5,092 wells across 630 active operators, with 4 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from BOGC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-23.
Quick answer: The Bakken formation in Montana has 5,092 wells on record across 630 active operators, with 4 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-23). Its most active operators by well count are Morning Star Oil Company, Continental Resources, White Rock Oil & Gas, D90 Energy and Oasis Petroleum North America. Compiled from Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Bakken formation in Montana:
| # | Operator | Wells in Bakken |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morning Star Oil Company | 476 |
| 2 | Continental Resources | 408 |
| 3 | White Rock Oil & Gas | 225 |
| 4 | D90 Energy | 145 |
| 5 | Oasis Petroleum North America | 136 |
| 6 | Slawson Exploration Company | 132 |
| 7 | Whiting Petroleum CORP | 128 |
| 8 | Poplar Resources LLC | 102 |
| 9 | Kraken Operating | 90 |
| 10 | Murphy Exploration & Production Company | 76 |
The Montana counties with the most Bakken activity:
Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels, Mccone
The most recent 1 drilling permits filed for Bakken wells in Montana:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-13 | Stockade-Calesto 33-3-Hsu | 25083228860000 |
Richland | Morning Star Oil Company | — |
The Bakken is one of Montana's active oil and gas plays, with 5,092 wells on file across 630 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 4 drilling permits targeting the Bakken in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels, Mccone, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Bakken footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all Montana oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Montana formations dataset (CSV)
5,092 wells target the Bakken in Montana, worked by 630 active operators, per BOGC well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
By well count, the most active Bakken operators in Montana are Morning Star Oil Company, Continental Resources, White Rock Oil & Gas, D90 Energy and Oasis Petroleum North America. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 4 drilling permits targeting the Bakken in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per BOGC records.
Operators filed 4 new drilling permits targeting the Bakken in Montana over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Bakken drilling, per BOGC records (as of 2026-08-23).
Bakken activity in Montana currently spans 5,092 wells on record and 630 active operators, led by Morning Star Oil Company, Continental Resources, White Rock Oil & Gas, D90 Energy and Oasis Petroleum North America, with 4 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
The most active Bakken counties in Montana are Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels, McCone.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Bakken well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Bakken activity in your area.
Get Your Free Mineral ValuationTop Montana Operators Leaderboard
US Mineral Market Activity Index (all 11 states ranked 0–100)
US Mineral & Drilling Activity Index (national rollup)
Texas Industry Snapshot (largest producing state)
Largest US Operators — National Leaderboard
Browse the Full Operator Directory
Live Oil & Gas Prices (WTI + Henry Hub)
Sell Your Montana Mineral Rights
Formation: Bakken
State: Montana
Total wells: 5,092
Active operators: 630
Permits 24mo: 4
Last refresh: 2026-08-23