Montana Unit 514 Moose Hunting Guide

Montana Unit 514 moose hunting draws attention from hunters willing to play the long game for one of the West's most sought-after big game tags. Spanning 1,143,770 acres with elevations ranging from 3,087 to 12,542 feet, this unit offers the kind of vertical relief and habitat diversity that moose depend on — from valley bottoms and riparian willow flats up through timbered slopes into high alpine basins. For hunters who eventually draw, Unit 514 has proven to be a unit where a tag translates into a harvested animal.

Moose hunting in Montana is fundamentally a lottery of patience. Unlike deer or elk, moose tags in units like 514 are capped at a handful of permits per year, and the application system rewards hunters who understand that drawing is the hard part — filling the tag, based on the data available, is comparatively less of an obstacle here. This article breaks down what the numbers actually show for Unit 514, what the terrain and access look like, and whether it's worth adding to an application strategy.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 514 Worth Applying For?

Based on data compiled by HuntPilot, Unit 514 stands out for one simple reason: hunters who draw a tag here tend to succeed. Across the last four reported seasons, harvest success in Unit 514 has been outstanding — 100% in 2024, 100% in 2023, 50% in 2022, and 100% in 2021. That's a total of 16 harvested moose out of 18 hunters across those four years, a success rate most western big game hunts simply cannot match.

That level of consistency matters because moose hunts are almost always "once-in-a-lifetime" tags for the hunters who draw them. A unit where nearly every tag holder connects removes a huge amount of risk from what is already an expensive, hard-to-draw pursuit. The tradeoff is that this is genuinely limited-entry hunting — tag numbers are small, quotas moved from 4 to 6 total tags between the 2025 and 2026 cycles for both the 514-50 and 514-50-A hunt types, a 50% increase, but that still represents a very small number of total tags spread across resident and nonresident applicant pools.

Trophy data for the counties overlapping Unit 514 shows a limited history of record-book entries. That doesn't mean the unit doesn't produce mature bulls — it means hunters shouldn't count on this being a unit with a deep trophy pedigree. For most applicants, the appeal of 514 is the combination of a legitimate shot at a bull moose and a track record of hunters actually filling their tags once they draw, not the promise of chasing a record-class animal.

The verdict: Unit 514 is worth applying for if a hunter is building a long-term moose strategy in Montana and values harvest reliability over trophy potential. It's not a unit to chase for score, but it is a unit where, historically, showing up with a tag in hand has meant going home with a moose.

Harvest Success Rates

The harvest numbers out of Unit 514 are the strongest data point in favor of this unit. Over the four most recently reported seasons:

• 2024: 4 hunters, 4 harvested — 100% success
• 2023: 4 hunters, 4 harvested — 100% success
• 2022: 4 hunters, 2 harvested — 50% success
• 2021: 6 hunters, 6 harvested — 100% success

Three of the last four years show perfect or near-perfect harvest rates, with the single dip to 50% in 2022 still representing a respectable outcome for a species as difficult to locate and pattern as moose. Averaged across these four years, roughly 89% of hunters who drew a tag in Unit 514 went home with a moose. That's an unusually strong track record, and it suggests that hunters who invest the years required to draw this tag can plan the hunt with real confidence that effort and preparation will pay off once the permit is in hand.

It's worth noting these are small sample sizes — four to six hunters per year — which is typical for limited-entry moose hunts. A single unfilled tag swings the percentage significantly, as seen in 2022. Hunters should view the multi-year trend (strong, consistent success) as more meaningful than any single year in isolation.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records for the counties overlapping Unit 514 show a limited history of entries. This means hunters chasing a record-book bull should temper expectations — the data does not support characterizing this as a unit with a deep or consistent trophy pedigree. That said, limited record-book history doesn't equate to poor moose; it simply means fewer animals from this area have been documented in trophy record books relative to units with a longer or more prolific trophy history.

