Montana Unit 518 Mountain Goat Hunting Guide

Montana Unit 518 sits high in the Beartooth region of south-central Montana, and for mountain goat hunters willing to put in the physical work, it represents one of the state's most demanding and rewarding alpine hunts. This is not a unit for the casual applicant — it's a limited-quota, draw-only hunt in country that tops out near 12,767 feet, with terrain that separates serious mountaineers from everyone else. Anyone researching Montana Unit 518 mountain goat hunting needs to understand upfront that success here is earned through conditioning, careful glassing, and patience in some of the most rugged real estate in the Lower 48.

Unit 518 spans 61,469 acres, with elevation ranging from 6,126 feet at the low end to 12,767 feet at the high peaks — a vertical spread that tells hunters everything they need to know about the physical demands of this tag. With 100% public land and 97% wilderness designation, access is essentially unrestricted from a land-ownership standpoint, but the terrain itself is the real gatekeeper. This is classic Beartooth high country: alpine plateaus, cliff bands, talus slopes, and glacially carved basins that hold goats but punish hunters who aren't prepared for multi-day pack-in trips at altitude.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 518 Worth Applying For?

For hunters who prioritize a true wilderness experience and are physically capable of extended high-altitude travel, Unit 518 is worth serious consideration. The harvest data compiled by HuntPilot shows this unit produces consistent results for the handful of hunters who draw it: in 2024, all 3 hunters who received tags harvested a goat, a 100% success rate. That mirrors 2023, when 3 hunters again went 3-for-3. In 2022, both hunters in the unit tagged out for another 100% success rate. The outlier year was 2021, when 2 hunters produced only 1 harvest, a 50% success rate.

Taken together, this four-year stretch shows a unit where success is high but hunter numbers are extremely small — a pattern typical of limited-quota goat hunts where the state issues only a handful of tags per year to protect the herd. The near-perfect success rates should not be mistaken for an "easy" hunt. Success this high with such a small sample size reflects experienced, well-prepared hunters (often applying for years before drawing) who scout hard, hire local knowledge, or already know the country. It does not mean goats are easy to find or approach in this terrain.

The tradeoff hunters need to weigh is access versus difficulty. With 97% of the unit inside wilderness boundaries, foot and stock travel are the only ways in — there's no shortcut through this landscape. Combined with the elevation range topping out near 12,767 feet, physical preparation is not optional. Hunters who are realistic about their conditioning and who plan for a genuine backcountry expedition will find Unit 518 a legitimate, high-quality opportunity. Hunters looking for an easy, low-commitment goat tag should look elsewhere.

Harvest Success Rates

The four most recent harvest seasons on record for Unit 518 show a unit with very low hunter volume and generally strong success:

• 2024: 3 hunters, 3 harvested — 100% success
• 2023: 3 hunters, 3 harvested — 100% success
• 2022: 2 hunters, 2 harvested — 100% success
• 2021: 2 hunters, 1 harvested — 50% success

Across these four years, 10 hunters combined for 9 harvests. That's an exceptionally strong track record for a species as difficult to hunt as mountain goat, but the sample size is small enough that a single unsuccessful season (like 2021) swings the percentage dramatically. Hunters should view this data as evidence that goats are present and huntable in Unit 518, not as a guarantee. With so few tags issued, every season's outcome depends heavily on individual hunter effort, weather, and the specific animals located that year.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 518 point to a moderate history of trophy-class billies coming out of this general area. This aligns with what experienced Beartooth goat hunters often report: the region can produce mature, heavy-horned animals, but they are not abundant, and finding a genuine trophy requires covering ground and glassing patiently rather than settling for the first legal goat spotted.

Hunters chasing trophy potential in Unit 518 should treat this as a moderate-potential unit — worth pursuing seriously, but not a unit with an extensive, deep trophy pedigree. Given the small number of tags issued and the difficulty of the terrain, most successful hunters here are satisfied simply connecting on a mature billy in this level of country, and that in itself is a significant accomplishment.

Herd Health & Population Trends

Specific population survey data (nanny:billy ratios, kid recruitment, herd counts) was not included in the available structured data for Unit 518. What can be inferred from the harvest numbers is that the state continues to issue a small, stable number of tags year over year — typically two to three — which is consistent with a conservatively managed, limited population typical of alpine goat herds in the Beartooth range. Hunters wanting the most current population trend information should contact Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists directly, as several hunters in this unit have done historically to scout terrain and confirm goat locations before the season.

Access & Terrain

Access and terrain are the defining characteristics of Unit 518, and hunters need to plan around them carefully.

