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OUR HUNTING GUIDE SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS – A RICH RESOURCE |
 Swan Mountain Wilderness Guide School is structured much differently than other guide schools, utilizing a diverse and highly qualified faculty for all our instructional courses for hunters, outfitters, and outdoorsmen. Below we list the many instructors and agency professionals that comprise the faculty of Swan Mountain Wilderness Guide School:
Patrick Tabor
Owner & Founder
Role & Areas of Expertise: School Director, Outfitter Program Instructor, fishing techniques and guiding, waterfowl guide training instructor, customer service, career development, standards of performance |
Pat Tabor has a B.S., and MBA and was an executive in the corporate world for over 25 years before creating a group of outdoor recreation companies, namely Swan Mountain Outfitters, Swan Mountain Outfitters- Glacier Division, Swan Mountain Guest Ranch and Swan Mountain Wilderness Guide School. Often described as a "new generation" outfitter, Pat has brought ingenuity and business savvy to the industry. The end result, Pat owns the largest horseback based outfit in the state of Montana. Pat has hunted all over the world and has a passion to serve clients with the best equipment, stock and personnel. Pat has taught at community colleges and universities and has designed curriculum for specialty workshops on a variety of different topics. |
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Larry Keyes
School Program Director
Role & Areas of Expertise: Curriculum design and Program production, all areas of instruction, expert in wilderness medicine, packing, and tracking |
Larry Keyes earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in outdoor education and exercise science. He has conducted a wide variety of outdoor programs and classes for three universities, two colleges and several outdoor educational companies for over 30 years. He owned and operated Bear Tracker Outfitters, the Wilderness Medical & Survival Academy and Bridger Institute, which offer state of the art instruction in an array of outdoor subjects. He has lectured at a number of Wilderness Medicine and Search & Rescue conferences around the country. Larry has used his expertise in horse packing, animal tracking, hunting, wilderness survival, wilderness medicine and wild animal encounters to conduct outfitter/guides schools in three western states for the past 15 years. |
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Russ Lewis Swan Division Manager School & Camp Manager
Role & Areas of Expertise: School and Camp Manager, Lead Program Instructor, Wrangler School, Packer's School, Riding instructor |
Russ Lewis has joined the Swan Group of Companies as the Swan Division Manager, after serving 7 years as the program director and manager of another outfit/guide school in Montana. Russ has a BA degree in education and has instructed, guided and hunted in Colorado, Alaska and Montana. |
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Greg Acton
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise:Archery hunting, calling and hunt & guiding techniques |
Greg Acton has served as the senior guide for Swan Mountain Outfitters for over 25 years. He has over 40 years archery elk hunting experience. Greg is a Charter Life Member of International Bowhunting Organization (IBO). He is three time United Bowhunters elk calling champion, and has over thirty archery tournament wins including, IBO world qualifiers. of which he is a seven-year 3D World Championship Qualifier. He belongs to the Montana Archery Association Inc., NFAA, and is a NAA 3D State Tournament Champion. Greg hunted nine consecutive years solo on public lands using traditional archery equipment scoring a kill each year prior to starting guiding career. |
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Timothy Wyant
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise:Rifle hunting, Gun safety and ballistics, hunt & guiding techniques |
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Tim Wyant has lived in the Swan-Seeley valley nearly all his life and has guided all throughout the Swan and Bob Marshall for over 35 years.Tim is a senior guide with Swan Mountain Outfitters going into his fifth year, and is particularly successful helping clients get bear and elk.Tim also has Federal Firearms License (FFL), and is a gunsmith and expert on firearms and ballistics. | |
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Glen Gray
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise: Orienteering, woodsmanship, lion hunt & guiding techniques |
Glen Gray has a B.S. in forest management and is certified in silviculture and ecology through post-graduate work. He has 33 years of forest management experience with the Montana DNRC, 25 of which he served as the manager of the Swan River State Forest. In addition, Glen has guided whitetail and lion hunts for the last ten years in both Montana and Idaho and is considered one of the top houndsman in the state.
