Reminder: All hunters must stop at check stations they pass, even if they haven’t harvested game

The 2025 Montana big game general hunting season opened Saturday, Oct. 25. Harvest totals were on track with last year’s opener for elk and just above for deer in the west-central part of the state, according to data collected at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife check stations near Anaconda, Bonner, Darby and Fish Creek.

“We had a little wind, rain, and snow this weekend, but that didn't seem to slow anyone down,” said Kirstie Yeager, FWP wildlife biologist in the upper Clark Fork. “Hunters enjoyed their time in the woods and brought in a few nice animals.”

At the Anaconda hunter check station where Yeager is stationed, hunters checked nine elk and five deer. On the other side of the region, the hunter check station near Darby saw 87 elk and 23 deer, compared to 72 and 18 on last year’s opening weekend.

“It was a slower start on Saturday due to weather, but the weather wasn't as bad as initially forecasted, so the harvest picked up on Sunday,” said Rebecca Mowry, FWP wildlife biologist in the Bitterroot Valley. “We had a couple kids come through the Darby station with their first elk, as well as one adult,” Mowry said.

Elk harvest in the Blackfoot Valley was below last year’s opener, as measured at the check station near Bonner, however a steady flow of whitetail deer came through the check station both Saturday and Sunday along with a handful of mule deer. Males of all three species tended to be on the younger side; however, biologists also reported checking two older buck mule deer at the station.

For the second year in a row, more hunters passed through the stations collectively this opening weekend compared to the year before. The Fish Creek station in Mineral County was busy with hunters and checked eight white-tailed deer, including five bucks and three does, over the weekend.

Overall, west-central Montana’s four wildlife check stations saw 2,549 hunters collectively compared to 2,378 in the 2024 opener. Those hunters checked 105 elk, compared to 107 in 2024; 27 mule deer, compared to 18 last year; and 80 white-tailed deer, compared to 66.

All hunters must stop at check stations

FWP reminds hunters they must stop at all check stations that they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals. Although wildlife check stations sample a relatively small portion of the overall effort and harvest, they capture important trends and biological information, and by stopping you are helping with wildlife management in Montana.