Matt Turner was born and raised on a farm/ranch in North Central Montana, with both sides of his family having deep roots there. An upbringing in agriculture taught him work ethic, responsibility, and integrity. From a very young age, he began to spend hours stalking game in Montana’s beautiful Sweetgrass Hills. Whitetail, muley, elk hunting, and fishing opportunities were right out his front door. Predator calling and trapping furbearers were his winter time hobbies as a kid. As he grew, so did his ambition and he began to explore further and further from the farm. At 15 years old he packed in his first camp into the Great Bear Wilderness. After that he was hooked, frequently trailering stock 100 miles to the west to pack into Montana’s vast wilderness complex.
After graduating high school Matt went directly into Outfitting. He guided for numerous outfitters in the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Great Bear Wilderness areas. Whatever the task, Matt was up to it, and he gained the skills needed to be a very successful packer, guide, and even cook. Later he took his stock experience to the USFS and NPS for the summer seasons. He was a long-string packer for the Spotted Bear Ranger District and then spent many years packing in Glacier National Park. He’d finish out the fall seasons in the Bob guiding and packing for outfitters.
In 2020 Matt decided to try the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, and began guiding for Rick Wemple Outfitting. Here he found a lot of new country and a different approach to hunting (Rick wasn’t using stock or packing in a camp). Learning from Rick, with his many decades in the industry and vast knowledge, has been a great asset to Matt’s already impressive professional guiding portfolio. Matt has worked his way to where he is now by earning it all, by doing it all. Hours on the trail and miles on his feet has brought him here to this place to take the next step: running his own Outfitting business.
Matt had been dreaming of starting his own outfit, and Rick had begun thinking about retirement. Talking about this together has led to their current partnership. In 2024, Matt will be taking over the license and taking a lot off Rick’s plate, but Rick will still get to do what he does best and be hands-on in handing down his legacy. He’ll be helping Matt transition from guide to owner at this amazing outfit, with the best guides in the woods and providing an excellent experience to their clients.