Bradley Gallaher

Review of Swan Mountain Outfitters

My father put me onto this outfit with two words: ...

My father put me onto this outfit with two words: "Spring bear." We didn't end up going for bear that year, but did make it out in the fall for rifle elk and mule deer. After a week of hard hunting I nailed my first mulie in a pretty amazing alpine setting during a hard snowfall.

The next Spring we did decide to do bear, and after a great week staying out of Pat's lodge and hiking/ glassing for bear during the morning and evening I shot a beautiful (and large) animal. I went back in the Fall for archery elk and despite seeing HUGE bulls each day wasn't successful. (I'm actually heading back once more this Fall to try once more to punch my elk/ deer tag and work with the same group of guides).

The great thing about this group is the preparation they put into connecting each season's hunt with the seasons before. From what I can tell, there are very few days these guides aren't on one of the mountains and this allows them to see where the animals are year round. It also gives them a pretty robust set of skills, as a lot of them double-up and work with the Glacier horseback camps in the summer.

I am pretty confident I'll budget for at least one trip with these guys a year. You can't beat the scenery and wildlife and I enjoy working with this team.