Benton Lake WMD includes 22 waterfowl production areas (WPAs) spread out over a 10-county area the size of West Virginia. Twenty of these WPAs are open to hunting, and as might be expected, these offer a great variety of opportunities. A few are well-known as pheasant hotspots, and pressure on opening weekends can be heavy. Other areas can be productive for big-game hunting. Elk occasionally move through the WPAs en route to winter range, and deer can be found on many of the areas year-round. In years with plentiful water, the WPAs also offer good waterfowl hunting. With the WPAs spread out over such a large area, savvy hunters research which ones are currently the best for hunting. A hunter willing to put in the time can have an excellent hunting trip. Many nonresident hunters focus on WPAs in this management district for their annual Montana hunting trip.