Feral Horses in Miller Creek
Missoula County is currently exploring options to address concerns around feral horses that roam between the Miller Creek area of Missoula and south into the Bitterroot Valley. This specific band of horses, believed to be descended from rodeo stock from a former ranch that existed in Miller Creek in the 1970s, have become increasingly present in densely populated residential areas over the last few years.
Residents have raised concerns about these horses related to public safety, spread of disease, their impact on area livestock, and increased habituation to people and human food sources. The County has also heard from residents who enjoy the feral horses' presence in their neighborhoods.
It is not clear under state law which agency, if any, has jurisdiction to manage feral horses in Montana. After discussing the issue with the Montana Department of Livestock, Missoula County convened the following agency representatives with subject matter expertise in land and livestock management, ecology and law enforcement:
- Dan Bugni, Lindsey Simon, Dustin Datisman, Jay Bodner, Tahnee Szymanski – Montana Department of Livestock
- Chuck Casper – MPG Ranch
- Natalie Sullivan – MSU Extension Office
- Randy Arnold – Missoula County Lands, Culture and Recreation
- Chris Lounsbury – Missoula County Commissioners’ Office
- Paul Pfau – Montana Highway Patrol
- Jeremiah Petersen – Missoula County Sheriff’s Office
- Bryce Christians – Missoula County Ecology and Extension
- Chet Crowser – Missoula County Office of Lands and Communities
- Bart Morris – Oxbow Cattle Co.
The group met in December and discussed the following considerations:
Background
Feral horses have been part of the Missoula County landscape for more than a century, with historical accounts dating back to the early 1900s. Private landowners have periodically conducted roundups of feral horses on their properties, The roundups most recently occurred in 1991, 2003, 2012 and 2023 (in the most recent roundup, the horses were sold to buyers interested in their rodeo stock lineage). Horses continue to remain in the area today, and a smaller band has moved closer to residential areas, raising new questions about safety and management.
- Horses require about 35 acres per head for sustainable grazing, based on the Animal Unit Month (AUM) standard.
- Development pressures are reducing available range.
- Populations can double every 4 to 5 years, and gestation lasts about 11 months.
- Several bands exist in the Miller Creek and surrounding areas, with some groups consistently in residential subdivisions.
Health Concerns
- Feral horses pose limited risk to other species, but domestic horses can be affected.
- Diseases of concern include equine herpes, influenza, equine infectious anemia, salmonella, pigeon fever and equine piroplasmosis (which can remain undetected for long periods).
- The spread of disease can impact the livelihood of landowners in the area who depend on domestic horses to conduct business.
- Vaccines exist for some diseases but are not fully preventative. There are also logistical considerations around how to contain and vaccinate the feral horses.
Public Safety
- A documented vehicle collision occurred in September 2025, resulting in the death of one of the feral stallions.
- Horses can weigh up to 1,500 lbs., creating significant hazards on roadways.
- Stallions may be aggressive and territorial, especially near homes.
- Horse bites are extremely strong — capable of crushing bone without breaking the skin.
- Dogs and horses do not mix well; protective instincts around foals increase risk to both animals.
Legal and Jurisdiction Considerations
- Horses are considered abandoned livestock, not wildlife. This differs from urban deer and other wildlife, which fall the authority under Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
- Jurisdiction primarily falls to private landowners, county and state entities, not federal. The horses primarily being on private property is the main complicating factor; if they were on public land, government agencies would have clearer jurisdiction.
- Relevant Montana Code Annotated sections:
- Abandoned Horses: MCA § 81-4-5
- Estray Horses: MCA § 81-4-6
- Herd Districts: MCA § 81-4-3
- Additional legal framework: Title 81, Livestock
Community Perspectives
- Many residents value the horses and want to see them documented and monitored.
- Others express concerns about safety, property damage, and disease transmission.
- Local agricultural producers worry about the spread of disease and other impacts on domestic horses and business operations.
This group will continue to explore potential options for managing the feral horses and provide staff with their recommendations.
The County will engage the public on any potential recommendations sometime in the next few months, which will include a public open house highlighting the recommendations and providing residents with a chance to bring any questions or concerns to staff. The County is looking to hold the open house sometime in February or early March. Many considerations go into planning a public event, including participant schedules and venue availability.
The county commissioners would then consider adopting the recommendations at one of their public meetings, which take place most Thursdays at 2 p.m. Information on future meetings will also be posted on this page.
