Unit 620

The Missouri River and Fort Peck Reservoir form the southern boundary and primary navigation reference—these are unmistakable orientation points. Ricker Butte, Button Butte, and Spencer Point serve as glassing vantage points for scanning surrounding prairie. The Larb Hills on the unit's western edge offer elevation for long-range observation.

Several named coulee systems—Sevenmile, Chicken, Bear Gulch—provide natural travel corridors and game movement routes through otherwise open country. Coburn Butte and Dead Mans Hill are useful for breaking up terrain mentally. These landmarks are spread across vast openness, so understanding their relationships helps with route planning and recognizing productive hunting areas from a distance.

The unit spans a narrow elevation band between roughly 2,150 and 4,000 feet, with most country in the 2,500-foot range. This is entirely low-elevation prairie and badlands terrain—no mountains or high forest zones. Vegetation transitions from native grassland and sagebrush in the flats to scattered juniper and ash in coulees and draws.

Badland formations dominate the breaks along the Missouri River drainage, with exposed badland clay and shale slopes creating natural funnels for game movement. Pockets of cottonwood and willow mark water drainages. The sparse forest badge reflects scattered timber in draws and coulees rather than forest cover—this is fundamentally open country where sight lines dominate.

The 1,105 miles of roads suggests a fair access network across what is otherwise vast open prairie. However, most roads are ranch roads requiring permission or are restricted-access ranch thoroughfares. Public access points concentrate along Fort Peck Reservoir via CMR roads, Triple Crossing Access Road, and Larb Creek Road.

US Highway 2 provides the northern corridor. Road density reflects working ranch infrastructure rather than hunter-friendly access—some stretches may be gated or require navigation permission. Pressure tends to concentrate near obvious access points and the reservoir corridor.

The sheer scale of open country means hunters willing to walk far from easy parking can find solitude. Early season and weekday hunting avoid most pressure.

Unit 620 occupies portions of Phillips, Valley, and Blaine Counties in north-central Montana, bounded on the west by the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and on the south by the Missouri River and Fort Peck Reservoir. The unit stretches roughly 40-50 miles east-west and 20-30 miles north-south, encompassing over 1,000 miles of road infrastructure. The northern boundary follows US Highway 2 near Saco and Dodson, providing the primary access corridor.

This is working ranch country interspersed with public access points, particularly along the Fort Peck and Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge road systems. The landscape sits in the transition zone between northern Great Plains and Missouri River Breaks.

Water is the limiting factor here. The Missouri River and Fort Peck Reservoir provide permanent water along the southern boundary but are often difficult to access due to steep breaks and private land. Reliable water sources include Regal Springs, Lakeside Spring, and scattered reservoirs like Seymour, Veseth, and West Alkali.

Tallow Creek, Hay Coulee, Cottonwood Creek, and Sevenmile Creek hold water seasonally or in isolated pools. The Teal Pond Complex offers marsh habitat. Most interior draws and coulees are dry except after heavy rains.

Hunters must plan routes around known water sources or accept carrying water. Understanding which springs and reservoirs hold water year-round versus seasonally is critical for August-September hunting in particular.

Unit 620 supports elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and mountain lions in this high plains setting. Elk use the rougher badland country along the Missouri breaks and coulees, particularly where scattered timber offers cover. Mule deer occupy prairie ridges and sagebrush flats, moving to water sources at dawn and dusk.

White-tailed deer favor coulee bottoms and draws with timber and brush. Early season (September) finds animals in open country glassing from distance; rut timing shifts behavior patterns. Mountain lions hunt the same corridors as deer.

Hunting strategy demands glassing skills to spot game across open terrain, then stalking through coulee systems. Water sources are ambush points in dry years. The sparse forest means cover is limited—plan stalks carefully and hunt early or late when animals move between bedding and feeding areas.

Expect to cover significant distance.