© Paul Queneau, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation


This "Living With Wildlife: Missoula Elk Herds" brochure summarizes information on the herds (1 megabyte Acrobat file).
Missoula's Elk Herds

About 800 elk spend the winter on the outskirts of Missoula, MT, migrating to the mountains for the summer and fall.


This map was prepared based on the observations of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Biologist Bob Henderson. The solid areas are winter ranges. Arrows show the direction the herds travel during their summer migrations. (Map by Kristi DuBois)
Winter ranges ring town [click on map for a larger version] in the Miller and O’Brien Creek drainages, in the North Hills, on Mount Jumbo, and in the hills near Evaro and Lolo.

In Montana, the productivity of winter ranges (where elk spend most of the winter months) usually controls the size of the elk herds. Most of the elk return to their winter ranges by December 1, when snows have made the mountains inhospitable.

Among Missoula’s elk herds, some habitat protection has been provided for the winter ranges of the Mount Jumbo, North Hills, and O’Brien Creek elk herds.

The herds that winter the closest to one another yet are the most different are the Mount Jumbo and North Hills elk herds. The Mount Jumbo herd has not grown significantly in recent years and has a limited winter range. For those reasons, it’s managed conservatively.

The North Hills herd has been growing and has expanded its winter range to include the ranches between Grant and Butler Creeks. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has tried to increase hunting pressure on that herd to control its growth, so far without success. "Wearing Out Their Welcome ... Are Missoula's North Hills elk too much of a good thing?"


These elk were wintering on the National Wildlife Federation’s property
in Grant Creek (Bert Lindler photo).