Montana Unit 104 Moose Hunting Guide
Montana Unit 104 moose hunting draws interest from hunters willing to put in for one of the most difficult tags in North America — a limited-entry, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity set in the rugged country south of Troy, Montana, near the Keeler Mountain area close to the Idaho and British Columbia borders. This is classic northwest Montana Shiras moose habitat: thick timber, steep drainages, and a landscape that rewards patience and local knowledge in equal measure.
Unit 104 covers 145,948 acres, with elevations ranging from 1,807 feet up near the lower drainages to 6,920 feet at the higher ridgelines. Public land makes up 89% of the unit, which gives hunters drawn here substantial room to roam without needing to negotiate private access — a significant advantage for a species that requires covering ground to locate.
This is a limited-quota, draw-only hunt. Montana does not offer moose tags over the counter, and Unit 104 is no exception. Hunters fortunate enough to draw here are working with one of the scarcer tags in the state's moose program, and the data available on harvest and trophy history below should factor heavily into how hunters prepare for the season if they're lucky enough to pull a tag.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 104 Worth Applying For?
For hunters building points toward a Shiras moose tag, Unit 104 presents a genuinely compelling case, with some real caveats worth understanding before investing years of point accumulation.
On the positive side, the trophy history tied to the counties overlapping this unit shows a strong track record of producing trophy-class bulls over time — this is a legitimate area to pursue a wall-worthy Shiras moose, not just a tag to fill the freezer. Combined with 89% public land access, hunters who draw here have the terrain available to hunt hard and hunt right, rather than being boxed into small parcels or needing to negotiate private landowner permission.
The harvest numbers, however, tell a more nuanced story. Over the four most recent seasons with data — 2021 through 2024 — Unit 104 issued just 5 hunters per year, reflecting how tightly controlled this hunt is. Success rates have swung considerably: 100% in 2024, 60% in 2023, a notable dip to 40% in 2022, and back up to 100% in 2021. With a sample size this small, each individual hunter's outcome moves the percentage dramatically — a single bull taken or missed shifts the success rate by 20 points. That volatility is the nature of a 5-tag hunt, and hunters shouldn't read too much into any single year's number in isolation. What the data does show is that over a four-year stretch, success has ranged from a tough season to perfect seasons, with no clear downward trend that would signal a population in trouble.
One forum report referenced in local hunting discussion claimed moose numbers were "way down" in the Keeler Mountain area near the Idaho border, with a hunter spending a full week in that country without seeing a single moose. That kind of on-the-ground frustration is common with Shiras moose — they exist at low densities even in healthy habitat, and thick timber in this unit can make them exceptionally difficult to locate even when they're present. The harvest data doesn't show a collapsing population (two of the last four years posted 100% success), but hunters should expect this to be a grind requiring serious scouting time, not a hunt where bulls show themselves readily.
The bottom line: Unit 104 is worth applying for if hunters have the patience for a multi-year point strategy and the willingness to put in serious pre-season scouting once drawn. The trophy potential is real, the public land access is excellent, but this is thick, demanding country and moose are notoriously difficult to pattern here.
Harvest Success Rates
Montana Unit 104's moose harvest data reflects a small-quota hunt where year-to-year variance is expected and shouldn't be over-interpreted:
- 2024: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
- 2023: 5 hunters, 3 harvested — 60% success
- 2022: 5 hunters, 2 harvested — 40% success
- 2021: 5 hunters, 5 harvested — 100% success
Across these four seasons, the unit averaged out to a strong overall success rate, but with meaningful dips in individual years. Hunters should treat 2022's 40% success as a reminder that even in a unit with a healthy harvest history, Shiras moose hunting in thick, mountainous terrain can produce tough seasons. The consistent thread is that tag numbers remain extremely low — just 5 hunters per year across the entire period — which keeps hunting pressure minimal but also means the sample size is too small to draw firm statistical conclusions about trend direction. The two years of 100% success suggest that when hunters commit the time to properly scout and locate a bull before the season, success is very achievable here.
Trophy Quality
The counties overlapping Unit 104 carry a strong history of producing trophy-class Shiras moose, based on record-book entries tied to the broader geographic area. This points to exceptional trophy potential for hunters who draw this tag and put in the scouting effort to find a mature bull. It's worth noting that trophy-record entries are logged at the county level and are shared across all units within those county boundaries — meaning the record-class animals attributed to this area could have been taken anywhere within the overlapping counties, not necessarily within Unit 104's exact boundaries. Still, the pedigree of the broader region gives hunters real confidence that mature, well-developed bulls are present and have been taken from this general country historically.
Given the thick, heavily timbered terrain described by local hunters, locating a genuinely trophy-class bull will likely require more time glassing and calling than in more open moose country. Hunters serious about trophy potential should plan on extended scouting trips before the season to pattern bulls in specific drainages, since the terrain does not lend itself to spot-and-stalk tactics from a distance.