Hunters targeting 514 should approach the tag with the mindset of harvesting a mature, representative bull rather than specifically hunting for score. Given the high harvest success rates discussed above, the realistic expectation for most successful applicants is a solid, huntable bull rather than a record-class animal — and for most moose hunters drawing a once-in-a-lifetime tag, that's an entirely satisfying outcome.

Access & Terrain

Unit 514 covers 1,143,770 acres of country with dramatic elevation change, running from 3,087 feet at the low end up to 12,542 feet at the highest points. That range spans river-bottom and valley habitat all the way to alpine peaks, which means moose in this unit can be found across a wide variety of elevation bands and habitat types depending on season and pressure — from willow-choked drainages favored by moose in summer and early fall to timbered benches and high basins later in the year.

Public land in Unit 514 sits at 28%, meaning the majority of the unit — 72% — is privately held. This is a critical planning factor for any hunter drawing a tag here: DIY access will be constrained to that smaller public-land footprint, and hunters need to identify exactly where public ground lies before assuming they can hunt freely across the unit. Landowner permission, lease arrangements, or careful mapping of public parcels will be essential parts of any scouting plan. Hunters should use HuntPilot's public land mapping tools to identify exactly which blocks of the 28% public land fall within reasonable access of moose habitat before the season starts.

Wilderness acreage accounts for 12% of the unit. That's a meaningful chunk of country that will require more physical effort to access — pack-in style hunting, further from roads, and generally less pressured — but it's a minority share of the unit overall, so most of the accessible public ground here is not designated wilderness.

Given the terrain gradient in this unit, hunters should plan scouting trips that cover multiple elevation bands. Early-season moose tend to hold near water and heavy cover at lower-to-mid elevations, while animals may shift with pressure and forage availability as the season progresses. Glassing from vantage points that overlook riparian corridors and willow bottoms, cross-referenced against the public/private boundary lines, is the most efficient way to build a shortlist of areas worth walking into.

How to Apply

Montana's moose draw operates on an annual application cycle with points, and Unit 514 tags are issued through this same system.

Factor this into the total cost of applying, not just the tag fee that's paid only upon drawing.

Tag quotas for Unit 514 have moved in a favorable direction heading into 2026. Both listed hunt types — 514-50 and 514-50-A — held steady at 4 tags in 2024 and 2025 before increasing to 6 tags for 2026, a 50% jump in available permits. That's a meaningful increase for a limited-entry moose hunt, though total tag numbers remain small in absolute terms.

For current draw odds specific to residency and point level, hunters should consult HuntPilot's Unit 514 page or Montana's state application portal at HuntPilot's states page (/states/mt).

Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Montana page at /states/mt.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Montana Unit 514? Unit 514 spans a huge elevation range, from 3,087 feet up to 12,542 feet, encompassing everything from valley and riparian habitat to high alpine terrain. This variety means moose can be found across multiple habitat types depending on the time of year, and hunters should be prepared to scout at more than one elevation band. Only 28% of the unit is public land, and 12% falls within designated wilderness, so most scouting and access planning needs to focus on identifying the specific public parcels available within that smaller footprint.

What is harvest success like in Unit 514? Harvest success has been strong in recent years: 100% in 2024, 100% in 2023, 50% in 2022, and 100% in 2021. Across those four years, the overwhelming majority of hunters who drew a tag successfully harvested a moose, making this one of the more reliable units in terms of converting a tag into a filled harvest.

How big are the moose in Unit 514? Trophy records for the counties overlapping this unit show a limited history of entries, meaning hunters shouldn't expect this to be a unit with a strong trophy pedigree. Most successful hunters should plan around harvesting a mature, representative bull rather than specifically targeting record-book scores.

Is Unit 514 worth applying for? Yes, particularly for hunters prioritizing harvest reliability. The combination of strong recent harvest success rates and an increasing tag quota (from 4 to 6 tags between 2025 and 2026) makes this a unit worth including in a long-term Montana moose application strategy, even though trophy potential is limited based on available records.

How much does it cost to apply for a moose tag in Unit 514?

Fees and deadlines change every draw cycle, so the current figures live on HuntPilot's Montana page at /states/mt rather than here.