Montana Unit 690 Elk Hunting Guide

Montana Unit 690 sits in a part of the state where elk hunting success is heavily tied to land access, and any hunter researching this unit needs to understand that reality before investing points or planning a trip. With just 21% public land across the unit's 2,559,077 acres, Unit 690 is a landscape dominated by private ownership — a fact that shapes nearly every decision a nonresident or resident hunter will make here, from application strategy to whether a DIY approach is even realistic.

The unit spans a wide elevation range, from 2,296 feet up to 6,495 feet, offering a mix of lower-elevation prairie and breaks country up into more rugged terrain at the upper end of that range. There is no wilderness acreage recorded for this unit, so hunters won't be dealing with wilderness-specific access restrictions — but that's small consolation given how much of the ground here is locked behind private ownership. According to HuntPilot data, recent harvest numbers show a unit that produces respectable success rates for those who do get access, but getting to that point is the real challenge in Unit 690.

Harvest Success Rates

The harvest data for Unit 690 shows a consistent pattern over the last several recorded seasons. In 2024, 777 hunters pursued elk in the unit and 258 harvested an animal, for a 33% success rate. That mirrors 2022, when 664 hunters harvested 220 elk, also landing at a 33% success rate. This consistency across two seasons — despite an increase in hunter numbers from 664 to 777 — suggests a stable elk population and a reliable hunt structure rather than a boom-or-bust unit.

A 33% success rate is solid for elk hunting in the West, well above what many heavily-pressured public-land units produce. That said, this figure represents the unit total across all hunter types and does not distinguish between hunters with private ranch access and those attempting a pure public-land DIY hunt. Given how much of Unit 690 is private, it's reasonable to assume that hunters with access arrangements to ranches or those hunting with local outfitters are pulling much of that success rate upward. Hunters without established access should not assume they'll hit anywhere near 33% success grinding out the limited public ground alone.

Trophy Quality

Trophy history for the counties overlapping Unit 690 reflects a moderate history of trophy-class elk production. This is not a unit with an exceptional or elite trophy pedigree, but it has produced trophy-quality bulls over time. Because record-book entries are logged at the county level rather than by hunt unit, any trophy-class bulls attributed to this area could have come from anywhere within the broader overlapping counties, including neighboring units — so hunters should treat this as a regional indicator rather than unit-exact proof of what's walking around Unit 690 specifically.

Given the moderate trophy history and the amount of private land in the unit, the realistic takeaway is that quality bulls exist here, particularly on well-managed private ranches where hunting pressure is controlled. Hunters chasing a genuine trophy-class bull in Unit 690 should keep expectations grounded — this isn't a unit with a deep, elite trophy record, but it's also not devoid of history either.

Access & Terrain

Access is the defining issue in Unit 690, and hunters need to go in with clear eyes. At only 21% public land, the vast majority of the unit's 2,559,077 acres are privately held. This is well below the threshold where a unit can be considered DIY-friendly, and hunters relying purely on public ground should expect a difficult, competitive hunt with limited room to roam.

The terrain itself ranges from 2,296 feet at the low end to 6,495 feet at the high end, indicating a mix of lower breaks and prairie country transitioning into higher benches and ridgelines. There is no wilderness acreage in this unit, so there are no wilderness-specific access complications — but that's largely irrelevant when private land, not public wilderness, is the primary barrier here.

Multiple hunters researching and hunting this unit have echoed the same theme: public access is very limited, and much of the elk activity during hunting season concentrates on private ranches. Some ranches do allow limited access, but availability is often described as tough to reserve and restricted to short windows of a few consecutive days. Hunters without an existing relationship to a specific ranch, or without a guide/outfitter arrangement, should expect to spend significant time simply securing a place to hunt before ever getting to the elk themselves. This is a unit where landowner relationships and access planning matter as much as scouting the animals.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 690 Worth Applying For?

Unit 690 is a mixed bag, and whether it's worth applying for depends heavily on a hunter's access situation and expectations. On the positive side, the harvest data shows a dependable 33% success rate across the two most recent recorded seasons, and the trophy history in the surrounding counties is moderate — meaning quality bulls are present, even if this isn't a unit with an elite trophy reputation.

On the negative side, the 21% public land figure is a serious limiting factor. This is not a unit where a hunter can show up with a map of public parcels and expect to find and kill an elk without significant legwork or an existing access arrangement. Forum accounts from hunters who have drawn tags here consistently point to private land dominance and the difficulty of securing reliable access — some describe needing to work with specific ranches or outfitters just to get boots on huntable ground.

For a resident hunter who already has ranch relationships, family land, or a long-standing local network, Unit 690 can be a productive, worthwhile draw — the harvest numbers back that up. For a nonresident without any existing connections, this unit represents a much harder DIY proposition than the harvest success rate alone would suggest. Nonresidents serious about hunting here should budget time and effort toward securing access — whether through ranch relationships or a guide — well before application deadlines, not after drawing a tag.

Bottom line: Unit 690 is worth applying for if a hunter has, or is willing to develop, private land access. It is a riskier proposition for a pure public-land DIY hunter given the acreage split, and hunters should weigh that access reality heavily against the otherwise solid harvest numbers and moderate trophy potential.

How to Apply

Note that the required license fee is separate from the application and tag fees and must be held before a hunter can apply — this is an added cost nonresidents in particular should budget for beyond the headline application fee. For current draw odds and year-over-year data on Unit 690, check HuntPilot's Montana state page at /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 Unit 690? Unit 690 ranges from 2,296 feet to 6,495 feet in elevation, encompassing a mix of lower prairie/breaks terrain and higher benches and ridges. There is no wilderness acreage in the unit, so hunters won't encounter wilderness-specific travel restrictions, but the terrain itself spans a wide vertical range across the unit's more than 2.5 million acres.

What is harvest success in Unit 690? Recent HuntPilot data shows a 33% success rate in both 2024 (777 hunters, 258 harvested) and 2022 (664 hunters, 220 harvested). This consistency across years suggests a stable elk population, though the success rate reflects all hunters in the unit and likely includes those with private ranch access, which may be pulling the average higher than what a purely public-land DIY hunter would experience.

How big are the elk in Unit 690? Trophy history for the counties overlapping Unit 690 reflects a moderate level of trophy-class elk production over time. This isn't a unit with an elite or exceptional trophy reputation, but quality bulls have come from the broader area. Because record-book entries are tracked by county rather than by unit boundary, this history is shared with neighboring units and shouldn't be read as unit-exact.

Is Unit 690 worth applying for? It depends on access. Harvest success rates are solid at 33%, and trophy potential is moderate, but only 21% of the unit is public land. Hunters with existing ranch relationships or a plan for guided access have a good shot at a productive hunt. Nonresidents without an access plan should treat this as a harder DIY unit than the harvest numbers alone suggest, and should prioritize securing access before applying.

Is Unit 690 a good option for a DIY nonresident hunt? It's a challenging one. With only 21% public land, the majority of the unit is privately held, and hunter accounts consistently describe limited, hard-to-reserve access on the ranches that do allow entry. A DIY nonresident hunter should have a concrete access plan — whether through a ranch relationship or a licensed outfitter — before applying, rather than assuming public ground alone will produce a hunt.