Unit 122 (Thompson River)
Montana Hunting Guide — Elk
Unit 122 lies in Flathead, Sanders and Lincoln counties and covers about 715 square miles. Ground runs from 2,626 to 5,632 feet. Montana FWP publishes no per-unit elk success figure we can verify for this unit. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 122
Unit 122 lies in Flathead, Sanders and Lincoln counties and covers about 715 square miles. Ground runs from 2,626 to 5,632 feet. Montana FWP publishes no per-unit elk success figure we can verify for this unit. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
Where to Find Elk in Unit 122
Montana FWP's material on unit 122 stops at the boundary — there is no agency account of where its elk live. The country below is verified; where to begin in it is our judgement, not the agency's. The unit lies in Flathead, Sanders and Lincoln counties. It runs to about 715 square miles.
The lines of the unit: Thompson River, Shroder Creek and Clark Fork-Ninemile Divide
Montana FWP draws unit 122 in Flathead, Sanders and Lincoln counties with a boundary that runs on US Highway 2, USFS Trail 137, USFS Trail 132 and USFS Trail 290, and on Thompson River, Shroder Creek, Clark Fork-Ninemile Divide and Clark Fork River, walked corner by corner in its hunting district legal descriptions. That is a legal description, not a habitat map. Its value is practical — those are the features you will navigate by, and the ridges that separate one day's country from another's.
High ground inside the line: Baldy Mountain, Thompson Peak and Snowstorm Mountain
Named high points inside the unit include Baldy Mountain at 7,462 feet, Thompson Peak at 7,454 feet, Snowstorm Mountain at 6,983 feet, Little Thompson Peak at 6,968 feet and Big Hole Peak at 6,943 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Elk on low, open country live on distance and visibility, so they see you first.
Holding ground: Noble Gulch, Lulu Gulch and Shorthorn Gulch
Below them sit Noble Gulch at 3,849 feet, Lulu Gulch at 3,795 feet, Shorthorn Gulch at 3,593 feet, Indian Gulch at 3,553 feet and Hugo Canyon at 3,246 feet. These are the folds worth watching, and the ones other hunters walk past on the way to somewhere steeper. Two you can watch from a single knob is worth more than five you have to drive between.
Water: Whitney Springs, Big Spring and Cascade Falls
The water inside the unit line comes to 133 mapped stream reaches, 22 lakes and 80 stock tanks. Named sources include Whitney Springs, Big Spring, Cascade Falls and Todd Spring. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.
Reading the land status
Our ownership read for this unit is approximate — it comes out as National Forest 60%, Private / Other 32% and State Trust 8%, so treat it as a starting point and check a current land-status layer before you plan a route. The unit runs from 2,626 feet to 5,632 feet, averaging 3,947 — enough relief to separate summer range from winter range.
Unit 122 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 2,626–5,632 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 3,947 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 715.4 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest — 60%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 32%
Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 80 tanks
- 133 stream segments
- 22 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Baldy Mountain (7,462 ft), Thompson Peak (7,454 ft), Snowstorm Mountain (6,983 ft), Big Hole Peak (6,943 ft)
Holding ground: Mandy Gulch (4,574 ft), Benson Draw (4,066 ft), Christensen Gulch (3,919 ft), Whitney Springs, Big Spring
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Elk in Unit 122
Elk Success Rates
Montana FWP's 2023 harvest estimates carry no elk row for unit 122 that we can read back to this unit on its own. Where the agency reports a unit inside a grouping, or prints a table our parser cannot resolve to a single column, we leave the number out rather than publish a statewide average as though it had been measured here. Montana FWP's current harvest estimates are the place to check before you apply.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — B License either sex (resident) | 22 | 670 | 3.3% | — |
| Rifle — B License either sex (nonresident) | 0 | 8 | 0.0% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineMontana FWP's draw recap has no elk record we can tie to unit 122. That usually means the licence is sold over the counter, is issued under a hunt code covering several units, or was not offered in the years we hold. Rather than estimate a point requirement, we leave it blank — check Montana FWP's own draw recap for the hunt code you mean to apply for.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colorado unit 122?
What is the elk success rate in unit 122?
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Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-24.
- Montana FWP Hunting District Legal Descriptions, 2026/2027 — deer-elk hunting districts (pp. 19-35) — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · supports: GMU boundary description, Counties the unit lies in · accessed 2026-10-24
- FWP hunting district feature services — deer/elk, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat districts (2026 and 2027 seasons) — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks · supports: Mapped extent of the unit, Which named ground falls inside the unit line · accessed 2026-10-24