Legal shooting hours in Montana run from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for most game, with waterfowl ending at sunset instead. The exact minute depends on which of four sunrise-sunset zones your hunting area falls in, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks publishes the only tables a game warden will treat as official.1Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Sunrise/Sunset Times by Zone
The Standard Window for Big Game, Upland Birds, and Turkey
For big game, shooting light begins one-half hour before sunrise and ends one-half hour after sunset.1Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Sunrise/Sunset Times by Zone That covers elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose, and black bears. Mountain lion hunting uses the same window.2Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. 2025 Mountain Lion Montana FWP Hunting Regulations
Upland game birds follow the identical schedule: pheasants, grouse, partridge, and Hungarian partridge all get the half-hour cushion on each end.3Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. 2025 Upland Game Bird Montana FWP Hunting Regulations Spring and fall turkey seasons use the same timeframe.4Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Spring and Fall Turkey Montana Hunting Regulations A common misconception is that upland bird hunting runs only sunrise to sunset. In Montana it doesn’t; the half-hour buffer applies.
Your local terrain doesn’t change the legal window. If the table says sunset is 5:47, your light ends at 6:17 whether or not the canyon you’re sitting in went dark earlier.
Waterfowl Hours End at Sunset
Waterfowl and other migratory birds operate on a tighter clock. Shooting begins one-half hour before sunrise but ends at sunset — you don’t get the thirty-minute evening buffer.5Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Migratory Birds Montana FWP Hunting Regulations If you move from a morning elk sit to an afternoon duck blind on the same day, you’re on two different clocks.
A shooting-hours violation on migratory birds can trigger federal consequences on top of state ones, because federal regulations make it a separate offense to take a migratory bird in a manner that breaks state law.6eCFR. 50 CFR Part 20 – Migratory Bird Hunting Specific species like tundra swans and sandhill cranes can carry additional restrictions that change year to year, so check the annual supplemental regulations before the season opener.
Finding Your Zone and Reading the Table
Montana runs roughly 550 miles east to west, so the sun hits the eastern plains well before it clears the western valleys. FWP splits the state into four numbered sunrise-sunset zones to handle this.7Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Sunrise-Sunset Tables For Determining Hunting Hours Zone 1 covers the westernmost counties (Flathead, Missoula, Ravalli, and their neighbors), Zone 2 runs through the central-west corridor including Gallatin and Lewis & Clark, Zone 3 covers the central plains including Yellowstone and Fergus, and Zone 4 covers the eastern tier out to the North Dakota line.
Once you know your zone, pull the published table for the date you’re hunting, then add or subtract the thirty minutes the regulation requires. The times already have daylight saving time built in.1Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Sunrise/Sunset Times by Zone The tables are in the printed regulations booklet and on the FWP website. Skip the phone weather app and generic sunrise calculators; they can be off by several minutes from the official FWP times, and the official times are what a warden will use.
Night and Predator Exceptions
A few species sit outside the standard window. Wolves may be hunted outside daylight hours on private land, where artificial light, night vision, infrared, and thermal imaging equipment are allowed. On public land, wolf hunting outside daylight hours is prohibited. Wolf regulations have shifted frequently, so confirm the current season and equipment rules on the FWP wolf page before you go.
Coyotes are classified as predators rather than game animals in Montana. There’s no closed season, no bag limit, and no prohibition on night hunting; electronic calls, decoys, and artificial lights are all permitted. Individual public parcels — state recreation areas, national wildlife refuges, and some BLM ground — can impose their own night-shooting or equipment restrictions, so check the specific unit before assuming the statewide default carries.
What It Costs to Shoot Outside Legal Hours
Shooting before or after legal light falls under Montana’s closed-season prohibition. MCA 87-6-204 makes it illegal to hunt or attempt to hunt any game animal or game bird during the closed season.8Montana State Legislature. Montana Code 87-6-204 – Hunting or Fishing During Closed Season If artificial light was involved, MCA 87-6-401 can also apply, since it prohibits hunting any game animal or game bird with the aid of projected artificial light.9Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 87-6-401 – Unlawful Use of Equipment While Hunting
A conviction under MCA 87-6-401 carries a fine between $50 and $1,000, up to six months in the county detention center, or both.9Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 87-6-401 – Unlawful Use of Equipment While Hunting The court may order forfeiture of your current hunting, fishing, or trapping license and revoke those privileges for a period the court sets. The statute includes no minimum and no cap on that revocation. Any animal taken outside legal hours is subject to seizure.
On top of the fine, Montana law requires restitution for illegally killed wildlife, set per animal.10Montana Code Annotated. Montana Code 87-6-906 – Restitution for Illegal Killing, Possession, or Waste of Wildlife The amounts:
- Bighorn sheep and endangered species: $2,000
- Elk, black bear, wolf, and moose: $1,000
- Mountain lion, antlered deer, and adult buck antelope: $500
- Other deer, other antelope, swan, and bobcat: $300
- Other fur-bearing animals: $100
- Game birds (except swan): $25
Restitution stacks on top of any criminal fine. A hunter who shoots an elk ten minutes after legal light ends can face a $1,000 restitution payment, a separate fine of up to $1,000, loss of hunting and fishing privileges, and seizure of the animal. A watch set to the official FWP table is cheap insurance.