East Deer Lodge district lies within portions of Deer Lodge, Silver Bow and Powell Counties. The entire district is east of Interstate 90 between the communities of Garrison in the north and Butte in the south. Helena National Forest covers the eastern third from U.S. Highway 12 to Interstate 90. Elk, mule deer and whitetails can be found across the area. Much of the western third is privately controlled with thousands of acres of public access provided by Wildlife and Block Management Areas.

Whitetails favor the drainages that lead to Clarks Fork and the surrounding agricultural lands within the valley. Mule deer bucks may be down in the valley or up in the foothills so they can drift to croplands each night. There might be a buck or two hanging along the Continental Divide in the early fall and into October. Bulls love the higher basins above 8,000 feet until the snow depth forces them to head downwards to the ridges and drainages above the Clark Fork.