Soil and crop management practices may influence dryland soil CO₂ emission and C sequestration. We evaluated the combined effects of tillage, cropping system, and N fertilization [no-till barley with 78 kg N ha^-1 (NTBFN), no-till pea with 0 kg N ha^-1 (NTPON), no-till fallow with 0 kg N ha^-1 (NTFON), and conventional till fallow with 0 kg N ha^-1 (CTFON)] on dryland soil surface CO₂ flux and C storage at the 0 to 20 cm depth from 2005 to 2006 in eastern Montana. The CO₂ flux increased immediately after substantial rain during the summer. In June and July, CO₂ flux was greater in NTBFN and CTFON than in NTFON in 2005 but was greater in NTPON than in CTFON in 2006. Averaged across measurement dates, CO₂ flux was greater in NTBFN than in other treatments in 2005 and greater in NTBFN and NTPON than in NTFON and CTFON in 2006. Cropping and N fertilization increased CO₂ flux compared with fallow and no N fertilization, respectively, in both years and tillage increased the flux compared with no-tillage in 2006. The CO₂ flux was linearly related with soil temperature and water content at the time of measurement. Soil C content was not influenced by treatments. Short-term management practices may not alter dryland soil C storage but can influence CO₂ emission due to changes in soil temperature, water content, and nutrient levels. Increased respiration due to increased crop biomass and mineralization of soil organic C could have increased CO₂ flux with than without cropping, N fertilization and tillage.