Montana Unit 105 Moose Hunting Guide

Montana Unit 105 sits among the state's more storied moose country, offering a limited-entry hunt across 340,866 acres of mixed terrain that ranges from valley floor at 1,877 feet to alpine ridgelines topping out near 8,690 feet. For hunters chasing a Shiras moose tag in Montana, Unit 105 combines a high public-land footprint with a track record of solid harvest success — a rare combination in the moose-hunting world, where tags are scarce and competition for them is fierce almost everywhere.

This unit draws attention for good reason. Moose hunting in Montana is fundamentally different from deer or elk hunting — there's no over-the-counter option, no fallback general season, and for most nonresidents, a moose tag anywhere in the state represents the culmination of years of point accumulation. Unit 105 is one of the units hunters specifically target when that opportunity finally arrives, and understanding what the data says about it — success rates, land access, and trophy potential — matters enormously when a once-in-a-lifetime tag is on the line.

With 81% of the unit in public ownership and 16% falling within designated wilderness, Unit 105 gives hunters real room to roam without needing to negotiate private land access — a significant advantage for DIY-minded moose hunters who don't want their once-in-a-lifetime hunt bottlenecked by landowner permission issues.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 105 Worth Applying For?

Based on the data available through HuntPilot, Unit 105 stacks up as a strong option among Montana's moose units. The headline number is harvest success — this unit has consistently produced success rates that moose hunters in most western states would consider outstanding. Over the four most recent seasons with data, success rates ran 50% in 2024, 58% in 2023, 75% in 2022, and 44% in 2021. That's an average hovering around the mid-50s to low-60s percent range across four years, which is a strong sign of a healthy, huntable moose population and a unit where hunters who draw a tag have a genuine, well-above-coinflip chance of connecting.

It's worth noting the hunter numbers here are small — 12 hunters in 2024, 12 in 2023, 12 in 2022, and 9 in 2021. That's typical for moose management, where quotas are kept deliberately conservative to protect the herd, but it also means these percentages are built on small sample sizes and can swing meaningfully based on just one or two tag holders' outcomes in a given year. Still, four consecutive years of success rates at or above 44% — and three of four years above 50% — is a meaningful trend, not a fluke.

Combine that harvest performance with the qualitative trophy history for the surrounding counties, which shows a strong record of quality Shiras bulls coming out of this general area over time, and Unit 105 checks the boxes hunters look for: real opportunity to fill the tag, real public access to hunt it on, and a genuine chance at an above-average bull. For a species where tags are this hard to come by, that combination makes Unit 105 worth prioritizing on an application list.

The caveat is the same one that applies to every moose unit in the West: this is a long-term investment play for most nonresidents, and even residents should expect this to be a highly competitive draw. Nobody should build a moose hunting plan around a single unit without a realistic point strategy behind it.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 105's harvest numbers are the strongest data point in its favor. Here's the four-year breakdown:

• 2024: 12 hunters, 6 harvested — 50% success
• 2023: 12 hunters, 7 harvested — 58% success
• 2022: 12 hunters, 9 harvested — 75% success
• 2021: 9 hunters, 4 harvested — 44% success

Three of the last four years show success rates at or above 50%, with 2022 standing out as an exceptional year at 75%. Even the "low" year in this sample, 2021, still produced a 44% success rate, which by moose-hunting standards is respectable. Moose are not an easy animal to hunt under any circumstances — they're solitary, often bedded in thick timber or willow bottoms, and covering enough ground to find one in big, rugged country takes real effort. Success rates this consistent suggest a population that's both stable and visible enough for tag holders who put in the time to have a legitimate shot at filling their tag.

Hunters should keep the small sample size in mind — a unit issuing roughly a dozen tags a year means each individual hunter's outcome moves the percentage significantly. That said, the multi-year pattern here is more reliable than any single year's number, and the trend across 2021–2024 points toward a unit where hunters who draw can plan on a real chance at success, not just an expensive walk in the woods.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 105 points to a strong history of producing quality Shiras bulls. This region has a track record of trophy-class animals coming from the broader area over multiple seasons, which is worth noting given how rarely Shiras moose reach the upper tiers of the scoring scale compared to other moose subspecies. It's important to frame this correctly: record-book entries are attributed by county, not by hunt unit, so the entries associated with this area reflect animals taken anywhere within the overlapping counties — shared with neighboring units, not exclusive to Unit 105's boundaries.

That caveat aside, the qualitative signal is a positive one. A strong trophy history combined with the unit's above-average harvest success suggests hunters drawing a Unit 105 tag aren't just filling a tag on any legal bull — there's a real chance of connecting with an above-average animal if they're selective and willing to pass on younger bulls early in the hunt. For a species where most hunters will never draw more than one tag in a lifetime, that's a meaningful consideration when deciding how to hunt the tag once it's in hand.

