Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reported that the opening weekend of the 2026 general big‑game rifle season brought a slightly above‑average flow of hunters to the four western‑central check stations in Anaconda, Bonner, Darby and Fish Creek (Region 2). A total of 2,625 hunters logged their passes, edging up from 2,549 the previous year.
Check‑station activity by location
Bonner: The station just outside Bonner recorded 930 hunter stops, compared with a five‑year average of 820. The number of elk and white‑tailed deer checked also rose modestly.
Darby: On the southern edge of the region, the Darby station saw a slightly above‑average hunter count but fewer animals. Only 69 elk were checked, down from 87 the prior season, and 12 white‑tailed deer, down from 18.
Anaconda: Elk harvests at the Anaconda and Bonner stations were higher than last year’s opener, a result the agency attributes in part to a brief blast of wintry weather that swept the Blackfoot and upper Clark Fork areas just before opening day.
Fish Creek: The remote Fish Creek station in Mineral County checked 10 white‑tailed deer, a small increase over the eight recorded last season.
Overall harvest numbers
Across the four stations, hunters harvested 98 elk, a slight dip from 105 in 2025, but the season saw a modest rise in white‑tailed deer harvests, with 93 animals taken versus 80 the year before. Mule‑deer checks increased marginally, from 27 to 29.
New hunting opportunity
Liz Bradley, FWP Region 2 Wildlife Manager, highlighted a new opportunity introduced this season: a general‑license option for either‑sex white‑tailed deer during the first week in several Blackfoot districts. The agency noted that many hunters took advantage of the change, contributing to the higher deer numbers.
What the numbers mean for Montana hunters
While the overall hunter turnout was up, the mixed harvest results suggest that early-season conditions varied across the region. The increased activity at Bonner and the new deer‑harvest option reflect a healthy interest in the sport, aligning with Montana’s long‑standing hunting tradition and the state’s commitment to sustainable wildlife management.
Montana’s general big‑game season continues through November 29, giving hunters ample time to pursue elk, mule‑deer and white‑tailed deer across the state’s diverse terrain.
Original reporting: NewsTalk KGVO 1290 (Townsquare) — read the source article.
