1,772 wells across 391 active operators, with 240 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 Williston Basin formation in Montana has 1,772 wells on record across 391 active operators, with 240 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-23). Its most active operators by well count are Kraken Operating, Phoenix Operating Company, Exxon Mobil, A&S Mineral Development Company LLC and Continental Resources. Compiled from Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Williston Basin formation in Montana:
| # | Operator | Wells in Williston Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kraken Operating | 192 |
| 2 | Phoenix Operating Company | 55 |
| 3 | Exxon Mobil | 48 |
| 4 | A&S Mineral Development Company LLC | 48 |
| 5 | Continental Resources | 42 |
| 6 | Gulf Oil | 32 |
| 7 | Sohio Petroleum Company | 30 |
| 8 | Oryx Energy Company | 29 |
| 9 | Atlantic Richfield Company | 28 |
| 10 | Shell Oil Company | 28 |
The Montana counties with the most Williston Basin activity:
Valley, Mccone, Phillips, Richland, Roosevelt
The most recent 100 drilling permits filed for Williston Basin wells in Montana:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | Brigade Federal 1h | 25085221130000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Brigade Federal 3h | 25085221150000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 7h | 25085221120000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 4h | 25085221090000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 5h | 25085221100000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 2h | 25085221070000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 3h | 25085221080000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Brigade Federal 2h | 25085221140000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Brigade Federal 4h | 25085221160000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Putnam 42x-13 | 25083234950000 |
Richland | Morning Star Oil Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 1h | 25085221060000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Brigade Federal 5h | 25085221170000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Outpost Federal 6h | 25085221110000 |
Roosevelt | Slawson Exploration Company | — |
| 2026-07-28 | Lincoln 28-33-4-9 #1h | 25083236010000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-07-28 | Lincoln 28-33-4-9 #3h | 25083236030000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-07-28 | Lincoln 28-33-4-9 #2h | 25083236020000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-07-28 | Lincoln 28-33-4-9 #4h | 25083236040000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-07-27 | Dawson 34-3-10 #1h | 25083236000000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-07-24 | Riptide 33-1h Swd | 25083235990000 |
Richland | Hydra Services | — |
| 2026-07-09 | Hekkel 13-12-1-36 Dh | 25083235970000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-07-09 | State 18-7-6-31 Ah | 25083235960000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Disposable Heroes 6-7-18-19 4h | 25085221690000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Disposable Heroes 6-7-18-19 2h | 25085221670000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Disposable Heroes 6-7-18-19 3h | 25085221680000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Disposable Heroes 6-7-18-19 1h | 25085221660000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Wherever I May Roam Fed 15-22-27-34 1hf | 25085221610000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-07-01 | Donkey Kong 27-15-2hx | 25083235910000 |
Richland | Morning Star Oil Company | — |
| 2026-06-30 | J-Dub 1-33h | 25083235930000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-30 | Buckley 2-4h | 25083235940000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-30 | Sga 1-32h | 25083235920000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-26 | Owen 29-32-5 #1h | 25083235890000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-26 | Emma 30-31-6 #14h | 25083235900000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Lewis 2-36h | 25083235850000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Herness 2-34h | 25083235870000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Mabel 2-35h | 25083235860000 |
Richland | Continental | — |
| 2026-06-24 | Adams 30-19-18 #1h | 25083235980000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-23 | Hekkel 24-25-36-1 Ch | 25083235290000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-06-23 | Hekkel 13-12-1-36 Ch | 25083235300000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-06-22 | Triton Swd 18-1 | 25083235810000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-06-19 | Neptune Swd 24-1 | 25083235820000 |
Richland | Cpx Energy Operating LLC | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Anna 8-7-12 #5h | 25083235800000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Anna 5-6-1 #1h | 25083235760000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Anna 8-7-12 #4h | 25083235790000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Anna 8-7-12 #2h | 25083235770000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Anna 8-7-12 #3h | 25083235780000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
| 2026-06-03 | Pearl 9-H Swd | 25085221570000 |
Roosevelt | Hydra Services | — |
