Unit 240 (West Bitterroot)
Montana Hunting Guide — Elk
Unit 240 lies in Missoula and Ravalli counties and covers about 670 square miles. Ground runs from 3,393 to 8,438 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 240
Unit 240 lies in Missoula and Ravalli counties and covers about 670 square miles. Ground runs from 3,393 to 8,438 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 240
Montana FWP's material on unit 240 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 Missoula and Ravalli counties. It runs to about 670 square miles.
The lines of the unit: Carlton Creek, Trapper Creek and Bass Peak
Montana FWP draws unit 240 in Missoula and Ravalli counties with a boundary that runs on US Highway 93 and Highway 93, and on Carlton Creek, Trapper Creek, Bass Peak and Bitterroot River, walked corner by corner in its hunting district legal descriptions. Read it as a frame, not as a hint about animals. What it does give you is the way in: the rivers and highways you cross, and the divides that decide which drainage you end up in.
High ground inside the line: El Capitan, Saint Joseph Peak and Como Peaks
Named high points inside the unit include El Capitan at 9,956 feet, Saint Joseph Peak at 9,585 feet, Como Peaks at 9,537 feet, Sugarloaf Peak at 9,520 feet and Saint Mary Peak at 9,332 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: Shannon Gulch, Haley Chute and Leavens Gulch
Below them sit Shannon Gulch at 4,198 feet, Haley Chute at 4,109 feet, Leavens Gulch at 3,988 feet, Hart Gulch at 3,979 feet and John Ogrin Gulch at 3,978 feet. That is the low country of the unit — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Reaching the edge of one before light beats reaching its middle at noon.
Water: Canyon Falls
The water inside the unit line comes to 270 mapped stream reaches, 79 lakes, 432 stock tanks and 1 springs. Named sources include Canyon Falls. On ground with that many tanks, knowing which two or three hold water in your season is the most useful thing a scouting trip can tell you.
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 3,393 feet to 8,438 feet, averaging 5,951 — that is a lot of vertical to cover, and it means the season you draw decides which half of the unit you hunt.
Unit 240 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 3,393–8,438 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,951 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
- 670.3 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
- 432 tanks
- 1 springs
- 270 stream segments
- 79 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: El Capitan (9,956 ft), Saint Joseph Peak (9,585 ft), Como Peaks (9,537 ft), Sugarloaf Peak (9,520 ft)
Holding ground: Bear Creek Pass (7,783 ft), One Horn Basin (6,514 ft), South Fork Meadows (5,814 ft), Canyon Falls
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 240
Elk Success Rates
Montana FWP's 2023 harvest estimates carry no elk row for unit 240 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) | 48 | 443 | 10.8% | — |
| Rifle — B License either sex (nonresident) | 1 | 13 | 7.7% | — |
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 240. 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 240?
What is the elk success rate in unit 240?
Where do you stay and resupply for a unit 240 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