Click the subscribe button to the right to receive updates on next steps when they are determined.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are the people in the advisory group being paid?
A: No, they are volunteering their time and expertise or are participating as part of their regular job duties.
Q: Are county staff meeting with individual residents for their input outside of the group with subject matter expertise?
A: No, staff have not met with individuals who are not part of the advisory group. Some individuals have provided public comment to the commissioners at public meetings, which take place regularly and are open to anyone.
Q: Aren't these horses protected under federal law?
A: No, the federal Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 does not apply to these horses. The band of Miller Creek horses, and the larger herd that roams between Upper Miller Creek and Florence, occupy a mix of private and state land. The 1971 Act only protects mustangs and burros on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Equines protected under this federal law are relegated to federal herd management areas. Miller Creek and the Bitterroot/Sapphire region are not herd management areas. Free-roaming horses that are not part of these federal herds fall under the jurisdiction of state law.
Q: Can residents petition to have the horses removed?
A: Yes, there is a process to petition the commissioners under a state law first enacted in 1925: MCA 81-4-503. The commissioners have received no such petition. Missoula County’s goal is to avoid this scenario by exploring a proactive management plan.
Q: Why doesn’t the County do something about the urban deer in the area instead?
A: Deer are considered wildlife and fall under the jurisdiction of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Also, much of residential area impacted by urban deer is within Missoula city limits. The City of Missoula is in discussions with FWP about how to address chronic wasting disease and other concerns around urban deer.
Who's Listening
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Phone 406-258-3293
Please leave the horses alone. They are not a problem I live in Upper Missoula Creek.
We have lived in lower miller creek for 24 years, not far from Jeanette Rankin school. This summer/fall was the first time the horses roamed as far as our area. I love seeing them, however I have witnessed people getting too close to them and fear people unfamiler with how to treat "wildlife" will get hurt or endanger their children. I've also driven up here long enough to know that people drive too fast, even though it's a residential area, and that mixed with the large horses roaming the streets is a recipe for disaster. What happens when they roam as far as Walmart (That intersetion at Dore lane is already ridiculously dangerous) or even Highway 93? For the sake of the horses and humans safety, I am in support of looking at this issue to see what the solutions could be.
Be sure to factor Montana House Bill 791, enacted into law earlier this year to revise Montana nuisance laws, into whatever Missoula County decides to do. Montana law already defines the Miller Creek horses as a public nuisance so the new lsw applies and its abatement langusge helps all concerned including the horses.
Thank you for your service on this matter. In my opinion I love having the horses in my neighborhood. If we want to address an animal problem it is the deer. The deer are way more of a problem for traffic and the destruction to property owners
Our family resides near the mid-reach of Miller Creek, about 4 miles up from Linda Vista. We have seen the horses on the road above our property a couple of times, and during our drives into town and back. On rare occasions, we have had to stop on Miller Creek Road to allow them to cross. We enjoy seeing them and prefer they not be removed. These horses, like us humans, are a part of the history of this land we all inhabit.
I look forward to recommendations that ensure the safety and well-being of humans and horses, and hopefully allow us to coexist on our lands. I appreciate this opportunity to provide the following comments.
Use of Evidence
I strongly encourage your group to use an evidence-based process when drafting the recommendations. I believe these recommendations should be grounded in the following five dimensions of evidence:
• Experience/Judgement: Practitioner/decision maker's tacit experience developing similar recommendations, with understanding gained of what worked, what didn't, and why.
• Scientific (Technical): Journals, reports, maps; data collection; data bases; historical documents.
• Social/Political (Stakeholders): Values, concerns, and perspectives of all those (internal/external) who are affected by the decision, or have an interest in the decision.
• Human Behavior: Actual known behaviors of individuals that are relevant to the situation.
• Organizational (Business): Governance (Laws, Regulations, Direction); Business Capacity (Funding, People, Resources), and Operational (Historic Costs, Seasonal) Considerations
Analysis of evidence requires critical thinking to form a judgment on its credibility by evaluating the information, recognizing bias, challenging assumptions, and considering alternative perspectives.
Definitions
Definitions are important here. All horses on our continent are either domesticated or feral; the last truly wild horses disappeared some 10,000 years ago. So, while it is biologically accurate to call these horses feral, culturally, they are more often referred to as wild. Furthermore, the Wild Horse and Burros Protection Act of 1971 (16 USC Chapter 30) defined wild horses to mean all unbranded and unclaimed horses.
