Being at Horse Prairie
Ranch was a blast. The ride there was pretty neat. The country
up there is spectacular. During those five days of hunting, I
felt like I had gone everywhere. I had been from the base of the
Browns Mountain to East Coyote Creek. All through there I saw
elk sign, tracks, and beds. I saw some moose sign, and I even
saw bear sign too! It is wildlife 101up there. I saw elk, deer,
antelope, rabbits and hares, eagles, hawks etc.
Those elk are tricky.
The only time we could get a shot at one was near the end of
shooting light. With that full moon they could come out late and
come back in the trees early. My dad had one chance to shoot a
cow on the second day but till the third or fourth day he was
holding out for a bull. I was kind of doing the same thing, but
after a long hike on Monday I said, “If I see a cow elk, I going
to take a crack at it.” The horses were really nice (I had
Sage), and on Thursday they were excited to get back home. My
horse probably trotted all the way home. When we got back to the
cabins we were so happy to have a good soft bed and great food.
Sheri was so nice and made phenomenal breakfasts, lunches, and
dinners. While I was there I saw that little lake and asked Urs
if I could fish there. He said yes so I tried my luck at
fishing. Didn’t catch anything but I had one on my line, but
couldn’t seem to manage to get it in.
Urs and Devin were
some of the nicest and funniest people that I have ever met.
They made great food at elk camp, and Devin had a lot of good
jokes and hunting stories. Urs was a great guide and knew where
the elk were or where they had recently been. And one of us got
an elk. Deven shot a mature cow. He gave a front shoulder to us,
which was really nice of him. This has been, if not the best,
one of the best hunts I have ever been on. Everything was
excellent. Thank you very much for inviting my dad and I. I hope
to do it again sometime and I hope to meet both of you sometime
and thank you in person.
Jeffrey Knudson, 13 years old
Talk about the "last best
place!". This is it. The guides, Urs Schmidlin and
Deven Thompson made this ultimate experience even better.
The thrill of the hunt, the location of our camp and the overall
experience was certainly enhanced by the knowledge and
experience both Urs & Deven brought to the table. The
early morning sounds of the wilderness, the crisp, clean
mountain air and the sounds of the wildlife are the perfect
start to a day of hunting. Each morning we could hear the sound
of the Elk bugling making my heart beat faster hoping today
would be the day. Working together to get the day started
you could feel the anticipation building. Would this be
the day one of us would get an Elk or maybe a mule deer?
Each day was better than the last. The trip was a great
successes as I took home a 3 by 4 Elk as well as a 4 point mule
deer. I am all ready planning my trip for next year.
Mike Saeger
What an
awesome experience!!!
Being an
avid hunter and having been raised on a cattle ranch and riding
the range I was prepared and comfortable with the horse ride.
However, the HPR was unlike any ranch I have experienced in my
life. I was unprepared for the beauty of a 7,000 acre cattle
ranch surrounded by spectacular mountains, valleys and streams
in remote Montana.
I want to
take this opportunity to thank you, Sheri and Devin for your
hospitality and Ken for giving us the opportunity to hunt as
guests on the ranch. From the moment we entered the gates of the
ranch, until we had to pack up and leave for home, we felt as if
we were getting together with friends that we had known our
entire lives. The meals, service and accommodations were
outstanding and exceeded our greatest expectations.
The hunting
expereince was great, we were able to see elk, mule deer, moose,
antelope, fox and coyote. On the mountain close to camp, we saw
wolf and bear sign. We didn't harvest any elk, but we had
opportunites to see and stalk them. Devin and I were able to
track one herd of 70 or 80 animals that had several nice bulls,
unfortunately we ran out of daylight before we were able to get
a shot at the big ones. That same evening a member of our party,
knocked a nice bull down, but due to fading light and the heavy
timber, was unable to locate the bull after several hours of
searching.
The time we
spent in camp was the most enjoyable and relaxing time that I
have had for many years. Having the chance to get away from the
stresses of a demanding career and have the hunting experience
offered at the HPR was truly rewarding. The overall experience
and interaction with each of you is one I will truly value my
entire life.
I'll always
remember the little cowboy jokes and the great time we had
laughing with each other for the entire week. There is no better
way, to enjoy and experience the beauty of the wilderness and
hunting as well as strengthen relationships with friends both
old and new, as that provided by each of you at the Horse
Prairie Ranch.
Thanks again
for your hospitality and service. We hope to have the
opportunity to visit our new friends of the Horse Prairie Ranch
again in the very near future.
Shane Wood
I just
wanted to write you an express my thanks for an adventure of a
lifetime. When I was a teenager I used to read every hunting
magazine I could get my hands on and would always dream about
going on a classic rocky mountain elk hunt. Well twenty years
later I thought it was never going to happen, but fortunately
this past year I had the opportunity to travel to Montana in
order to hunt elk and mule deer with you at Montana Outfitters.
From the minute we arrived at the Horse Prairie Ranch I knew my
dreams were going to be fulfilled. The ranch is beautiful with
first class accommodations, but when we rode by horseback up to
the hunting camp, I was blown away by the beauty of southwestern
Montana. The tent camp was just as I had pictured it in my mind
when I used to read those hunting magazines many years ago. Our
guides, Urs and Devon, were great, you couldn’t ask for two
better guys to spend week with in the wilderness. Their
knowledge of the area and the animals was impressive. By the end
of the week my friend and I had taken two bull elk and two mule
deer. Thanks to all at Montana Outfitters for an experience I
will never forget.
David & Joie Marouchoc