Public land: The unit is 100% public land, meaning there are no private land access issues to navigate. Every acre of huntable ground here is open to the public hunter who draws a tag.

Wilderness: At 97% wilderness designation, nearly the entire unit falls within a formally protected wilderness area. In Montana, unlike Wyoming, there is no state-mandated guide requirement for nonresidents hunting wilderness areas — hunters are free to plan a do-it-yourself trip. That said, the practical difficulty of this terrain means many hunters, resident and nonresident alike, choose to hire local guides or outfitters with specific knowledge of the goat herds and access routes, simply because of how demanding and remote the country is.

Elevation: Ranging from 6,126 to 12,767 feet, Unit 518 covers an enormous vertical range. Goats are typically found in the upper reaches of this spectrum — the alpine basins, plateaus, and rock faces near the top of that elevation band. Hunters should expect multi-day pack trips, significant elevation gain on foot, and exposure to alpine weather that can change rapidly even in early fall.

Total acreage: At 61,469 acres, the unit is sizable but the huntable goat habitat within it is concentrated in the higher-elevation basins and cliff systems, meaning effective hunting ground is smaller than the total acreage suggests. Hunters should use available mapping tools — including HuntPilot's public land and terrain overlays — to identify drainage systems, benches, and rock outcroppings at elevation before setting foot in the unit. Scouting from a distance with mapping software, followed by an in-person trailhead scouting trip if wildfire or weather conditions allow, is the standard approach reported by hunters who've drawn this tag.

How to Apply

Montana's mountain goat program is entirely draw-based, and Unit 518 has no general season — every hunter who wants to pursue a goat here must be drawn for a limited-quota tag. There is no over-the-counter option and no alternate path into the unit.

Montana's system separates resident and nonresident applicants into different odds pools, and the state uses a bonus point structure for species like mountain goat, meaning hunters who apply and don't draw accumulate points that improve their statistical position in future years. Given how few tags are issued in Unit 518 each season, this is a long-term application strategy for most hunters — goat tags in quality units like this one are typically drawn after multiple years of applying, and for many hunters a Montana goat tag becomes a career milestone rather than an annual pursuit.

Because application structures, point systems, and tag numbers are subject to change and this unit's demand is high relative to the small number of tags issued, hunters should not rely on secondhand or historical numbers when planning. For current application windows, fees, and the most up-to-date draw information for Unit 518, visit HuntPilot's Montana state page at /states/mt, or check the official Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regulations for the most current details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Montana Unit 518? Unit 518 is high alpine country in the Beartooth region, with elevations ranging from 6,126 feet up to 12,767 feet. The unit is dominated by rugged peaks, talus slopes, cliff bands, and alpine plateaus — terrain that requires strong physical conditioning and, in most cases, multi-day backcountry travel to access productive goat habitat. With 97% of the unit designated wilderness, motorized access is not an option in the vast majority of the area, and hunters should expect foot or stock travel only.

What is harvest success like in Unit 518? Recent harvest data shows very high success for the small number of hunters who draw tags here — 100% in 2024, 100% in 2023, and 100% in 2022. The exception was 2021, when success dropped to 50%. Because tag numbers are so low each year (typically two to three hunters), these percentages can swing significantly based on just one or two hunters' outcomes, but the overall trend points to a unit where prepared, determined hunters generally succeed.

How big are the mountain goats in Unit 518? Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping this unit reflect a moderate history of trophy-class billies. This is not one of the state's premier trophy units, but mature animals capable of qualifying for trophy consideration have come from this general area. Hunters should approach the hunt with realistic expectations — most who draw here are focused on the experience of taking a mature billy in extreme terrain rather than chasing a specific score.

Is Unit 518 worth applying for? For hunters who want a legitimate wilderness mountain goat experience and are physically prepared for extreme elevation and rugged travel, yes. The harvest data shows strong recent success rates, the unit is 100% public land, and trophy-class animals are present, if not abundant. Hunters who are not prepared for demanding, multi-day backcountry pursuits at high altitude should reconsider, as the terrain — not tag availability — is the primary challenge here.

Do nonresidents need a guide to hunt mountain goats in Unit 518? No. Montana does not require nonresidents to hire a guide or outfitter to hunt wilderness areas, unlike some neighboring states. However, given the remoteness and difficulty of the 97% wilderness terrain in Unit 518, many hunters — resident and nonresident alike — choose to hire local guides or outfitters with specific knowledge of goat locations and access routes to improve their odds of success and manage the physical and logistical challenges of the hunt.