Unit 590

Pompeys Pillar stands as a prominent navigation landmark near the western boundary, visible for miles across the prairie. The Bull Mountains form a ridge system offering glassing opportunities and terrain definition. Key buttes—Castle Butte, Twin Buttes, Rattlesnake Butte, and Chimney Butte—serve as natural reference points throughout the unit and break up the otherwise open landscape.

Pine Ridge runs east-west and provides both navigation and habitat corridors. Lake Elmo and scattered reservoirs including Anita Reservoir and Rattlesnake Reservoir mark water features. Named drainages like Dean Creek, Five Mile Creek, and Horsethief Creek channel hunters through the country and offer reliable navigation routes, particularly useful in the flatter northern sections where visual reference points are fewer.

The entire unit sits in the lower elevation band below 5,000 feet, with median elevations around 3,400 feet. Terrain transitions from prairie grasslands and agricultural benches near Billings into rolling foothills and scattered butte country as you move south and east toward the Bighorn River. Forest cover is sparse and primarily concentrated along drainages, ridge systems, and the flanks of named buttes like Castle Butte, Twin Buttes, and Rattlesnake Butte.

The Billings Bench dominates the western section—an agricultural plateau interspersed with ranches. Open country and native prairie define much of the northern and eastern portions, with juniper and ponderosa pines appearing on slopes and higher benches. This low-elevation mix creates distinct habitat zones: open grassland for pronghorn and early-season deer, drainage-side timber and ridges for elk and mule deer, and scattered butte country offering natural vantage points.

The unit benefits from fair road access with approximately 3,300 miles of total roads, though exact density is difficult to interpret given the large geographic coverage. Well-maintained routes connect major towns and population centers (Billings, Lavina, Melstone) to the unit, creating logical staging points. Interstate 94 forms the southern boundary, providing quick corridor access.

State highways US 12 and Route 310 bisect the unit, making certain sections highly accessible and prone to concentrated hunting pressure. However, the large unit size and sparse forest cover mean pressure disperses across open terrain rather than concentrating in tight drainage systems. Private agricultural land near Billings and along benches limits public hunting in developed sections, but the bulk of the unit toward the Bighorn drainage remains publicly accessible.

Road-accessible country dominates near highways; quieter terrain extends toward the river and reservation boundary.

Unit 590 encompasses portions of Big Horn, Golden Valley, Musselshell, and Yellowstone Counties in south-central Montana. The unit stretches from Billings northward to US Highway 12 near Lavina, eastward to Melstone, then southward along State Route 310 to Interstate 94, and finally follows the Bighorn River south to the Crow Reservation boundary before looping back northwest to Billings. This roughly rectangular block covers transitional landscape between the Billings metro area and the Bighorn drainage system, creating a unit with mixed access—some well-traveled sections near towns and highways, with quieter country extending toward the river and reservation boundaries.

Water is limited but strategically distributed across the unit. The Bighorn River anchors the eastern and southern boundary, providing permanent flow but requiring navigation to access as a water source. Major creeks—Dean Creek, Five Mile Creek, Horsethief Creek, and Cotton Creek—flow primarily through lower elevations and drainages, offering reliable water in spring and early summer but often diminishing later in the season.

Scattered springs appear throughout (Chandler Spring, Wagon Box Spring, Blue Spring among named sources), though their reliability varies seasonally. Reservoirs and constructed water sources (Anita, Rattlesnake, Lake Elmo, Busse Water) provide accessible water but are concentrated in specific locations. Irrigation infrastructure (Highline Canal, Huntley Main Canal, Waco Custer Canal) indicates water availability in agricultural benches but limits hunting access in developed areas.

Plan water strategy carefully—reliable sources exist but spacing requires prior reconnaissance.

Unit 590 historically supports elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and mountain lion. Elk concentrate in scattered timber along drainages and butte-side slopes, particularly in fall when they migrate to lower elevations from surrounding higher country. The sparse forest pattern means glassing benches, buttes, and ridge systems is effective for spotting elk and deer from distance.

Mule deer favor rolling benches and transitions between grassland and scattered juniper; early season hunting leverages open terrain for spotting. White-tailed deer favor creek bottoms and brush-choked drainages where vegetation is denser. Mountain lion hunting keys off mule deer populations and rough terrain near the Bighorn drainage.

The low complexity terrain and fair access mean you can quickly scout and access most of the unit, but success requires understanding seasonal movements—early season often finds game higher on buttes and ridges, while late season pushes elk into lower drainage timber. Water access becomes critical by mid-season; position yourself near reliable sources or plan longer moves between basins.