Montana Elk — Hunting District 418

Montana Hunting District 418 covers 307,663 acres and lies 29 miles south-west of Lewistown and 48 miles north-east of White Sulphur Springs. 21% of it is public land, mostly national forest (11%) and state trust land (9%). In 2025, hunters took 186 elk here. The 2007 draw put up 15 tags here for 6 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2007):30 Nonresident share:capped at 10% Applicants:6 Public land:21% Size:307,663 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Hunting District 418, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.

2 licenses on offer · 30 tags · 6 applicants in the 2007 draw

Chances are from the 2007 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level
  • 418-00 Elk Permit 418-00 15 tags · 6 applicants · Standard
    No data
  • 418-00 Elk Permit 418-00 15 tags · 0 applicants · Landowner
    No data
What these columns mean
Your odds
the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2007 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
The badge
plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
Points needed
the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2007 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
Tags / applicants
tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.

What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)

License Up front Gone if you miss If you draw
Standard license $65 $65 $65
Landowner license $65 $65 $65

Application window: opens Mar 1, closes Apr 1, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

The country

Lewistown Harlowton Fort Benton Big Timber Havre
Hunting District 418 within Montana
412 416 419 420 432 448 540 Lewistown
Hunting District 418 and its neighbours
Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

  • Private 242,500 ac · 79%
  • National Forest 34,612 ac · 11%
  • State trust land 28,058 ac · 9%
  • BLM 1,969 ac · 1%
  • State land 184 ac · 0%
  • Bureau of Reclamation 0 ac · 0%
  • Department of Defense 0 ac · 0%
  • National Park Service 0 ac · 0%
  • County or city land 0 ac · 0%
  • National Wildlife Refuge 0 ac · 0%
  • Tribal 0 ac · 0%
  • Other public 0 ac · 0%

Source: Deer Elk Lion 2026-2027 Hunting District Landcover and Land Ownership Calculations

How the hunting has gone

What Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. 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.

Season Harvest
2025 186
2024 114
2023 108
2022 103

Residents vs nonresidents (2025)

  • Nonresident 48 taken
  • Resident 138 taken

What the agency says about the area

Elk Management Unit: Northeast Little Belts

Source: Deer and Elk Hunting Districts (2026 and 2027 Seasons)

Boundary: Deer and Elk Hunting Districts (2026 and 2027 Seasons)

Harvest: 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates (MyFWP Harvest Estimates Search, District=ALL)

Harvest: 2024 Elk Harvest Estimates (MyFWP Harvest Estimates Search, District=ALL)

Harvest: 2023 Elk Harvest Estimates (MyFWP Harvest Estimates Search, District=ALL)

How we compute draw odds · All Montana elk hunts