Herd Health & Population Trends
Hard survey data specific to bull-to-cow ratios is not available for Unit 104 in the structured data provided here, so herd health should be inferred cautiously from harvest trends and local reports. The harvest numbers show the unit has produced moose in three of the last four years at 60% success or better, including two years of 100% success, which doesn't suggest a herd in freefall. At the same time, forum reports from hunters in the field — including one describing a full week scouting the Keeler Mountain and border country without a single moose sighting — align with broader regional concerns about Shiras moose densities in northwest Montana. Moose populations across much of this region have faced documented pressure in recent decades from a combination of factors including habitat change, parasite loads, and predation, though unit-specific population survey data isn't included here to confirm or deny that trend for Unit 104 specifically.
Hunters drawing this tag should go into the season with realistic expectations: this is low-density moose habitat where even a successful hunter may go days without seeing an animal, and persistence and pre-season legwork matter more here than in units with denser moose populations.
Access & Terrain
Unit 104 offers 89% public land, which is a strong figure and means the vast majority of the unit's 145,948 acres is open to hunters without needing private landowner permission. There is no wilderness designation within this unit (0% wilderness), which means there are no special guide requirements and hunters can access public land here using standard means, including motorized access on established roads where permitted.
The elevation range of 1,807 to 6,920 feet spans from lower valley bottoms to higher ridge country, giving hunters a range of habitat types to scout depending on the time of year and weather conditions. Local hunter reports describe the terrain south of Troy as thick country, consistent with the dense timber typical of northwest Montana's moose range. This vegetation density is a double-edged sword: it provides excellent cover and feed for moose, but it also makes visual location of bulls challenging, rewarding hunters who scout specific drainages ahead of the season rather than relying on covering large amounts of ground during the hunt itself.
Given the high percentage of public land, DIY hunters have ample room to explore multiple drainages and elevation bands without being blocked by private inholdings. The combination of abundant public access and genuinely difficult, thick terrain means success in Unit 104 tends to favor hunters who've done their homework — multiple scouting trips, time spent glassing at dawn and dusk, and a willingness to still-hunt through dense cover.
How to Apply
Montana moose tags, including Unit 104, are allocated through a limited-entry draw system — there is no over-the-counter option for moose in this unit or anywhere in Montana's moose program. Both resident and nonresident hunters must apply through the draw, and Montana's point system plays a significant role in long-term odds for both groups.
Because moose is a once-in-a-lifetime species in many western states' frameworks and tags are extremely limited (as reflected by the 5-hunter annual quota seen in Unit 104's harvest data), successful draw strategy typically involves applying consistently over multiple years while building preference. Resident and nonresident applicants are generally evaluated in separate pools, and nonresident tag numbers are typically far more limited than resident allocations in Montana's moose draw.
Given the complexity and year-to-year changes in Montana's point system, quota allocations, and application timelines, hunters should not rely on generalized information for planning. Application windows, fees, and current draw odds change annually. For the most current details on how to apply for Unit 104 moose, including point requirements and deadlines, see HuntPilot's Montana state page at /states/mt or Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the terrain like in Unit 104? Unit 104 features elevations ranging from 1,807 to 6,920 feet across 145,948 acres in northwest Montana, near Troy and the Idaho and British Columbia borders. Local hunter reports describe the country as thick and heavily timbered, particularly in the Keeler Mountain area, which makes visual location of moose challenging and rewards hunters who scout extensively before the season.
What is harvest success like in Unit 104 moose hunting? Harvest success has varied significantly year to year due to the very small number of tags issued — just 5 hunters annually. Recent seasons show 100% success in 2024, 60% in 2023, 40% in 2022, and 100% in 2021. The variability reflects the small sample size rather than a clear trend, but the unit has produced moose in most recent seasons.
How big are the moose in Unit 104? Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 104 show a strong history of producing trophy-class Shiras moose, suggesting exceptional trophy potential for hunters willing to put in the scouting time to locate a mature bull. Because record-book entries are tracked at the county level, this trophy pedigree reflects the broader region rather than confirmed unit-exact locations.
Is Unit 104 worth applying for? For hunters focused on trophy potential and willing to commit to a multi-year point strategy, yes — the combination of strong regional trophy history and 89% public land access makes this a legitimate unit to target. Hunters should temper expectations around ease of hunting, though, since forum reports and harvest variability both point to low moose densities and difficult, thick terrain that demands serious pre-season scouting.
Does Unit 104 require a guide for nonresident hunters? No. Unit 104 has 0% wilderness designation, so Wyoming's wilderness guide requirement (which applies only in Wyoming) is not relevant here, and Montana does not impose a similar statewide guide mandate for this unit. Nonresident hunters can hunt Unit 104 DIY, though given the difficulty of the terrain, many choose to invest in scouting trips or local knowledge beforehand.