39 | 3.1% |
| 2022 | Not published | 39 | — | 35 | — | 19 | — |
| 2021 | 1283 | 57 | 4.4% | 57 | 4.4% | 35 | 2.7% |
Success by residency
| Year | Residents | Nonresidents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunters | Harvest | Rate | Hunters | Harvest | Rate | |
| 2025 | 1485 | 53 | 3.6% | 90 | 11 | 12.2% |
| 2024 | Not published | 66 | — | Not published | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 1163 | 44 | 3.8% | 101 | 16 | 15.8% |
| 2022 | Not published | 33 | — | Not published | 6 | — |
| 2021 | 1199 | 50 | 4.2% | 84 | 7 | 8.3% |
Source: Montana FWP harvest reports, 2025.