Access & Terrain

Unit 105 offers a favorable access picture for a moose unit. At 81% public land, the large majority of the unit's 340,866 acres is open to hunters without needing private land permission — a significant advantage over many western hunting units where checkerboarded ownership forces hunters into negotiating access before they can even start scouting.

The 16% wilderness designation adds another layer to consider. Wilderness portions of the unit will require foot or horseback access — no motorized or mechanized travel, including bikes — which typically means less pressure and better odds of finding secluded, undisturbed moose in the deepest pockets of the unit. For hunters willing to pack in, that wilderness acreage can be some of the most productive and least-hunted ground available.

Elevation in Unit 105 spans an enormous range, from 1,877 feet up to 8,690 feet. That nearly 6,800-foot spread means the unit likely encompasses everything from lower-elevation river bottoms and valley floor habitat — prime moose country given the species' preference for willow-heavy riparian zones and wetlands — up through mid-elevation timber and into high alpine basins near treeline. Moose in this kind of country tend to concentrate around water: river drainages, beaver ponds, and wet meadows at the lower-to-mid elevations, particularly where dense willow growth provides both food and cover. Hunters scouting Unit 105 should focus time on these riparian corridors and drainage bottoms rather than assuming moose will be found on high, dry ridgelines.

Given the size of the unit and the terrain variation, hunters serious about scouting Unit 105 before the season should use mapping tools that let them overlay public land boundaries, elevation, and water sources simultaneously — HuntPilot's map tools, including the public land overlay and terrain layers, are built for exactly this kind of pre-season groundwork, letting hunters identify likely drainage bottoms and glassing points without guessing at property lines in the field.

How to Apply

Montana moose tags are allocated exclusively through a limited-entry draw — there is no over-the-counter option and no general season fallback for this species anywhere in the state. Every hunter, resident or nonresident, who wants to hunt Unit 105 for moose must apply through Montana's draw system and be successful before they can purchase a license.

Montana's moose draw operates on a preference-point-influenced system, and residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools with separate tag allocations. Nonresident tag numbers are capped at a small percentage of the total statewide quota, which makes nonresident moose tags in Montana — and in Unit 105 specifically — extraordinarily competitive to draw regardless of point history. Even residents with a strong number of accumulated points face a highly competitive process given how few tags this unit and the state as a whole make available in any given year.

Because moose tags are so limited, most serious applicants build a multi-unit strategy rather than fixating on a single unit, applying in a way that balances trophy potential and harvest success against realistic draw expectations for their point level and residency status.

Application structure, current point requirements, and year-specific draw data all change from cycle to cycle, so hunters should not rely on static figures. For the most current numbers on Unit 105 specifically, along with draw odds broken out by residency and point level, see HuntPilot's Montana state page at /states/mt, or check Unit 105's dedicated page on HuntPilot for the latest data as it's published each cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Unit 105? Unit 105 covers a broad elevation range from 1,877 feet up to 8,690 feet across 340,866 acres, meaning the unit includes everything from lower-elevation valley and river-bottom habitat up through timbered mid-elevations and into high alpine terrain near treeline. Moose typically concentrate in the lower-to-mid elevation riparian zones, willow bottoms, and wetland complexes where forage and cover are both abundant. With 81% public land and 16% falling in wilderness, hunters have substantial room to explore without needing private land permission, though the wilderness portions require non-motorized access.

What is harvest success like for moose in Unit 105? Harvest success has been strong and consistent in recent years: 50% in 2024, 58% in 2023, 75% in 2022, and 44% in 2021, based on a small annual quota of roughly 9–12 hunters per season. That's a notably higher success rate than most limited-entry big game hunts, suggesting hunters who draw a tag here have a real chance of connecting if they put in the scouting and fieldwork.

How big are the moose in Unit 105? Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 105 show a strong history of trophy-class Shiras bulls coming from this broader area over time. Because trophy records are logged by county rather than unit, these entries reflect animals taken across a wider geographic area shared with neighboring units — but the overall signal points to solid trophy potential for hunters who draw here and are selective in the field.

Is Unit 105 worth applying for? Based on the available data, yes — Unit 105 combines above-average harvest success, a high percentage of public land, meaningful wilderness acreage for hunters willing to go deep, and a strong regional trophy history. The main limiting factor isn't the unit itself but the broader reality of Montana moose hunting: tags are extremely scarce statewide, and this unit should be part of a longer-term point strategy rather than a one-year plan.

Do I need to draw a tag to hunt moose in Unit 105? Yes. Montana does not offer an over-the-counter or general-season option for moose anywhere in the state. Every hunter must be drawn through the limited-entry system before purchasing a license to hunt moose in Unit 105 or any other Montana unit.