Montana Spring Black Bear Hunt '26
- At Montana High Country, we have a hard working, professional staff and A-1 top-notch equipment. Personal service is a must on all of our hunts. To insure this we limit the number of clients per week and have a low client to guide ratio, either 1 on 1 or 2 on 1, unless other arrangements are made. We have the exclusive commercial hunting rights to 250,000 acres of the Beaverhead National Forest, BLM, Montana State Lands and private property where the elevations range from 5,000 feet up to 11,000 feet. Our hunting terrain varies from wind swept peaks above timberline to heavily wooded forest areas, from open ridges and parks to sagebrush-covered hillsides and even dense willow covered river bottoms on private ranches. Our families have been hunting this same area for 3 generations.
- We have been outfitting in this area for 35 plus years, which totals to over 2500 days of guiding hunters in the same area. This gives you a real advantage in taking your trophy. Our guides have years of local hunting experience both archery and rifle and are experts in their field, giving you that extra edge. All of this translates into a high success rate for our hunters each year. We have a very high percentage of hunters that return year after year and will gladly provide references to anyone seriously considering one of our hunts.
- Preserving the memories is as important as the trip itself and our guides are professionals at caring for your game, trophies and photographs. Whether you are staying in a backcountry tent camp or our guest lodge you will sleep in a comfortable bed that will leave you rested and ready for another day of hunting here in our mountain paradise. Delicious, all you can eat, family style cuisine is prepared by our cooks.
- 17,000 non-resident Elk – Deer combination and 4600 non-resident Deer combination licenses are sold on a first come – first serve basis with an April 1st license application deadline. Should the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks receive more applications in either category than available licenses by the April 1st deadline, a computerized drawing will take place. Applications must be completed and returned to the MFWP by April 1st. If you decide to book after the April 1st application deadline contact us to see if there are remaining unsold licenses. Unsold licenses are sold online on a first come – first serve basis until quota is reached or the hunting season ends. Note – these licenses have not sold out for the past 4 years. Also recent legislation has created a preference point system for nonresident elk and deer licenses. We are happy to assist our nonresident hunting clients with understanding and using this preference point system when applying for elk or deer.
- Elk hunting is our specialty, we offer Elk – Deer Combination hunts, Elk – Antelope Combination hunts or an Elk only hunts and will assist hunters with making to correct application. We suggest all nonresident applicants purchase a preference point when applying for elk or deer and a bonus point when applying for all other Montana Big Game licenses. MFWP License applications links can be found at the bottom of this page.
- The moose, mountain goat and bighorn sheep permits are available through a lottery and must be applied for by May 1st, all other special permits must be applied for by June 1st of each year. The bear or wolf licenses are available over the counter but must be purchased 5 days prior to hunting.
About this hunt
| Hunting season: | Apr 15, 2026 - Jun 15, 2026 |
Where you will hunt
Territory
| Fence type: | Not fenced |
| Territory size: | 250,000 acres |
| Languages spoken by staff: | English |
| Operating since: | 1979 year |
Where you will stay
The Lodge
How to get there
Navigation guidelines
| Nearest airport: | Butte Airport |
| Transfer from airport: | Yes |
| Transfer from railway: | No |
Other information
| Gun rental: | No |
| Vaccination required: | No |
Terms
Price includes
- Accommodation
- Transport on territory
- Transfer from/to airport
- Hunting license
- Guiding by PH
- Field trophy preparation
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Beverages/soft drinks
- Housekeeping
Price does NOT include
- Alcoholic drinks
- Gratuities
Cancellation
Deposits are non-refundableWounding
All efforts will be made to find a wounded animalPayment
Deposit
Final payment
Paid onsiteTAGs & licenses
Big Game
Montana offers a wide array of big game and is a desired destination for many hunters. Licensing procedures differ for residents and non-residents. All hunters must purchase a Conservation License and a Base Hunting License as prerequisites before buying any big game tags which are a mixture of over-the-counter and draws.
Residents have preferences with obtaining big game tags and have access to some over-the-counter options, whereas non-residents are restricted to the combination license quota available by draw only.
Some big game hunts (sheep, moose, goat, bison) are essentially resident-only due to very low non-resident tag availability. Also, Montana sets aside a portion of non-resident tags for those who use a licensed outfitter.
Deer & Elk: Resident hunters need General Deer and General Elk licenses which are available over the counter each year and can obtain Deer and Elk permits via draw or OTC depending on the area. Non-residents must apply for Combination Licenses (Big Game Combo for Elk+Deer, or Deer Combo, or Elk Combo) via a lottery draw held in spring. These combination licenses also include upland birds and fishing permits. Most application deadlines are by April 1st.
Pronghorn (Antelope) licenses are issued by lottery for both residents and non-residents – you must apply by the deadline (usually early June) and tags are limited.
Moose, Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain Goat tags are extremely limited and allocated by lottery to residents (with a very small quota for non-residents, up to 10% in each draw), these are considered to be once-in-a-lifetime hunts.
Montana’s Black bear and Mountain lion licenses can be purchased over the counter. Bear licenses must be bought by a set deadline and are quota-limited in-season (hunters must check closure status of zones). Mountain lion licenses are sold OTC to residents and non-residents (with a limit of one per person) and are also subject to regional harvest quotas – if a zone’s quota is reached, the season closes.
Small Game
Montana does not require a separate small game license; the Conservation License plus Base Hunting License allows residents and non-residents to hunt upland game birds and small game.
However, upland game bird hunters (pheasant, grouse, partridge, turkey in fall, etc.) need an Upland Game Bird License. For Turkey, a separate turkey tag must be purchased – these are sold OTC for general areas (some districts have a limited permit by draw).
Montana also has numerous district-specific licenses for certain small game hunts (e.g., special wild turkey permits, sandhill crane permits in specific areas are available by drawing only).
Migratory bird hunters must obtain a Montana Migratory Bird License and also have a Federal Duck Stamp and HIP registration
Small game species like Coyote, Prairie dogs, Rabbits, etc., do not require special permits (they can be hunted with the base license; in fact, Coyotes and Prairie dogs are unregulated in Montana). Trapping of furbearers requires a separate Trapping license for species like Bobcat or Beaver.
Documents Needed
- Conservation License
- Base Hunting License
- Big Game or Turkey Tags/Licenses – Specific to species
- Upland Game Bird License
- Migratory Bird License (State) + HIP + Federal Duck Stamp
- Hunter Education Certificate
Minimum Hunter Age
Montana’s minimum hunting age is 12 for unsupervised youth who have completed hunter education. However, Montana has an Apprentice Hunter program that allows youth ages 10 and 11 to hunt under close supervision without having completed hunter education.
Links to More Information
- fwp.mt.gov - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
This price includes:
trips worldwide
with no booking fees
from other hunters