Montana Unit 513 Moose Hunting Guide
Montana Unit 513 is one of the state's limited-quota moose units, sitting in rugged, high-elevation country that ranges from roughly 3,983 feet up to 12,651 feet across 423,923 acres. For hunters chasing a Shiras moose tag in Montana, this unit offers a genuine backcountry experience — but with tag numbers this small, understanding exactly how the draw and hunt structure work here is essential before investing points or planning a trip.
This is not a general-season unit. Every moose hunt in Unit 513 is limited-quota, meaning hunters must draw a tag through Montana's application process before they can hunt — there is no over-the-counter option for moose here, and there never will be given how conservatively these tags are managed statewide. With 65% of the unit in public ownership and 40% designated wilderness, Unit 513 rewards hunters willing to get deep into rough, remote terrain, but it also demands real physical preparation and, in many cases, careful logistics for accessing wilderness country.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 513 Worth Applying For?
The honest answer depends entirely on what a hunter is looking for. Unit 513 is an extremely low-volume unit — recent harvest data shows just a single hunter afield per year in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, with 100% success in each of the three years where harvest was recorded. That perfect success rate is notable, but it comes with an important caveat: when only one hunter is drawn per year, a 100% success rate reflects an extremely small sample, not a guarantee. It does tell hunters that when a tag is drawn here, the animal is very likely to come home — but it says nothing about how difficult it is to draw that tag in the first place.
Tag quotas for the hunts identified in the data (513-50 and 513-50-A) have held at a single tag for both 2024 and 2025, before increasing to two tags for 2026 — a 100% increase in raw numbers, though still a tiny allocation in absolute terms. This is a unit where demand for tags is heavily contested and the numbers are managed extremely conservatively by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Hunters should not read the quota increase as evidence of a trend; with quotas this small, a single additional tag can double the allocation without reflecting any broader shift in herd management philosophy.
For hunters building points and asking whether this specific unit deserves a spot on their list, Unit 513 makes sense for someone who values solitude, wants a genuine wilderness moose hunt, and is comfortable with tag numbers so low that success statistics are more anecdotal than predictive. It's a poor fit for hunters who want higher-volume data to lean on or who are hoping for a unit with a more forgiving draw. This is a long-term point unit, and hunters should treat every year's application as a long-odds proposition regardless of how many points they're carrying.
Access & Terrain
Unit 513 spans an enormous elevation gradient — from valley floors near 3,983 feet to alpine peaks topping out at 12,651 feet — which means moose habitat within the unit can vary dramatically depending on where in that range a hunter is hunting. Sixty-five percent of the unit's 423,923 acres sits in public ownership, which gives DIY hunters a solid base of accessible ground, though the remaining 35% in private hands means careful attention to boundaries is necessary, particularly at lower elevations where valley bottoms and riparian corridors — prime moose habitat — often sit on private land.
The standout feature of this unit is its wilderness character: 40% of the total acreage falls within designated wilderness. That's a substantial share, and it has real implications for how hunters plan their season. Wilderness travel means no motorized access — hunters going after moose in the wilderness portion of Unit 513 should plan on foot or stock-based access, longer pack-in distances, and a genuine backcountry logistics plan for retrieving a downed animal. Moose are large animals, and a bull taken deep in wilderness terrain represents a substantial packing effort; hunters should factor this into their preparation well before opening day.
Montana does not impose Wyoming-style outfitter requirements for nonresidents hunting wilderness, so DIY hunters from out of state are free to hunt the wilderness portions of Unit 513 without hiring a guide — but the terrain itself is the real obstacle. Given the elevation range and the amount of true wilderness ground, hunters should be realistic about physical conditioning, pack-out logistics, and the value of scouting trips or at minimum thorough map study before the season. HuntPilot's map tools, including public land overlays and wilderness boundary layers, are a good starting point for identifying where the accessible public ground intersects with the kind of open, wet meadow and willow-bottom habitat moose favor.
Harvest Success Rates
The available harvest data for Unit 513 is limited but consistent. In 2024, one hunter pursued moose in the unit and harvested one animal, a 100% success rate. The same pattern held in 2023 and 2022 — one hunter, one harvest, 100% success each year. In 2021, one hunter was recorded afield, though harvest outcome data for that year is not included here.
