Hunting Land in Big Horn County, MT: Crow Tribal F&G Rules

Most of Big Horn County sits inside the Crow Indian Reservation, and that changes the hunting rules in a way a standard Montana hunting-license guide won't tell you. The Crow Tribe's own Fish and Game Code governs hunting within the reservation's exterior boundary -- on tribal trust land and, with limited exceptions, on privately-owned fee land too.

This page covers what's specific to Big Horn County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Inside the reservation boundary, the Crow Tribe's Fish and Game Code is the operative rulebook

The Crow Tribe maintains its own comprehensive Fish and Game Code -- Title 12 of the Tribe's law -- administered by the Crow Tribal Fish and Game Commission, and its reach extends across the reservation's exterior boundary regardless of whether a given tract is tribal trust, individual allotment, or privately-owned fee land. That last point is the one a buyer coming from a non-reservation Montana county is most likely to get wrong: owning deeded fee land inside the reservation boundary does not, by itself, put you under ordinary statewide Montana FWP hunting rules the way it would almost anywhere else in the state. The one documented exception is upland game birds, where Montana's state upland-bird regulations apply to deeded fee land within the reservation's exterior boundary rather than the tribal code -- everything else defaults to the tribal framework.

What a landowner can do on their own land, and what a guest or buyer needs

Under the tribal code, a landowner engaged in recreation -- including hunting -- on their own land within the reservation's exterior boundary does not need a tribal hunting license or permit for that activity on that land. Crow tribal members hunting elsewhere within the reservation are also required to carry applicable permits, but without a fee attached. The rule that catches non-tribal buyers off guard is the one covering everyone else: any non-member wanting to hunt or fish on tribal fee, tribal trust, or allotted land within the reservation's exterior boundary must be accompanied by an outfitter or guide licensed by the Crow Tribal Fish and Game Commission. That requirement applies to guests you might invite to hunt land you personally own inside the reservation boundary, not just to land you don't own -- so a hunting-focused purchase here should factor in either becoming familiar with the tribal permitting system yourself or budgeting for a licensed outfitter for anyone hunting the property who isn't you.

What this means if hunting access is part of why you're buying

Before valuing a Big Horn County parcel on the basis of its hunting potential, confirm first whether it sits inside the Crow Reservation's exterior boundary (a separate question from its trust-or-fee ownership status, covered on this county's tribal-trust-land-status page) and, if so, contact the Crow Tribal Fish and Game Commission directly to confirm current licensing, guide, and permit requirements for your specific plans -- whether that's hunting the land yourself, hosting guests, or leasing hunting rights to others. Don't assume a standard Montana FWP hunting license and block-management enrollment, which govern the rest of the state and the smaller share of Big Horn County outside the reservation, apply on a reservation-boundary parcel just because the deed shows you as owner in fee.

Hunting Land in Big Horn County, Montana

Inside the reservation boundary, the Crow Tribe's Fish and Game Code is the operative rulebook

What a landowner can do on their own land, and what a guest or buyer needs

What this means if hunting access is part of why you're buying

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