Purpose: Big-game bedding, upland gamebird loafing cover, pollinator support, and drought-tolerant forage stability — built specifically for the cool-moist to mid-elevation valleys and foothills of Western Montana.
Designed for landowners who want a durable, wildlife-positive grassland that still blooms — without the cost of high forb percentages.
Ideal Uses
- Deer & antelope bedding habitat
- Elk calf cover & winter browse
- Sharp-tailed grouse & turkey loafing cover
- Roadside, CRP-style buffers, field edges
- Habitat reclamation on disturbed rangeland
Key Species
Includes (#s/ac): Milkvetch, Canada (0.1), Prairie Clover, White (0.1), Spikerush, Creeping (0.03), Rush, Baltic (0.05), Winterfat (0.2), Primrose, Common Evening (0.05), Bluegrass, Fowl (0.2), Antelope bitterbrush (0.2). Updated January 2026.
- Mid-grasses (Bluegrass, Fowl; Wheatgrass – Bluebunch; Wheatgrass – Western)
- Soil-holding sod base, nesting cover, drought & snow resilience
- Shrubs (Antelope bitterbrush, Winterfat)
- Critical winter browse, fawning & bedding structure
- Pollinator / nitrogen forbs (Primrose, Milkvetch, Prairie Clover)
- Boost insect production, improve soil fertility & brood-rearing value
- Hydro-stabilizers (Baltic Rush)
- Performs well in moisture-receiving low spots
NRCS Specs
Suitable for NRCS wildlife & range restoration practices including:
- 327 Conservation Cover
- 645 Upland Wildlife Habitat
- 550 Range Planting
- 643 Early Successional Habitat (site-appropriate)
Installer Notes
Site prep:
- Control annuals/cheatgrass with 1 year fallow-spray cycle or pre-emergent spray only on sites with no native wheatgrass present.
Seeding timing:
- Fall dormant (best): Oct–Dec
- Spring window: March–mid-May
- Depth: ¼" for grasses & shrubs
- do not bury winterfat or bitterbrush deeply;
- mix seed in drill box with rice hulls or lightweight filler for even flow.
- If you would like to add rice hulls to your order please contact Brooke at bmorgan@pheasantsforever.org
Consolidates & replaces the following former mixes for western MT:
- MT PF Range: Grass-Forb-Shrub Mix F
- MT PF Diverse Native Pollinator
- MT PF Diverse Range Grass-Forb Mix C
