SHED HAPPENS
← FIELD SCHOOL

Montana shed hunting rules

Montana residents need no license to pick up sheds anywhere in the state, including Wildlife Management Areas — FWP's own site says nothing changed for residents. New for the 2026 season: nonresidents must buy a $50 Nonresident Shed Hunting License to collect on a WMA, and must wait 7 days after each WMA's spring opening while residents get first access. Off WMA land, nonresidents need no license either. WMAs managed as big-game winter range are closed to all entry from Dec 1 to noon on May 15, and collecting antlers on a closed WMA is prohibited.

LAST CHECKED August 29, 2026 · RULES CHANGE — CONFIRM WITH MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS (FWP) BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT.

SEASONAL CLOSURES
All FWP Wildlife Management Areas (or portions) managed as big-game winter range, statewide
Closed to all public entry Dec 1 (11:59 p.m.) – May 15 (noon) every year, with named per-WMA exceptions (Mt. Jumbo opens May 1; Swan Valley is open year-round)

Set by: Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission (WMA public-use rules, citing MCA 87-1-102(2)(f))

Blackfoot-Clearwater WMA (the flagship shed-hunting WMA)
Reopens May 15 at noon; residents may enter at opening, nonresidents wait until May 22, 2026 and must hold the $50 license

Set by: Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission / FWP

LICENSES & REQUIREMENTS
  • ▸Residents: no license or fee to collect sheds anywhere in Montana, including WMAs.
  • ▸Nonresidents off WMA land: no license required.
  • ▸Nonresidents on a WMA: $50 Nonresident Shed Hunting License required, plus a 7-day wait after each WMA's spring opening (2026 season).
  • ▸Everyone 12+ needs a Montana conservation license just to set foot on a WMA (any hunting or fishing license includes it).
PROPOSED & PENDING CHANGES

No pending rule changes found as of the last check.

CONSERVATION INTEL
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE · WILD DEER & ELK
49 hunting districts

CWD has been documented in free-ranging deer or elk in 49 hunting districts as of May 2026. Captive-cervid detections are also on record in 4 counties.

SHOW THE HUNTING DISTRICTS (49)

100 · 103 · 104 · 170 · 213 · 301 · 304 · 309 · 311 · 312 · 314 · 317 · 320 · 322 · 323 · 324 · 340 · 400 · 401 · 403 · 404 · 405 · 406 · 419 · 471 · 502 · 515 · 525 · 555 · 575 · 590 · 600 · 620 · 621 · 622 · 630 · 640 · 650 · 670 · 690 · 700 · 701 · 702 · 703 · 704 · 705 · Flathead Indian Reservation · Blackfeet Indian Reservation · Fort Peck Indian Reservation

SOURCE: USGS NATIONAL WILDLIFE HEALTH CENTER — CWD DISTRIBUTION BY STATE AND COUNTY, VER. 4.0 (AUG 2026). THIS STATE REPORTS BY HUNT UNIT, NOT COUNTY.

MAPPED MIGRATIONS · USGS CORRIDOR MAPPING
Not in the USGS series

Montana's herds are not part of the USGS report series — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks maps its migrations separately.

SOURCE: USGS — UNGULATE MIGRATIONS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, VOLS. 1–6

WHO'S BUYING TAGS
PAID HUNTING LICENSE HOLDERS · 2005–2024
233,193
IN 2024
+0.3%
YEAR OVER YEAR
−2.7%
SINCE 2014
20%
NONRESIDENT LICENSES
20052024

Every state reports these numbers to the federal government on the same terms, so they compare cleanly across states. A license holder is a person — one hunter can buy several licenses or tags in a season.

SOURCE: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE — HUNTING LICENSE CERTIFICATIONS. FEDERAL DATA RUNS TWO YEARS BEHIND; 2024 IS THE MOST RECENT SALES YEAR PUBLISHED.

SOURCES

THE ENABLING BILL NUMBER COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED ON THE LEGISLATURE'S SITE (NEWS REPORTS ATTRIBUTE IT TO HB897, 2025 SESSION); VIOLATION PENALTIES WEREN'T STATED IN ANY PRIMARY SOURCE LOADED.