| 2026-06-03 | Wherever I May Roam 15-22-27-34 4hf | 25085221600000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-06-03 | Wherever I May Roam 15-22-27-34 3hf | 25085221590000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-06-03 | Wherever I May Roam 15-22-27-34 2hf | 25085221580000 |
Roosevelt | Phoenix Operating Company | — |
| 2026-06-02 | Heather 8-5-32-29 #1h | 25083235690000 |
Richland | Kraken Operating | — |
Wells targeting the Williston Basin that have been spudded but are waiting on completion — near-term production upside:
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-07 | 15 | Wherever I May Roam 15-22-27-34 4hf | Phoenix Operating Company | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-07-31 | 22 | Riptide 33-1h Swd | Hydra Services | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-29 | 24 | Heather 8-5-32-29 #1h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-29 | 24 | Origami 1 Swd | Phoenix Operating Company | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-07-28 | 25 | Heather 8-5-32-29 #2h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-27 | 26 | Heather 8-5-32-29 #3h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-27 | 26 | Heather 8-5-32-29 #4h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-26 | 27 | Baker 42-28 | Hell Creek Crude LLC | Valley | — |
| 2026-07-25 | 28 | Baker 13-27 | Hell Creek Crude LLC | Valley | — |
| 2026-07-24 | 29 | Emma 30-31-6 #14h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-24 | 29 | Katana 1 Swd | Phoenix Operating Company | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-07-23 | 30 | Baker Swd | Hell Creek Crude LLC | Valley | — |
| 2026-07-16 | 37 | Great White 23-10-1h | Morning Star Oil Company | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-15 | 38 | Great White 23-11-2h | Morning Star Oil Company | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-13 | 40 | Candee Swd 1h | White Rock Oil & Gas | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-12 | 41 | Candee 35-23-1h | White Rock Oil & Gas | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-12 | 41 | Candee Switch 06-07-1h | White Rock Oil & Gas | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-10 | 43 | Candee 35-23-2h | White Rock Oil & Gas | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-10 | 43 | Owen 29-32-5 #1h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-03 | 50 | Outpost Federal 5h | Slawson Exploration Company | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-07-01 | 52 | Donkey Kong 27-15-2hx | Morning Star Oil Company | Richland | — |
| 2026-07-01 | 52 | Odin 2756-2-23 #14h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-30 | 53 | Thor 2756-3-22 #1h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-29 | 54 | Asgard 2856-35-14 #4h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-26 | 57 | Anna 8-7-12 #2h | Kraken Operating | Richland | — |
| 2026-06-19 | 64 | New South Wales 2557 34-27 5b | Whiting Petroleum CORP | Richland | — |
| 2026-06-18 | 65 | Pearl 9-H Swd | Hydra Services | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-17 | 66 | Siren 9-10-11-12 #11h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-17 | 66 | Wolfenberger 4-3-2-1 #14h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
| 2026-06-16 | 67 | Cutlass 8-7-12 #1h | Kraken Operating | Roosevelt | — |
The Williston Basin is one of Montana's active oil and gas plays, with 1,772 wells on file across 391 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 240 drilling permits targeting the Williston Basin 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 Valley, Mccone, Phillips, Richland, Roosevelt, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Williston Basin 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)
1,772 wells target the Williston Basin in Montana, worked by 391 active operators, per BOGC well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
By well count, the most active Williston Basin operators in Montana are Kraken Operating, Phoenix Operating Company, Exxon Mobil, A&S Mineral Development Company LLC and Continental Resources. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 240 drilling permits targeting the Williston Basin in the last 24 months, and there are 49 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion — a live measure of current activity, per BOGC records.
Operators filed 240 new drilling permits targeting the Williston Basin in Montana over the last 24 months, with 49 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Williston Basin drilling, per BOGC records (as of 2026-08-23).
Williston Basin activity in Montana currently spans 1,772 wells on record and 391 active operators, led by Kraken Operating, Phoenix Operating Company, Exxon Mobil, A&S Mineral Development Company LLC and Continental Resources, with 240 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 Williston Basin counties in Montana are Valley, McCone, Phillips, Richland, Roosevelt.
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 Williston Basin 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.
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Formation: Williston Basin
State: Montana
Total wells: 1,772
Active operators: 391
Permits 24mo: 240
Last refresh: 2026-08-23
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