Oral History vs Genetics
The ancestry of these horses is a critical factor in determining their treatment. I found no evidence to either prove or disprove the information contained in the 2019 Missoulian article entitled "Ghost herd: Wild horses make rare appearance," regarding the mention that these horses are of both Bitterroot Salish and rough rodeo stock ancestry. The oral history of the rough rodeo stock, together with the physical appearance of the horses inhabiting Miller Creek yards and pastures, provides clarity on that notion. However, there are only unclear remnants of a Bitterroot Salish component.
There is factual information that the Salish experienced a Starvation Winter in 1890, followed in 1891 by a forced march (also known as the Salish Trail of Tears) from the Bitterroot Valley to what is now the Flathead Reservation. However, there is only anecdotal evidence that they had to release some horses because they could not feed them during this Starvation Winter, and that they were not successful in taking all of their horses with them during this march. There may be some historical information regarding this in the manuscript of General Henry Carrington, the march commander ("The Exodus of the Flatheads from Their Ancestral Home in the Garden Valley, Montana to the Jocko Reservation, Montana"), which is apparently available in a special section at the University of Montana's library.
What is needed here is the collection and analysis of DNA evidence from these horses. This DNA is available from the neighborhoods where the horses are currently roaming. Preferably, samples of their hair with the root bulb intact (higher quality) or their scat (droppings) should be available and provide ample DNA. Samples from these horses in fenced pastures should not be included due to possible contamination from the domesticated horses inhabiting these pastures. An accredited laboratory must analyze these samples. The DNA should show varying proportions of draft, quarter-horse, and, potentially, thoroughbred horses used in rodeos, and may also show DNA from the Spanish mustangs of the Bitterroot Salish.
If the DNA shows evidence of Colonial Spanish or specific Salish genetic markers, then these horses would likely qualify as a "heritage herd" similar to the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Herd. If this is the case, then your recommendation group will need to be expanded to include representation from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).
Human Behavior
Humans often make poor choices when interacting with unfamiliar animals. Like in Yellowstone National Park, where there is a whimsical notion of "don't pet the fluffy cows", there are still people who approach and try to pet the Bison, often threatening their own safety, and that of the Bison. As in Yellowstone, people have made poor choices in approaching and sometimes petting the horses in Miller Creek. At least one child was hurt. These interactions, including feeding and even watering, pose a threat to the safety of both humans and horses. Even approaching these horses is a safety risk. Stallions are likely to become aggressive if someone approaches one of their offspring, not unlike a human parent.
Miller Creek Road, particularly from Horseshoe Loop to Trails End, is particularly winding. Many deer are killed in this stretch each year due to driver inattention. In this section, one horse was struck and had to be put down. Around November 2024, further down the road near Carla Jo, a horse was hit by a pickup truck. This horse survived; however, the pickup truck was reportedly totaled.
Some signage in and around the areas inhabited by these horses might help improve the safety and well-being of both horses and humans. Signs to inform people to observe the horses only and not interact. As well as road signs to alert drivers to watch out for horses, as well as other wildlife in proximity to the roadway.
The horses are more visible in highly populated areas because we are leaving them with nowhere else to go as the buildings and houses keep going up in Miller Creek. The public should treat them as wild animals and use caution and not approach them. We have recently seen children petting them and attempting to feed them - this is absolutely not helping them. They should be allowed to roam and we should act responsibly and watch for them as we do the ample other wildlife on our roads and in our yards.
I believe the horses should be left alone. If anything, there should be protections put in place and the herd should be managed so the may do not continue to reproduce. I do not believe that these animals should be euthanized and that is absolutely cruel. If the decision is made to remove the horses, they should be rounded up and allow the public an opportunity to adopt them. I’d way rather see these horses protected than removed and euthanized.
The horses are at home here please leave them be. There is no sign of disease.
Leave them alone! The only thing that the county needs to improve on is having a vet on call if one of the horses gets injured or sick or needs help giving birthl
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I am Montana born and raised on a farm/ranch. Horses are livestock, formidable and sizeable animals that pose a danger to residential areas if untamed and roaming free. While I love to see a horse, and they are beautiful, they do not belong loose, wild, and in our yards and parks. They pose a danger to traffic, to local children, local dogs/pets, and they destroy our landscaping (mandated by our HOA, but indefensible against a grazing herd).
