Montana Unit 390 Moose Hunting Guide

Montana Unit 390 offers one of the most exclusive big game opportunities in the state: a limited-quota moose draw covering a unit that spans nearly 520,000 acres of elevation-diverse terrain, from valley floors near 3,793 feet up to alpine ridgelines topping out at 9,445 feet. For hunters chasing a Shiras moose tag in Montana, Unit 390 is a name that surfaces often in research — but understanding exactly what kind of hunt this is, and what to expect if drawn, requires digging into the actual numbers rather than general reputation.

This is not a unit with a general season fallback. Every moose hunt available in Unit 390 runs through Montana's limited-quota draw system, meaning the only way to hunt moose here is to be selected for one of the antlered/either-sex draw permits. There's no over-the-counter option, no backup general tag, and no walk-in opportunity. That exclusivity is central to understanding both the appeal and the difficulty of this unit.

Public land in Unit 390 sits at 33%, meaning the majority of the acreage here is privately held. That's an important number for anyone planning a DIY approach — with public access limited to roughly a third of the unit, hunters will need to do real homework on where public parcels lie relative to moose habitat, and many successful hunts in units like this rely on landowner relationships or careful pre-season scouting using mapping tools to identify legal access points. There is no wilderness designation in this unit (0%), so hunters won't face the guide requirements that apply in Wyoming's wilderness areas — this is Montana, where nonresidents can hunt public and permitted private land without a state-mandated outfitter.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 390 Worth Applying For?

The honest answer starts with the harvest data, because it tells a clear story. In each of the last three years on record — 2024, 2023, and 2022 — Unit 390 has seen exactly 2 hunters afield with 2 animals harvested, a 100% success rate every single year. That consistency matters. A perfect harvest rate across three consecutive seasons, with a tiny and stable number of hunters in the field, points to a unit where the moose population can comfortably support a very small quota, and where those who draw are extremely likely to fill their tag.

That said, hunters need to read this data correctly. A 100% success rate with only 2 hunters per year is not the same statistical signal as a 100% success rate across fifty tags. It reflects an extremely conservative, tightly managed quota — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is issuing very few permits here, and the moose that are available appear to be both huntable and, based on the harvest consistency, findable by hunters who put in the effort once they're standing in the unit with a tag in hand.

Regarding trophy potential, the counties overlapping Unit 390 carry a limited history of trophy-class entries in the record books. That doesn't mean big bulls don't exist here — Shiras moose across Montana are managed for quality on limited-quota units precisely because low hunting pressure allows animals to reach maturity — but the documented trophy history for this specific area is thin. Hunters should treat this as a unit where trophy potential is honestly uncertain rather than assume elite bull quality based on the tight quota alone. HuntPilot's data shows this is far more a "harvest opportunity with excellent odds of success once drawn" unit than a proven trophy factory.

Given all this, Unit 390 is worth applying for if a hunter's primary goal is landing a legitimate, high-percentage shot at a Shiras bull in a low-pressure environment, and if that hunter is prepared for the reality that this permit will take significant time to draw and that public land access will require careful planning given the 33% public ownership. It is a harder recommendation for someone chasing a documented trophy-book bull, since the trophy data here simply doesn't support that expectation with confidence.

Harvest Success Rates

The harvest numbers for Unit 390 are about as clean as data gets in a limited-quota system:

• 2024: 2 hunters, 2 harvested — 100% success
• 2023: 2 hunters, 2 harvested — 100% success
• 2022: 2 hunters, 2 harvested — 100% success

Three consecutive years of perfect harvest with an identical hunter count is a strong indicator that Montana FWP has calibrated the quota conservatively relative to the moose population and available habitat. When only 2 permits are issued and both hunters connect every single year, it suggests good visibility of animals, manageable terrain for locating moose once a hunter is in the field, and a herd that isn't being pushed past its sustainable offtake.

Hunters should not read this 100% figure as a guarantee — three years of a 2-hunter sample size is a small dataset, and moose hunting always carries variables like weather, timing, and individual hunter effort. But relative to many other big game hunts in the West, where success rates in the 20-40% range are common even on quality units, this is about as favorable a harvest trend as a hunter is likely to find.

Trophy Quality

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 390 shows a limited history of record-book entries. This means hunters should not go into this unit expecting it to be a proven producer of trophy-class bulls based on documented history. That's not necessarily a reflection of the unit's actual bull quality — many quality moose units carry thin trophy records simply because so few tags are ever issued, giving few opportunities for a truly exceptional bull to ever be measured and entered into the record books in the first place.

Given the extremely low hunter numbers pulling tags in Unit 390 each year, it's entirely plausible that mature bulls exist here that have simply never been scored or submitted. But hunters should not use that possibility as a substitute for real data. The honest position: trophy potential in Unit 390 is unproven and should be treated as a bonus rather than an expectation. Hunters whose primary motivation is a wall-hanger should look at units with a more established trophy pedigree; hunters whose primary motivation is a fair-chase Shiras bull in a low-competition environment will find this unit's harvest consistency far more compelling than its trophy record.

