[2] The refuge is 7 mi (11 km) northeast of Malta, Montana in the Milk River Valley and is managed by the U.S.

The seasonal floods from spring snow melt created excellent habitat for migratory and nesting waterfowl as well as raptors such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon.

In an effort to better protect the habitat, Lake Bowdoin and the surrounding region were set aside as a refuge in 1936 and administration passed to the U.S.

[5] Mammal species including the bobcat, beaver, raccoon, coyote, skunk, white-tailed deer and pronghorn live on the refuge.

[3] After the refuge was first established, the pronghorn were then protected from hunting, allowing their numbers to swell from 7 to 160 individuals during the 1940s.