Dryland cereal production in the Northern Great Plains requires efficient water use. Historically, the management practice of summer fallow, in which arable land is left idle and weeds are controlled chemically, has been used as a means of mitigating drought induced crop failure. However, summer fallow can also create economic inefficiencies, increase soil erosion, and facilitate nutrient loss to groundwater. Alternative management practices that promote more effective soil water retention offer a potential solution by promoting beneficial conditions, supporting continuous cropping. Maximizing dryland cereal crop stubble using alternative harvest methods (e.g., “stripper header” technology) is known to improve snow capture and reduce evaporative losses, but impacts of these practices on the isotopic composition of soil water remain unclear. At two sites in central and southwest Montana, we combined meteorological monitoring, snowpack analysis, and multiple measures of soil water content and isotopic composition to assess these relationships. In southwest Montana during the winter of 2022-2023, we observed significantly more snowpack and snow water equivalent (SWE) with increased stubble height until late spring, when a large storm eliminated differences. At the central Montana site, we used soil water isotopic composition (δ18O, δ2H values) to quantify snow contributions and evaporative loss. At this site, during the low-snow winter of 2023-2024, we observed mixed results of snow accumulation, with more accumulation in taller stubble in January during a small snowfall event, but equal snow accumulation in February, following a separate event. The greater snow accumulation in taller stubble during the January snowfall event led to soil water δ18O and δ2H values (0-10 cm) more closely resembling the isotopic composition of the snow in tall versus short stubble, reflecting an addition of 2.3 cm of snow-derived water into the tall stubble soil profile. During summer sampling events, increased evaporation altered soil water δ18O and δ2H values, with a stronger evaporative signature at 10 cm depth and 1.2 cm greater water loss across the sampled soil profile (0-30 cm) in short stubble compared to tall stubble following a short period of reduced precipitation and warmer temperatures. Overall, our results demonstrate variability in snow accumulation in tall stubble as a function of residue management and snow delivery and show how soil water isotopic composition reflects gains and losses of soil water – caused by stubble height management - in dryland agricultural settings of central Montana.