Montana has some great areas for hunting these cats and is one of few states to allow hunting mountain lion (a.k.a. cougar, puma). We utilize experienced hounds men and dogs to “tree” cats. Since these hunts begin in December and run through winter months, you’ll be treated to accommodations in a luxurious lodge atmosphere instead of the wall tents utilized in our fall and spring seasons. This is a unique experience and we have great trophy cats.
What to Expect
Hunting mountain lions is totally different than hunting for elk, deer or bear. Your day begins as early as 3:00 am, you’ll have a light breakfast and join our houndsman who will instruct you on how to “cut” a track. Tracking a mountain lion involves driving or snowmobiling through a myriad of US Forest Service and private timber company roads, using spotlights mounted to the cat truck, and trying to eyeball a track from many yards away. Once a track is found, dogs are put on it to see if it carries a scent. If so, they’re off and the race is on!
It can take several hours for the dogs to find and tree the cat. Once the cat is treed, the hunter’s work begins – they must find the dogs and the treed cat in time before it escapes. If we haven’t treed a cat by 2:00 pm, we typically quit for the day as we don’t want to hunt in the dark. At this point, hunters have the remainder of the afternoon to relax, tour around the area or rest up.
The duration of your Montana mountain lion hunt is typically 7 days. However, we can extend a hunt up to 10 days using daily rates if we haven’t got a hunter his or her cat. While there are never guarantees in hunting, the success rate for our Montana mountain lion hunts has been nearly 100% in the past. The skill of our dogs, the quality of the area we have rights to hunt in, and the quality and skill of the houndsmen we employ all play a role in our success rates at Swan Mountain Outfitters.
Since mountain lion hunts in Montana take place during the winter months, hunters have access to a variety of exciting winter activities that can be added on to the front or back end of their hunt. These activities include but are not limited to: downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing and ice skating. Many of these activities can be enjoyed right from the front door of Swan Mountain Ranch, where our mountain lion hunters stay during their hunt.
How to Prepare
The state of Montana converted to a draw permit system for lions for Regions 1 and 2, arguably the best regions in the state for lion/cougar hunting. Lion Hunts are run out of US Forest Service , Montana DNRC and private timber leased land in the Swan Valley as well as west of Kalispell. It will be necessary to apply for a special permit in either Hunting District (HD) 102, 103, 120 and 130, or you can buy a winter license and hunt HD 132.
If you are an out-of-state resident, it may take several years for you to draw in a special permit district. That said, if you want a guarantee to go lion hunting in any given year, we have the permit for hunting district 132, which is still governed by a quota system. Hunters making this choice have an outstanding chance at a great cat without having to draw a special permit. Hunting district 132 has not hit the quota in the last few years, but we only take a limited number of hunters each year, so book early for this one!
As with all of our hunts, mountain lion hunting in northwest Montana is characterized by difficult terrain: the forest is very thick and wild and the elements can be harsh. Though we use dogs to track and tree the cat, the hunters must be physically fit enough to get to the treed cat in a timely manner so that it doesn’t get away. It’s also important to note that the weather plays a key role in mountain lion hunting, as a lack of snow make it virtually impossible to cut tracks.
Swan Mountain Ranch
Swan Mountain Ranch is a unique guest ranch facility located in Northwest Montana on the western border of the Bob Marshall Wilderness about an hour south of Glacier National Park. Swan Mountain Ranch is operated in a custom basis. We house lion hunting clients of Swan Mountain Outfitters. Occasionally, our cabin and lodge rooms are available for rent.
Located in the heart of the Swan Valley, Swan Mountain Ranch is a one-of-a-kind property. Bordered on all four sides by Swan River State Forest, the nearest year round neighbor is over 7 miles away. At Swan Mountain Ranch, you enjoy a serene setting away from it all taking in the beauty of the Swan Range that forms the western border of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. The ranch consists of a main lodge, guest cabin and stocked pond. The main lodge is a 6,000 square foot log home with a game room, hot tub and plenty of Western ambiance. The cabin is 1100 square feet and offers a full kitchen, satellite TV, washer/dryer.
Current Trip Rates
Group Discount Rates: 10% for groups of 4+
Family Discounts: Son/daughter Discount (swan location only): 50% discount for under age of 25 hunting with parent. Hunting Spouse Discount (swan location only): 25% off.
One-on-one guide: $1500 extra
3% Administrative Fee: All multi-day trip rates will have an additional 3% administrative fee added per reservation. If you have any questions please feel free to call us at (406) 387-4405.
Cancellation & Refund Policy: For all hunts, $1,000 per hunter is required to secure the reservation. A secondary deposit of $2,000 is required no later than March 1st the year of the hunt. Both deposits are non-refundable. The remaining balance is due June 1st. If you do not get drawn we will refund a deposit, but will not for any other reason. There are no refunds due to weather or not harvesting an animal. Since all of our hunts are free chase, there is a chance you may not see an animal during your hunt. If the thought of going home without of an animal is not palatable to you, do not book a hunt! Credit Cards accepted for initial deposit with no fee, all other subsequent payments can be made with a check or cash or a credit card. If you choose to pay with a credit card a 3% convenience fee will be added. Above prices do not include tags/licenses that are paid directly to the state of Montana, or a Hunter Defense Fund fee of $50 collected of all outfitted clients of Outfitter members of the Montana Outfitter & Guides Association for the purposes of defending nonresident hunting rights in the state of Montana. All hunts are offered under Montana License #34041, Patrick M. Tabor Jr. 26356 Soup Creek Road, Swan Lake, MT 59911 (406)-387-4405.
Group Discount Rates: 10% for groups of 4+
Family Discounts: Son/daughter Discount (swan location only): 50% discount for under age of 25 hunting with parent. Hunting Spouse Discount (swan location only): 25% off.
One-on-one guide: $1500 extra
3% Administrative Fee: All multi-day trip rates will have an additional 3% administrative fee added per reservation. If you have any questions please feel free to call us at (406) 387-4405.
Cancellation & Refund Policy: For all hunts, $1,000 per hunter is required to secure the reservation. A secondary deposit of $2,000 is required no later than March 1st the year of the hunt. Both deposits are non-refundable. The remaining balance is due June 1st. If you do not get drawn we will refund a deposit, but will not for any other reason. There are no refunds due to weather or not harvesting an animal. Since all of our hunts are free chase, there is a chance you may not see an animal during your hunt. If the thought of going home without of an animal is not palatable to you, do not book a hunt! Credit Cards accepted for initial deposit with no fee, all other subsequent payments can be made with a check or cash or a credit card. If you choose to pay with a credit card a 3% convenience fee will be added. Above prices do not include tags/licenses that are paid directly to the state of Montana, or a Hunter Defense Fund fee of $50 collected of all outfitted clients of Outfitter members of the Montana Outfitter & Guides Association for the purposes of defending nonresident hunting rights in the state of Montana. All hunts are offered under Montana License #34041, Patrick M. Tabor Jr. 26356 Soup Creek Road, Swan Lake, MT 59911 (406)-387-4405.
