UPLAND STARTS HERE.

A MULTI-DAY UPLAND BIRD HUNT BUILT FOR VETERANS WHO'VE NEVER PICKED UP A SHOTGUN — AND THEIR KIDS WHO HAVEN'T EITHER.

THIS ISN'T FOR THE GUY WHO'S ALREADY GOT A BIRD DOG AND A CLOSET FULL OF SHELLS. THIS IS FOR THE VETERAN WHO'S NEVER HUNTED UPLAND BIRDS IN HIS LIFE, BRINGING HIS KID ALONG FOR THE FIRST TIME TOO. EVERYONE'S WELCOME. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • Montana hunting regulations

  • Gun safety, start to finish

  • Shotgun fundamentals

  • Bird identification

  • Clay shooting before you ever step in the field

  • The actual hunt

  • If you're successful: processing and preparing upland game birds, start to finish

Person wearing outdoor hiking gear standing in a grassy field with two black and brown dogs, possibly after a hunt or hike.

A SHARP TAILD GROUSE FLUSHES IN FRONT OF A POINTING DOG

WHO IT'S FOR

BUILT ON THE SAME MODEL AS THE REST OF SPORTSMAN: A VETERAN AND THEIR CHILD (AGES 10+, PER MONTANA'S APPRENTICE HUNTER PROGRAM), HUNTING TOGETHER, LEARNING TOGETHER.

MONTANA RESIDENTS ONLY. This hunt runs the first week of September — Montana's early season for grouse and Hungarian partridge, which is state-residents-only under FWP regulations.

WHAT WE'RE HUNTING

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE AND HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE, ON THE GROUND WHERE THEY LIVE.

A person wearing an orange jacket and brown hat walking in a grassy field with shrubs and bushes, with more grass and shrubs in the background.

HOW IT WORKS

WE PROVIDE THE SHOTGUNS. WE PROVIDE THE DOGS. YOU SHOW UP READY TO LEARN.

WE DON'T ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO BRING THEIR OWN FIREARMS — TOO MUCH UNKNOWN, TOO MUCH RISK, WHEN THE GOAL IS TEACHING SAFETY FROM ZERO. EVERY GUN ON THIS HUNT IS OURS, EVERY DOG IS WELL-TRAINED AND HANDLED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

THE TEAM STAYS TOGETHER AT A HOUSE IN CENTRAL MONTANA FOR THE DURATION — ALL MEALS PROVIDED, EVERYONE OPERATING OUT OF ONE BASE.

A black and white dog standing in a grassy field with two people and a dog in the background, some distance away.

THIS PROGRAM IS BUILT ON REAL GROUND.

BEFORE WE EVER RAN THIS AS A PROGRAM, THE TEAM WENT OUT TO SEE THE FACILITIES, WALK THE GROUND, AND HUNT IT OURSELVES. THE DOGS WORKED THE FIELD LIKE THEY WERE BORN TO IT. WE CAME HOME WITH TWO SHARP-TAILED GROUSE AND A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT THIS PROGRAM CAN BE FOR A VETERAN WHO'S NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

ADAM THOMAS — DONOR AND PARTNER OPENING HIS HOUSE AND HIS DOGS TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM WORK.