| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 01 SEP – 30 SEP 2026 | 30d |
As publishedSep 1 (res.) / Sep 11 (nonres.) - Sep 30, 2026; closed west of Continental Divide
Free Supplemental Sage Grouse Hunting Permit required in addition to Upland Game Bird License. Closed west of the Continental Divide. Resident season Sep 1-30, 2026; nonresident Sep 11-30, 2026.
The Montana Field Guide's own range statement places greater sage-grouse east of the continental divide throughout the eastern counties except the extreme northeast, with the species also present in the southwestern counties. Within that broad eastern-plus-southwestern range, FWP's own sage-grouse core-area mapping and telemetry-refinement work names two specific concentration zones: a southeastern Montana core (Powder River Basin, spanning southwestern Powder River and southeastern Big Horn counties) and a southwestern Montana core (Beaverhead and Madison counties, where the species has been recorded to nearly 2,620 m/8,600 ft elevation in summer).
Montana FWP publishes a standalone Greater Sage-grouse Population Report each August, separate from the combined Upland Game Bird Outlook. Last year's edition surveyed 714 leks statewide and published August 20, 2025; this year's hadn't posted as of 2026-08-19, but based on that timing should follow on a similar schedule to the combined outlook.
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