MT Mule Deer Unit 281
Terrain Difficulty
Strenuous terrain — steep, sustained slopes and over 5,275 ft of vertical relief.
AI Scout Preview
MT 281 — Tactical Analysis. Terrain & Access MT 281 spans 242,628 acres across 4,103–9,378 feet of elevation, offering diverse habitat from lower sagebrush and grassland through mixed conifer forest to high alpine. The unit's 81% public-land base provides solid opportunity for foot access without heavy private-land dependency. Terrain is mountainous and varied — lower elevations support open country glassing; higher benches and ridge systems offer classic mule deer summer range. Trophy Potential Record-book entries from the overlapping counties (Lewis and Clark and Powell) show historical strength, particularly pre-2000, when production was consistent. Recent decades have seen..
Read the full AI Scout verdict on this unit — drawability at your point level, trophy potential, access, and where to focus. Free account, no card.
See the full AI verdict →Draw Odds — What It Took to Draw (2024)
Actual results from the 2024 draw, per hunt. Current-year odds at your point level with a paid plan →
B-Tag 00
281-00Bonus draw — more points always means better odds. Estimated from the 2024 draw.
Bonus draw — more points always means better odds. Estimated from the 2024 draw.
2025 & 2026 draw results are in
Unlock →What are YOUR odds this year?
Last year's results tell you what it took — not what it'll take. HuntPilot runs state-specific simulators (preference, bonus-squared, pool-aware, waste-adjusted) to show your odds at your exact point count, plus multi-year projections and point-creep analysis.
Run your draw simulationWant to dig deeper? Free account, no card — run the draw simulator at your point level for this unit and 1,800+ more. Takes 30 seconds.
Create free accountHarvest Data
Historical data (2022–2024). Current-year data with a paid plan →
| Year | Weapon | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | 62 | — | |
| 2024 | 0 | 13 | — | |
| 2024 | 0 | 16 | — | |
| 2024 | 0 | 264 | — | |
| 2023 | 101 | 15 | 14.8% | |
| 2023 | 1,053 | 54 | 5.1% | |
| 2023 | 101 | 24 | 23.8% | |
| 2023 | 1,053 | 202 | 19.2% | |
| 2022 | 0 | 14 | — | |
| 2022 | 0 | 9 | — | |
| 2022 | 0 | 57 | — | |
| 2022 | 0 | 208 | — |
Season Dates
| Year | Weapon | Dates | Tag Type | Sex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Archery — General Archery — Antlered Buck Mule Deer | Sep 5, 2026 — Oct 18, 2026 | — | male |
| 2026 | Archery — General Archery — Either-Sex White-Tailed Deer | Sep 5, 2026 — Oct 18, 2026 | — | either |
| 2026 | Archery — B-Tag 00 | Sep 5, 2026 — Oct 18, 2026 | — | female |
| 2026 | Muzzleloader — General Muzzleloader — Antlered Buck Mule Deer | Dec 12, 2026 — Dec 20, 2026 | — | male |
| 2026 | Muzzleloader — B-Tag 00 | Dec 12, 2026 — Dec 20, 2026 | — | female |
| 2026 | Muzzleloader — General Muzzleloader — Antlered Buck White-Tailed Deer | Dec 12, 2026 — Dec 20, 2026 | — | male |
| 2026 | Muzzleloader — General Muzzleloader — Either-Sex White-Tailed Deer | Dec 12, 2026 — Dec 20, 2026 | — | either |
| 2026 | Rifle — General Rifle — Either-Sex White-Tailed Deer | Oct 24, 2026 — Oct 30, 2026 | — | either |
| 2026 | Rifle — General Rifle — Antlered Buck Mule Deer | Oct 24, 2026 — Nov 29, 2026 | — | male |
| 2026 | Rifle — B-Tag 00 | Oct 24, 2026 — Nov 29, 2026 | — | female |
| 2026 | Rifle — General Rifle — Antlered Buck White-Tailed Deer | Oct 31, 2026 — Nov 29, 2026 | — | male |
Trophy Data
Same Country, Other Species
Hunts that overlap this unit's ground.
Elk
Ready to plan a draw? Free account, no card — run the simulator at your point level and compare 1,800+ units.
Create free account