Montana Bison · Hunting District 385 Gardiner
Montana Hunting District 385 covers 283,955 acres and lies 38 miles south of Livingston and 49 miles south-east of Bozeman. 93% of it is public land, mostly national forest (93%). In 2023, hunters took 2 bison here; hunter counts not published. Its most applied-for hunt, 385-20, put up 4 tags (all residencies) in the 2026 draw for 975 nonresident first-choice applicants, 4 of whom drew.
No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
2 licenses
first choice, NR
not published
93% Forest Service
283,955 acres
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only. The written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Every License in Hunting District 385
| What | Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 385-20 | Bison License 385-20 — Either Sex | <1% (small sample) | |
| 385-21 | Bison License 385-21 — Either Sex | not open |
First-choice nonresident odds, 2026 draw. No points in this draw: every applicant has the same chance. Not in the table, with no 2026 result: 385-77.
Draw results: Montana FWP 2026 Bison Drawing Statistics Report, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
If you draw (2026 nonresident fees): $117.50 ($117.50 to apply). Open Mar 1 – May 1, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Harvest
| Year | Bison |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2017 | 28 |
| 2015 | 26 |
| 2014 | 29 |
| 2013 | 25 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2006 | 19 |
| 2005 | 21 |
What Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks publishes after each season, for everyone who hunted the area: harvest statistics, not draw odds. Hunter counts not published for 2023. Montana's figures blend mandatory reporting with a phone and mail survey. FWP does not publish district-level hunter counts for elk or antelope, so success rates are missing for those. Source: Montana FWP 2023 Bison harvest by state-licensed hunters.
The Ground
| National Forest | 263,993 ac | 93% |
| Private | 18,883 ac | 7% |
| National Park Service | 425 ac | <1% |
| State land | 369 ac | <1% |
| County or city land | 28 ac | <1% |
| State trust land | 28 ac | <1% |
| BLM | 0 ac | <1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 0 ac | <1% |
| Department of Defense | 0 ac | <1% |
| National Wildlife Refuge | 0 ac | <1% |
| Tribal | 0 ac | <1% |
| Other public | 0 ac | <1% |
Source: Montana FWP 2026-2027 Bison Hunting District Landcover….
Next Door
▸ Sources 8
- Montana FWP 2026 Bison Drawing Statistics Report draw results, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-113 Application fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-116 Base hunting license… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Hunting Requirements fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Nonresident License Fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2023 Bison harvest by state-licensed hunters harvest, area description, retrieved Sep 2, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Bison Hunting Districts boundary, retrieved Sep 2, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026-2027 Bison Hunting District Landcover… land ownership, retrieved Sep 2, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' published results. They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
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We don't take applications: check Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Montana bison hunts