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
-
Phone 406-258-3293
Leave them alone and start addressing the deer population. They are attacking pets in yards and walkers. If people quit approaching the feral horse. Hints way they call them feral. They won’t get hurt. The 1 car accident was so to the driver speeding. Do something about the careless drivers. The deer are bringing in the mountain lions.
Leave them be! This is what keeps Missoula beautiful! They have survived for 50 years already, they will keep surviving. They help to reduce potential for burns as they eat the brush and grass.
The horses should be left alone if possible. If not, then move them somewhere they can live peacfully and NOT be adopted or bought, still left feral.
Leave them alone, let them be free.
So because of other people passing building permits instead of rejecting building proposals, and permits… In and around or for Missoula to continue to grow into the fields that these wild/feral horses, deer, elk, foxes, and other wildlife have used to roam freely, they are now in jeopardy of being removed from those of us who love them and appreciate them. It’s almost like we are being punished because they decided to grow Missoula into these areas!!! We are also being punished for the grizzlies. We are also being punished for the growth as well as the mountain lions and the wolves heaven forbid that they roam our forest. Oh no, let’s just remove them instead of not populating such areas! I say start spreading it out throughout Montana keeping down into the lower flats and leave the forest to the wildlife leave the fields open for them to roam freely as they have done for decades and Possibly for centuries!!
These beautiful horses have lived free many years. Are you going to do this with the in town deer.
I say NO, leave them alone
Do not remove them!!! They deserve to be free and humans need to understand they are animals. Just like you wouldn’t go pet a deer DON’T go pet them! They’ve done nothing wrong. If we are concerned about wild animals let’s deal with the out of control deer population…not the wild horses
Ask the tribe if you can put them on Wild Horse Island
Learn the history of of these animals. Then remove them.
The horses were there before the houses and people. However, urban growth in the area is inevitable. A solution that allows the horses to graze the native range and people to coexist is necessary to preserve what has become a cultural icon for Missoula (Wild horses being iconic to the American West in general). I think homeowners need to fence out the horses, as is done in subdivisions where homes are built in grazing allotments. Introduced lawn grasses are not nutritious for horses, but are attractive because they are irrigated and tender.
It may be necessary to thin the horse herd for safety and range health. It is also critical that the landowners receive education about the herd and how to behave around feral animals.
Lighting the roadway would increase safety in the area, to prevent vehicle/wildlife/horse accidents.
An "Adopt A Horse" Program could be started to help with the expenses of both people & herd management.
Above all, some agency or committee made up of citizens, organizations, and agencies needs to take on the jurisdiction of the horses. Perhaps a nonprofit?
Leave them alone! They were there first. People should be teaching their kids not to touch them just like bears, lions and other wild animals. My kids knew not to feed the neighbors horses or pet them without permission. Missoula thinks they have to manage everything but they end up managing nothing and just making things more difficult...in this case it will be more difficult for the horses. The people should learn to live with them and enjoy them.
Please ignore the safetyists who are over hyping “dangers” all of the sudden and educate people to pay attention and keep their kids away. The loudest most vocal voices are creating hysteria over these horses who have been here for decades. This is Montana not suburban Waukegon Illinois.
Leave the horses alone Montana is open range you don't like them fence them out ...
I half to ask why this is an issue, and I support anyone to enlighten me. The horses aren't harming anything or anyone. The city needs to deal with the deer population before they focus their energy and our tax dollars on eight or nine horses. What are the options, euthanize, tranquilize and relocate? They are wild animals. Good luck getting a 2,500 pound horse into anything if you plan on keeping it alive. Using key words like "risk of spreading disease", "residential livestock" There are two farms on Miller creek that still exist. The rest of the land has been developed and if you read the HOA you're not allowed to have "livestock". So if someone is complaining about their feral chickens like the rooster I saw running up the road this morning. Stop it. What about the fox's, the skunks, etc? If you are concerned for safety, then it is similar to going anywhere else in Montana out of your back door. Don't get close to wild animals. I don't know why people need to get in a stink about this. Just let them be. They will migrate out eventually.
Leave the horses alone. The one horse that died was hit by a vehicle driven by an inattentive driver. We can deal with horses easier than the crooks out here. Put your energy and time into something that matters. This is a riculous thing to waste your time on. What a waste. Oh and mths any workday at 2 pm is a way to keep the working residents unable to have public input.
The horses have bern the there decades longer than the subdivision. They've only had close encounters with people since the people have become so numerous. Horses dont jump in front of vehicles like deer do. If one gets hit, I blame the driver. Ive seen drivers going way too fast, & not sloeing down at all, plow over young deer that are just standing there. The only safety hazard with the herd is (pardon me, but its true) stupid city people who think theyre all pets (remember the Yellowstone bison?) & dont know & teach their kids how to behave around them. Animals speak volumes with body language. Its not their fault if these city slickers are illiterate. There are few diseases that humans & horses share. While you're contacting experts to weigh in...PLEASE get some genuine horse people of good reputation, including a few rescues. Don't depend on government agencies. They know nothing & their first response is to kill. There is plenty of evidence for that. If you need further proof of the incompetence of the government, do a bit of research on what the BLM is doing to wild horses herds in several areas of the country. Our horses dont deserve that.
These are wild horses that have been here forever! I live in Lower Miller Creek and find this to be part of what makes us Montana!! LEAVE THE HORSES ALONE!! They don’t bother anyone. I agree with everyone else, you have far bigger things to spend your time and our money on than a few harmless horses just trying to live their life in their home that we humans interrupted. Listen to the community for once!!
Why not contact tribes such as the Lakota .. Cheyenne...Blackfeet.. etc.and offer them to tribes so they can live freely on reservation lands. The horse is a deeply revered part of their heritage.
Leave the horses alone. If you do not like the Montana lifestyle, then leave. The horses were here first and they are not hurting anyone.
Leave the horses alone. Slow down and enjoy Montana. It’s neat that people want to live here. It’s becoming less enjoyable because people are wiping out the authenticity. It is a problem that people think the animals are a problem.
It’s a fence out state. Fence them out and have some respect for something other than money and convenience.