This unbroken string of 100% success is a real data point, but hunters need to interpret it correctly. With only one hunter drawn in most years, this is not a statistically meaningful success rate in the way a unit with dozens of hunters would provide — it simply reflects that the handful of hunters who have drawn tags here in recent years found and harvested a moose. It does suggest that moose are present and huntable within the unit, and that hunters who do draw are putting in the effort to close the deal, likely aided by scouting, local knowledge, and the low hunter density that comes from such a restrictive quota. But it should not be read as a promise of success — every year is effectively its own small sample.
Trophy Quality
Trophy data for Unit 513 and the surrounding counties is limited. The available records point to a limited trophy history in this area, without the kind of sustained or notable production seen in some of the state's more storied moose country. This doesn't mean quality bulls aren't present — Shiras moose in Montana's wilderness units can still produce respectable animals — but hunters going into Unit 513 should not expect it to be known as a trophy destination based on the records available. Given the low number of tags issued and correspondingly few animals harvested each year, there simply isn't a large enough sample of taken bulls to draw firm conclusions about the unit's ceiling. Hunters serious about trophy potential should treat this as an opportunity-and-experience unit first, with any exceptional bull as a bonus rather than an expectation.
How to Apply
Montana moose tags are issued exclusively through a limited-quota draw — there is no general season and no over-the-counter option anywhere in the state for this species. Both residents and nonresidents must apply through Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' license system, and Montana uses a bonus-point structure (squared-point weighting) for moose, meaning each additional point a hunter holds increases their number of entries in the draw pool exponentially rather than guaranteeing a tag at any point level. Resident and nonresident applicants draw from separate pools, and nonresident tag numbers are capped well below resident allocations, as is standard practice for limited-quota moose management across the state.
Given that Unit 513's identified hunts (513-50 and 513-50-A) have carried tag numbers as low as a single tag in recent years, hunters should expect this unit to remain heavily contested and to require a long-term point strategy for both residents and nonresidents. A successful draw will consume accumulated points, so hunters need to plan for rebuilding from zero after they draw.
Application dates and fees change every cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Montana page at /states/mt, or check the Unit 513 page directly on HuntPilot for the latest quota and application details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Unit 513 worth applying for as a moose hunter? It depends on what a hunter values. The unit offers genuine wilderness moose hunting with 40% of its acreage in designated wilderness and 65% public land overall, and the limited harvest data available shows perfect success in recent years. But tag numbers are extremely small — as low as a single tag for some hunts — making this a long-term points play rather than a unit where hunters can expect to draw quickly. It's worth applying for if a hunter is patient and prioritizes a remote, low-pressure hunt over draw speed.
What is the terrain like in Unit 513? The unit covers an enormous elevation range, from valley bottoms around 3,983 feet up to alpine terrain at 12,651 feet. With 40% of the unit in designated wilderness, much of the best habitat requires foot or stock access rather than vehicle travel. Hunters should expect a mix of accessible public ground at lower-to-mid elevations and true backcountry conditions in the wilderness portions.
What is harvest success like in Unit 513? Recorded harvest data shows 100% success in 2024, 2023, and 2022, each with a single hunter afield who harvested a moose. In 2021, one hunter was recorded without harvest outcome data available. These numbers reflect an extremely small sample size due to the tightly limited quota, so while the trend is positive, it shouldn't be treated as a statistically robust success rate.
How big are the moose in Unit 513? Trophy record data for the counties overlapping this unit shows a limited history of trophy-class entries. This suggests Unit 513 is not a unit with a strong trophy pedigree based on available records, though the very low number of animals harvested each year makes it hard to fully assess the unit's trophy ceiling. Hunters should approach this as an opportunity hunt rather than a unit targeted specifically for trophy potential.
Do nonresidents need a guide to hunt moose in Unit 513's wilderness area? No — Montana does not require nonresidents to hire an outfitter or guide to hunt wilderness areas, unlike some neighboring states. Nonresident hunters are free to pursue a DIY hunt in the wilderness portions of Unit 513, though the remote terrain and lack of motorized access make careful planning, physical conditioning, and pack-out logistics especially important.