Dispatch / 11.02.26· Agencies & Hunting ·Montana
Montana Check Stations Log 3,875 Hunter Stops in West-Central Region After Two Weekends
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said elk harvest at its Anaconda, Bonner and Darby stations was 141, against 151 at this point in 2025. CWD sampling is free and voluntary.
Key Facts
- Anaconda, Bonner and Darby check stations logged 3,875 hunter stops in two weekends, against 3,897 in 2025.
- Hunters checked 141 elk, 42 mule deer and 149 white-tailed deer, against 151, 51 and 123 a year earlier.
- Darby elk totals are down slightly from last season and the five-year average.
- Drummond CWD sampling is open Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to dark, and Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The general big game season runs through Sunday, Nov. 29.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a Nov. 2 release from Missoula that its Anaconda, Bonner and Darby check stations logged 3,875 hunter stops in two weekends, against 3,897 in 2025.
The three stations are the region’s regularly held wildlife check stations, and they count the first two weekends of big game rifle season. FWP called elk and deer harvest totals and hunter numbers on par with this point in the 2025 season.
| Count, first two weekends | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter stops | 3,875 | 3,897 |
| Elk | 141 | 151 |
| Mule deer | 42 | 51 |
| White-tailed deer | 149 | 123 |
By station, elk totals at Darby are down slightly from last season and from the five-year average. Anaconda and Bonner are a bit above last season.
Some hunters checked their first elk. Kayla Cook took hers in Bitterroot Hunting District 250 on the second weekend. Albert Elias took a mule deer in upper Clark Fork Hunting District 211 that weekend. Bri Sweten, a local hunter, came through the Bonner station on Halloween dressed as a game warden.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a deer, elk and moose disease that FWP tracks with hunter-submitted samples. Testing is voluntary and free. The Darby and Anaconda stations collect samples during normal weekend hours. A separate site in Drummond is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to dark and Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Missoula FWP office takes samples Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A few hunting districts in west-central Montana are Priority Surveillance Areas, where FWP is working to gather more samples. Hunters can also take a sample themselves and mail it to the wildlife lab. FWP’s CWD page lists stations and hours statewide.
FWP will publish weekly check station reports over the next four weeks. The general big game season runs through Sunday, Nov. 29.
Sources
- 1 Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks · After two weekends, hunter check station totals on par with last season in west-central Montana · accessed 2026-11-02
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