HD 100 sits in the lower Bitterroot Valley around Stevensville and Florence—the wide, agricultural heart of the Bitterroot where the valley floor opens up and the mountains step back a bit on both sides. Elevations run from about 3,200 feet on the Bitterroot River up to 7,500 feet on the lower ridges of the Sapphire Mountains to the east and the Bitterroot Range foothills to the west. The valley bottom is irrigated hay fields, pasture, cottonwood-lined river channels, and patches of ponderosa pine savanna on the benches above the river. Whitetail deer are the headline act—the combination of ag fields, river-bottom cover, and timbered foothills creates textbook whitetail habitat that grows genuinely big bucks. Mule deer use the Sapphire foothills to the east, and elk filter down from higher elevations during hard winters, occasionally stacking up on valley-floor ranches and driving landowners to distraction. Land ownership is heavily private on the valley floor and lower benches, with Bitterroot National Forest and scattered state trust sections on the timbered slopes above. Block Management areas and walk-in access agreements are your ticket to the private ground—check the FWP guide early because the best ranches fill their permits fast. US-93 runs the length of the valley and county roads branch east and west into the foothills. Stevensville and Florence have basic services; Missoula is 25 minutes north and Hamilton 20 minutes south. Cell service is solid throughout the valley. This is a high-pressure HD because of its proximity to Missoula and the sheer density of whitetail, but the late-November rut is the magic window—bucks lose their minds chasing does across hay fields and through cottonwood bottoms, and a patient hunter with permission on a good ag-edge stand can take a wall-hanger whitetail without ever leaving sight of the highway. HD 100 (lower Bitterroot Valley / Stevensville-Florence) is one of Montana's top whitetail hunting districts — the combination of irrigated hay fields, cottonwood river bottoms, and timbered foothills creates textbook whitetail habitat that grows genuinely large-bodied bucks. General elk tags are available OTC for residents; nonresidents need a general license with elk. The valley floor is overwhelmingly private, and Block Management enrollment is critical for access — the best ranches fill their walk-in permits fast, so apply early. Elk are primarily a winter-range management issue here — large herds drop from higher Bitterroot units onto valley-floor ranches, creating damage complaints that FWP manages with additional B-licenses (cow tags). No wilderness or roadless designations exist on the valley floor. The Sapphire Mountain foothills to the east offer the best public land access via Bitterroot National Forest. The late-November whitetail rut is the premier event — bucks abandon caution and chase does across ag fields and through cottonwood bottoms. This HD gets heavy pressure from Missoula and Hamilton hunters, but the sheer density of whitetail makes it productive despite the competition.