East Madison takes up a portion of Madison County. There are 100’s of square miles of public lands including; 1,500 + acre Jeffers Weapons Restriction Area, 3,000 + acre Ennis Airport Weapons Restriction Area, 1,000 Madison-Bear Creek Wildlife Management Area, Beaverhead-Deerlodge and Gallatin National Forest with Taylor Hilgard Unit providing 141,000 acres within Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area. Access is from east of the Madison River as it flows through Ennis. Only residents may apply for a limited antlered bull license.

The Madison River Valley and Range has mature bull’s it, but there is serious competition from the local wolf packs. Expect to invest plenty of time and energy just to locate a shooter bull in the 125” or better Boone and Crockett class.There are 140” bull's in the unit, but you will expand a lot of time and energy trying to find him unless you are really fortunate.

Madison Range dominates the unit along the eastern boundary from Ennis Lake in the north to Earthquake in the south. Numerous 11,000 plus peaks include Lone Mountain, Koch Peak, Imp peak and the highest peak in the Madison Range, 11,300 foot Hilgard Peak. Its summit is in a remote section known as the Taylor Hilgard Unit of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Major drainages carry snowmelt from alpine lakes westward into the Madison River. They include Jack, Beaver, Indian, Papoose, Squaw, Moose and Wolf Creeks. The landscape increases dramatically from 5,000 feet on the valley floor to over 11,000 foot peaks.

A number of peaks sit above timberline with its ground cover consisting of lichen, moss, barren ground willow, short perennial grasses and a canvas of wildflowers. On the talus slopes or avalanche chutes you will find grasses, sedges and lichens. Dropping into the dense stands of timber below timberline you will encounter Douglas fir, Engelmann Spruce, lodgepole and ponderosa pine. Aspen, willow and mountain shrubs join the heavy timber as you drop down the mountain. Once on the valley floor there are willows and cottonwood line the creek and river bottoms. Grasses like buffalo and blue gramma provide excellent open range forage. There are some irrigated crop lands scattered in the valley.

Recommendation is “get a horse”. The U.S. Forest Service, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest maintains some 300 miles of trail and 28 trailheads within the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. The steep slopes, rocky creek bottoms and rocky ridges make travel difficult off established trails. Most of the river valley is privately held making it difficult to hunt creek and river bottoms.

West Yellowstone and Ennis are the communities that provide a variety of motels, café and restaurants, airports, medical facilities and 24/7 gas and diesel. If you’re looking for a larger town head to Bozeman and your options for lodging, eating and everything else just multiplied tenfold.