Unit 204 (North Sapphire)
Montana Hunting Guide — Elk
Unit 204 lies in Ravalli, Granite and Missoula counties and covers about 403 square miles. Ground runs from 3,379 to 7,208 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 204
Unit 204 lies in Ravalli, Granite and Missoula counties and covers about 403 square miles. Ground runs from 3,379 to 7,208 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 204
What Montana FWP publishes for unit 204 is a boundary, not a elk map. The country below is verified; where to begin in it is our judgement, not the agency's. The unit lies in Ravalli, Granite and Missoula counties. It runs to about 403 square miles.
The lines of the unit: Rock Creek, Eagle Creek and Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide
Montana FWP draws unit 204 in Ravalli, Granite and Missoula counties with a boundary that runs on Interstate 90, USFS Trail 215, USFS Trail 146 and US Highway 93, and on Rock Creek, Eagle Creek, Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide and Cutoff Gulch, walked corner by corner in its hunting district legal descriptions. Read it as a frame, not as a hint about animals. 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: Solomon Ridge, Bitterroot Divide and Cleveland Mountain
Named high points inside the unit include Solomon Ridge at 7,418 feet, Bitterroot Divide at 7,333 feet, Cleveland Mountain at 7,333 feet, Cinnabar Point at 7,243 feet and Cinnamon Bear Point at 7,046 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: Holloman Saddle, Ambrose Saddle and Two Y Junction
Below them sit Holloman Saddle at 5,869 feet, Ambrose Saddle at 5,867 feet, Two Y Junction at 5,691 feet, S and G Saddle at 5,677 feet and Feather Gulch at 5,505 feet. These are the folds worth watching, and the ones other hunters walk past on the way to somewhere steeper. Reaching the edge of one before light beats reaching its middle at noon.
Water: Last Drink Springs
The water inside the unit line comes to 315 mapped stream reaches, 7 lakes and 72 stock tanks. Named sources include Last Drink Springs. 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 3,379 feet to 7,208 feet, averaging 5,220 — enough relief to separate summer range from winter range.
Unit 204 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 3,379–7,208 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,220 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 402.8 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
- 72 tanks
- 315 stream segments
- 7 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: Solomon Ridge (7,418 ft), Bitterroot Divide (7,333 ft), Cinnabar Point (7,243 ft), Cinnamon Bear Point (7,046 ft)
Holding ground: Welcome Sawmill Saddle (7,191 ft), Sawmill Saddle (6,611 ft), Cinnabar Saddle (6,457 ft), Last Drink Springs
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 204
Elk Success Rates
Elk Draw Odds
Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.
Search Montana Draw OddsMontana FWP's draw recap has no elk record we can tie to unit 204. 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
Planning Notes
Camp Sites
6 developed campgrounds in or beside the unit, including Dalles Campground, Harrys Flat Campground and Norton Campground.
Road Conditions
CR-102, I 90 / US 12 and Miller Creek Road are the named routes in the unit. Roughly 36 mi paved, 38 mi gravel and 0 mi four-wheel-drive.
Terrain Difficulty
3,379–7,208 ft, averaging 5,220. Enough relief to separate summer from winter range.
Hunting Pressure
Our land-status read for this unit is approximate, so treat any pressure estimate from it with suspicion and check a current ownership layer.
Weather
Season normals: Sep 73/40°F, 1 in.; Oct 57/31°F, 1.3 in.; Nov 41/23°F, 1.3 in..
Cell Service
Verizon 21%, AT&T 14%, T-Mobile 7% of the unit area — modelled coverage, not measured. Assume no signal off the paved road.
Nearest Town
Clinton (11 mi), Florence (11 mi), Lolo (13 mi)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colorado unit 204?
What is the elk success rate in unit 204?
Where do you stay and resupply for a unit 204 hunt?
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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