Stored formation/play groups ranked by recorded well count, with recorded operators and primary counties. Coverage is limited to the groups included below.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Daily refresh scheduled. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06.
Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. Formation/play groups require at least 25 recorded wells and a known operator; the directory shows at most 50 groups ranked by well count. Operator counts reflect distinct recorded operator names, not verified current operations. Permit counts use the preceding 24 months at summary refresh. Grouping can represent a formation, play or basin; it is not an inventory of every geological formation. Figures are Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data; counts under 3 wells are withheld.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Scheduled refreshes do not guarantee that new regulator filings are available; the state regulator remains the record of any specific well.
Quick answer: The highest well-count groups listed for Montana are the Sweetgrass Arch, Bakken, Powder River Basin, Central Montana Uplift and Judith River- Eagle, led by the Sweetgrass Arch with 16,668 wells on record. Ranked by well count across 14 tracked formations from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
The highest well-count groups listed for Montana are the Sweetgrass Arch, Bakken, Powder River Basin, Central Montana Uplift and Judith River- Eagle, led by the Sweetgrass Arch with 16,668 wells on record. Ranked by well count across 14 tracked formations from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
Top Operators:
Somont Oil Company (1,006), New Horizon Resources (933), Mcr (578), Montalban Oil Etal (426), A B Energy (380), Montana Power Company (303), Northwestern (286), Keesun (282), Texaco Exploration And Production (280), Fx Drilling Company (278)
Primary counties: Toole, Glacier, Pondera, Liberty, Chouteau
Top Operators:
Morning Star Oil Company (476), Continental Resources (408), White Rock Oil & Gas (225), D90 Energy (145), Oasis Petroleum North America (136), Slawson Exploration Company (132), Whiting Petroleum CORP (128), Poplar Resources LLC (102), Kraken Operating (90), Murphy Exploration & Production Company (76)
Primary counties: Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Daniels, Mccone
Top Operators:
Fidelity Exploration & Production Company (1,144), Denbury Onshore (472), Summit Gas Resources (237), Powder River Gas (165), Highline Exploration (116), Redstone Gas Partners (91), Pinnacle Gas Resources (78), True Oil (73), Gary Energy (65), Placid Oil Company (62)
Primary counties: Big Horn, Powder River, Carter, Custer, Rosebud
Top Operators:
Northwestern (277), Fuel Resources Development Company (126), Montana Power Company (97), True Oil (97), Devon Energy Production Company (91), Norfolk Energy (80), Ang Holding USA CORP (80), Cenex (70), Brown J Burns Operating Company (66), Ocean Energy (62)
Primary counties: Blaine, Musselshell, Yellowstone, Stillwater, Fergus
Top Operators:
Mmgl Mt I, LLC (1,105), Ridge Oil & Gas (940), Shell Oil Company (249), Wbi Energy Transmission (199), Fidelity Exploration & Production Company (171), Encore Operating (121), Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company (72), Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company (65), Mondak Utilities Company & Fidelity Gas Company (65), Denbury Onshore (60)
Primary counties: Fallon, Wibaux, Dawson, Prairie
Top Operators:
Northwestern (1,014), Brown J Burns Operating Company (391), Ocean Energy (224), Klabzuba Oil & Gas (186), Devon Energy Production Company (166), High Crest Oils (130), Norfolk Energy (117), Citation Oil & Gas (97), Montana Power Company (72), Lone Wolf Operating Company (59)
Primary counties: Hill, Blaine
Top Operators:
Ridge Oil & Gas (1,781), Fidelity Exploration & Production Company (274), Midlands Energy CO (85), Noble Energy (74), Decker Operating (45), Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company (41), Samedan Oil (34), Fidelity Gas (23), Freeport-Mcmoran Oil & Gas (21), Odessa Natural (18)
Primary counties: Phillips, Valley
Top Operators:
Cline Production Company (109), Conocophillips Company (100), Tomahawk Oil Company (94), True Oil (92), Texaco Exploration And Production (83), Mcalester Fuel Company (77), Beartooth Oil & Gas Company (52), Phillips Petroleum Company (36), Montana Energy Company LLC (35), Fpco Oil And Gas Company (33)
Primary counties: Rosebud, Musselshell, Petroleum, Garfield, Fergus
Top Operators:
Kraken Operating (197), Phoenix Operating Company (66), A&S Mineral Development Company LLC (48), Exxon Mobil (48), Continental Resources (43), Gulf Oil (32), Sohio Petroleum Company (30), Oryx Energy Company (29), Shell Oil Company (28), Atlantic Richfield Company (28)
Primary counties: Valley, Mccone, Richland, Phillips, Roosevelt
Top Operators:
Brothers Petroleum LLC (89), Big Sky Energy (38), Amoco Production Company (37), Montana Power Company (30), Northwestern (22), Howell Petroleum (21), Cruse Tom (9), Struthers Oil & Gas (9), Murphy Nevel E (8), Ohio Oil Company (8)
Primary counties: Carbon, Yellowstone
Top Operators:
Amoco Production Company (13), Usgs (12), No Bonded Operator (7), The Nyvatex Oil CORP (6), Farmers Union Central Exchange (4), American Quasar Petroleum Company (4), Beaverhead Oil Producing Company (3), Luhman (3), Mcdonough Pj (3), Transtexas Energy (3)
Primary counties: Gallatin, Beaverhead, Park, Madison, Granite
Top Operators:
Armstrong Operating (8), Ohio Oil Company (4), Placid Oil Company (4), Boekel R G (3), Shell Oil Company (3), Hlm Drilling Company (3), Mcdonald Etal (3), Bowers Oil & Gas (—), Blackstone Operating (—), Kidd Barron (—)
Primary counties: Carter, Fallon
Top Operators:
Mosbacher Production Company (—), Kintla Oil Company (—), Beauchamp C W (—), Amoco Production Company (—), Sun Explorationproduction Company (—), Bnv Energy Company (—), The Anaconda Company (—), Atlantic Richfield Company (—), Barr Ranch (—), American Land And Energy (—)
Primary counties: Lewis And Clark, Flathead
Top Operators:
Bill Barrett (8), Amoco Production Company (3), Flank Oil (—), Pan American Petroleum (—), Midnorthern Oil Company (—), Harper Oil Company Buckhorn Petroleum (—), Fisher Etal (—), Drumheller Dm (—), Liberty Oil & Gas (—), California Company (—)
Primary counties: Park, Meagher, Broadwater, Gallatin
Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data, aggregated by primary play / interpreted formation / basin.
Threshold: Groups require at least 25 recorded wells and a known operator. The directory shows up to 50 groups by well count; omitted groups are not evidence of no activity.
Owner context: These formation summaries describe reported activity. They do not establish ownership, payment entitlement or a value for an individual tract.
Refresh cadence: Daily refresh scheduled. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06.
The highest well-count formation/play groups listed for Montana are the Sweetgrass Arch, Bakken, Powder River Basin, Central Montana Uplift and Judith River- Eagle, among others. This directory tracks 14 recorded formation/play groups ranked by well count, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
The Sweetgrass Arch has the most wells among the listed Montana groups — 16,668 wells, worked by 1,622 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. This is a well-count ranking, not a reserves or value ranking. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
The operators with the most wells on record in the Sweetgrass Arch are Somont Oil Company, New Horizon Resources, McR, Montalban Oil Etal, A B Energy. Each formation card below lists its top operators by well count. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
A complete permit total is unavailable because one or more listed formation groups has an unknown permit count. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
Your deed and county records determine which formations your mineral rights cover; a tract can own multiple stacked formations. This directory is informational only, not a valuation. Stored source refresh: 2026-11-06. These are limited stored records; reporting windows are evaluated at source refresh.
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Get Your Free Written OfferState: Montana
Active formations: 14
Total wells: 45,136
Recent permits: —
Last refresh: 2026-11-06
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