Montana Master Hunter Program

Hunting Foundation

"The Montana Master Hunter Program provides a way to link up landowners and sportsmen and deepen the tradition of hunting in Montana. By creating a no-nonsense curriculum that helps new and veteran hunters alike in areas such as conservation, landowner/sportsmen relations, hunting skills, and the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, the program helps put more ethical, educated, and effective hunters in the field."

- Tim Hoffer, Sales Manager - Hunting, MYSTERY RANCH

The Montana Master Hunter Program (MHP) is led by One Montana, a nonprofit dedicated to moving our state forward by building rural and urban partnerships.

In 2010, One Montana began facilitating “Common Ground” a partnership of Montana landowners, outfitters, and sportsmen, and organizations committed to building trust and to developing solutions concerning access, land stewardship, and wildlife management. This led to the development of the Montana Master Hunter Program in 2018.

The Master Hunter Program provides advanced hunter education that hones the participant’s overall aptitude and includes training in conservation and stewardship, natural history, ethics, and specialized ballistics and marksmanship skills, among 15 other topics.

The program has three primary goals:

  1. Build trust and improve working relationships between landowners and sportsmen;
  2. Help landowners and the State of Montana with their wildlife management goals; and
  3. Create ambassadors and mentors for the sport of hunting

The Montana Master Program is a unique and rigorous course which includes classroom and online instruction, and field work. Students must qualify in shooting, land navigation, and tracking and trailing, and pass a final written exam. Instructors include ranchers, farmers, landowners, university faculty, professional shooting instructors, wildlife managers, wildlife biologists, among others. The Master Hunter Program invests in a group of skilled, knowledgeable hunters that can work respectfully with landowners to meet their wildlife management goals, change false perceptions about hunting and agriculture, and increase access opportunities for future generations.

MYSTERY RANCH is a key sponsor of the Montana Master Hunter Program. As a customer of MYSTERY RANCH, please consider supporting this program by investing in your knowledge base and skill set, and by being ethical ambassadors for the sport. Specifically, hunters in Montana should apply for a spot in this course!

"We are grateful to have MYSTERY RANCH on board as a partner! The finest hunting packs come from Bozeman, Montana, and we are so proud to have a local partner to help advance the sport of hunting for future generations."

- Bill Spahr, Master Hunter Program Manager