Feral livestock, untamable as adults, are a safety issue. As much as I hate the thought, they should be caught, and by necessity put down. If there are yearlings or foals, they might be domesticated by a dedicated and skilled horseman, if any were willing to take them.
It was a mistake from the beginning for these animals to be abandoned to a feral life. Their lives are harsh and full of danger. People might enjoy seeing them, but that little bit of pleasure overlooks the pitiable lives they are leading in the wild on their own without shelter or care and ignores the basic common sense that any rural community has.
Livestock on the loose is a problem.
To address our concerns about protecting feral horses, let's break down the relevant laws and potential approaches.
Montana law (MCA Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 5) regulates wild buffalo and wild horses, considering them wildlife. However, feral horses, descended from domesticated horses, might not be explicitly protected under current laws.
The federal Wild Horses and Burros Protection Act focuses on managing wild horses and burros on public lands, primarily applying to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands.
To strengthen protections for feral horses, consider advocating for legislative changes or clarifications that explicitly include feral horses under wildlife protection laws. This could involve:
- Defining feral horses as protected wildlife
- Establishing management plans for feral horse populations. What we our attempting to do now. Please get on board because there could be 5 landowners requesting a roundup or worse.
- Collaborating with wildlife agencies and advocacy groups
Consulting with local wildlife experts, attorneys, or advocacy groups familiar with Montana laws and feral horse management might provide more tailored guidance. There has got to be a win win solution. I don't want to loose these horses. I love these horses. It's so cold today and they are outside. They are tough no doubt. Everyone needs guidance and management at times in life even the wild/feral horses. I think the deer do far more damage to cars and land than the horses.
To address our concerns about protecting feral horses, let's break down the relevant laws and potential approaches.
Montana law (MCA Title 81, Chapter 4, Part 5) regulates wild buffalo and wild horses, considering them wildlife. However, feral horses, descended from domesticated horses, might not be explicitly protected under current laws.
The federal Wild Horses and Burros Protection Act focuses on managing wild horses and burros on public lands, primarily applying to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service lands.
To strengthen protections for feral horses, consider advocating for legislative changes or clarifications that explicitly include feral horses under wildlife protection laws. This could involve:
- Defining feral horses as protected wildlife
- Establishing management plans for feral horse populations. What we our attempting to do now. Please get on board because there could be 5 landowners requesting a roundup or worse.
- Collaborating with wildlife agencies and advocacy groups
Consulting with local wildlife experts, attorneys, or advocacy groups familiar with Montana laws and feral horse management might provide more tailored guidance. There has got to be a win win solution. I don't want to loose these horses. I love these horses. It's so cold today and they are outside. They are tough no doubt. Everyone needs guidance and management at times in life even the wild/feral horses. I think the deer are more destructive to land and cars than the horses.
The horses should be left to roam. They have a huge history there. Place signs for people to recognize them it would take nothing to do so. Why take away another part of Missoula natural history?
I recognize that horses are pretty and people enjoy seeing them. I am also familiar with the major ecological problems that uncontrolled and unmanaged feral horses continue to cause across the West. We don’t want to wait until we reach a tipping point in Missoula County. Feral horses have no natural predators and, if left unchecked, are harmful to native vegetation, native wildlife, and water quality. If their numbers are allowed to continue to escalate in the Miller Creek area, they will become a bigger problem that is even more difficult to address at a later date. I would be fine with removing them entirely, but I doubt that is politically attainable. I encourage you to work with the public and appropriate state and federal agencies to create and implement a management plan to reduce feral horse numbers to appropriate levels and to manage populations at that level. It’d allow local area residents to continue to enjoy seeing them, while keeping their numbers in line with what natural habitats can support. Thanks for your consideration and for your service on behalf of Missoula County.
I hope that the horses are left alone and allowed to wonder like they have since the 1970's. We have more of deer problem then a horse problem. It gives many people great joy to see them. Like any wild animal they should not be approached or fed. The man who totaled his truck hitting the gray horse on Upper Miller Creek had to be driving more than the posted speed limit of 35. Educate your kids on admiring from a distance and hopefully we can continue to enjoy them trotting through the neighborhood.
Please leave the horses alone
They are beautiful and majestic and belong in their native area
Not sure why the sudden up roar
We should be focused on the unhealthy deer in our neighborhood