Access & Terrain

Unit 390 covers elevations from 3,793 feet up to 9,445 feet, a spread that puts a huge range of habitat types in play — from lower valley floors and riparian corridors, which are classic moose willow and browse habitat, up into higher alpine and subalpine terrain near the unit's upper elevation limit. Moose in Shiras country typically concentrate around willow-choked drainages, beaver pond complexes, and dense riparian brush at the lower-to-mid elevations of a unit like this, though hunters should use on-the-ground scouting and mapping tools to confirm current habitat conditions rather than assuming based on elevation alone.

Public land sits at 33% of the unit's roughly 519,426 total acres. That's a meaningful constraint: two-thirds of this unit is private property, so hunters need to identify exactly where the public parcels fall before assuming they'll have room to hunt. This is a unit where scouting with a detailed land-ownership layer — checking BLM and Forest Service boundaries against private inholdings — is essential before the season even starts. HuntPilot's mapping tools, including public land overlays, can help hunters pinpoint exactly which drainages and elevation bands fall on accessible ground versus private land requiring separate permission.

There is no wilderness acreage in Unit 390 (0%), so the Wyoming-style guide mandates that apply in some western states' wilderness areas are not a factor here. Montana does not require nonresidents to hire an outfitter to hunt public land in this unit. That said, given the private land majority, many hunters — particularly nonresidents unfamiliar with the area — do choose to work with a local guide or negotiate private land access, though this is a matter of practicality rather than legal requirement.

How to Apply

Montana moose tags are exclusively limited-quota draw permits — there is no general season and no over-the-counter option for moose anywhere in the state, including Unit 390. Every hunter, resident or nonresident, must apply through Montana's draw system and be selected before they can legally hunt moose in this unit.

Montana's system separates resident and nonresident applicants into different allocation pools, with residency status affecting both the competitiveness of the draw and the overall number of tags realistically available to out-of-state hunters. Nonresidents should expect this to be an extremely difficult permit to draw regardless of point status, as Montana moose tags are among the most heavily contested big game permits in any western state given how few are issued relative to demand.

Hunters accumulate preference under Montana's points-based system by applying in years they aren't selected, but the mechanics, current point distributions, and year-to-year quota adjustments change regularly. Because of that, this article won't cite specific application windows, fees, or point thresholds — those details shift from cycle to cycle and are best checked at the source.

For current application dates, fees, and draw odds specific to Unit 390, hunters should check HuntPilot's Montana state page at /states/mt, or consult Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks directly for the published regulations and application guide for the current cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is harvest success like in Montana Unit 390? Harvest success has been perfect for three consecutive years of available data — 2024, 2023, and 2022 all show 2 hunters afield and 2 moose harvested, a 100% success rate each year. This is a strong signal that hunters who draw a tag here have an excellent likelihood of filling it, though the sample size each year is small (only 2 hunters), so this should be read as a positive trend rather than a statistical guarantee.

How big are the moose in Unit 390? Trophy data for the counties overlapping this unit shows a limited history of documented trophy-class entries. This doesn't rule out mature bulls being present, but hunters shouldn't expect Unit 390 to be a proven trophy producer based on available records. Anyone drawing this tag should view a quality bull as a possibility rather than an expectation, and treat the hunt primarily as a high-percentage opportunity to harvest a Shiras moose rather than a targeted trophy pursuit.

What is the terrain like in Unit 390? The unit spans a wide elevation range, from 3,793 feet at its lowest to 9,445 feet at its highest points, across roughly 519,426 total acres. This range likely includes lower-elevation riparian and willow habitat favored by moose as well as higher alpine terrain at the unit's upper reaches. Public land makes up 33% of the unit, meaning most of the acreage is privately held — hunters need to carefully map accessible public parcels before the season.

Is Unit 390 worth applying for? For hunters focused on a legitimate, high-success-rate opportunity to harvest a Shiras moose, yes — the three-year harvest history shows perfect success rates for the handful of hunters drawn each year. For hunters specifically chasing a documented trophy bull, the limited trophy record history in the surrounding counties means this unit can't be recommended with confidence on that basis alone. It's a strong unit for opportunity, less certain for trophy potential.

Is Unit 390 a good option for nonresident hunters? Nonresidents can apply for Unit 390 through Montana's draw system, and since there's no wilderness acreage in this unit, there's no state-mandated outfitter requirement as there would be in some Wyoming wilderness units. However, with public land at only 33%, nonresident hunters unfamiliar with the area should plan carefully around access — identifying legal public parcels or securing private land permission — before assuming they'll have room to hunt once they draw.