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Dean Haun
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise: Caping & Trophy measurement, hunt & guiding techniques
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Dean Haun is a licensed outfitter and operates Rocky Point Outfitters. Additionally, he owns Dean Haun Taxidermy. He has won numerous awards for his work and last year took first place for a Buffalo pedestal mount in the World Taxidermy Show. Dean had guided and outfitted for over 25 years, and is an expert at caping and judging trophies. |
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Jim & Stacy Boyd
Guest Instructors
Areas of Expertise:Horsemanship |
Jimmy and Stacey Boyd help horses and riders become willing partners focusing on equine psychology and behavior. They teach proven problem-solving strategies and help develop better communication and leadership skills. Students learn how to read a horse and interpret their behavior. Jimmy and Stacey are educated, skilled and experienced in the best methods known nationally and internationally for being the most natural and successful with horses. From starting & developing young horses to problem solving and fine tuning, their instincts and communication are exceptional. Both Jimmy and Stacey have been practicing natural horsemanship for many years together and look forward to sharing it with others. They are a wellspring of knowledge when it comes to bits, saddle fitting, shoeing, horse health. Jimmy and Stacey enjoy training and showing their horses in ranch horse competitions, team penning, team roping and more. Jimmy also enjoys hunting with his horses taking them on adventures in the mountains. They have studied masters of horsmanship such as Clinton Anderson, Pat Wyse, Monty Roberts, Pat Parelli and many local horse comrades. |
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Ron Nail
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise: Archery Education, Certified P&Y Measurer |
Ron Nail's, bowhunting experience spans 40 years. To give something back to the sport he became certified as a bowhunter education instructor, by the Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, 15 years ago. Montana's bowhunter education program is accepted in all states, and Canadian provinces that require a bowhunter certification to purchase a bow hunting license.
He is a life member of the Montana Bowhunters Association, a regular member of the Pope and Young Club, and an official measurer for the Pope and Young Club.
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Tryg Kock
Guest Instructor
Areas of Expertise: Lead Instructor Waterfowl Training |
Tryg Kock is a seasoned big game and waterfowl guide and has worked for a variety of different outfitters throughout the west and midwest. Tryg is an expert waterfowl guide and works through the winter and spring months guiding in Nebraska, South & North Dakota and Missouri for geese and ducks. |
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Jim Ford Guest Instructor
Role & Areas of Expertise: Lead Instructor EquineCare |
Jim Ford is a certified Equine Dentist with a practice that covers multiple states in the west. He is an expert at equine health and behavioral care. Jim resides in Wyoming but frequently travels to Montana to serve his clients and instruct at Swan Mountain Wilderness Guide School |
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Shawn Fulton
Resident Instructor, Mentor
Areas of Expertise: Packing Instructor, bear hunt instructor, guiding, camp mentor
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Shawn Fulton served as one of Swan Mountain Outfitters lead packers in Glacier National Park, and prior to that managed a horse facility in the midwest for nearly 10 years. Shawn has extensive experience with medical treatment of horses and rehabilitation. Shawn is part of the guide staff in the Swan Division this year and assists with several programs and serves as a mentor to students in camp. |
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Tom Stehn
Resident Instructor, Mentor
 
Areas of Expertise: Fishing Instructor, guiding, camp mentor |
Tom Stehn is the newest addition to the Swan Mountain staff entering his second year with the outfit. Tom is originally from New Jersey and has been a deep sea fishing charter guide the last seven years His maturity and "can do" attitude landed him tops in the classes last year. Tom worked in Glacier last year in the summer and joined the Swan for fall hunting. John guides for bears in the spring and mulies/whitetails in the fall and wrangles during the summer. |
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Cecil Noble
Instructor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise: Backcountry horsemanship, packing and outfitting
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Cecil Noble, a fourth generation Montanan and pioneer in the outfitting industry founded Lion Creek Outfitters. Since 1972, Lion Creek Outfitters had offered guided elk hunting, deer hunting, and summer horse pack/fishing trips in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and its surrounding areas of the Flathead National Forest. Cecil sold his company to Swan Mountain Outfitters in 2005. Cecil has served as president of Montana Outfitters & Guides Association (MOGA) and has been instrumental in the formation of rules and regulations affecting the outfitting industry over three decades. Cecil is a horseman extraordinaire, and a true innovator in developing faster, safer and less expensive ways to pack, clear trails and accomplish a number of other tasks related to back country outfitting. |
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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks provides enforcement officers and or program information specialists to help candidates to understand the importance of game laws, resource management, expectations of guides and outfitters and understanding the pressures of the non-hunting public.
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The Montana Board of Outfitters is the licensing agency for outfitters and guides in the state of Montana. Representatives provide their direct perspective of the issues and challenge the Board faces and will inform students on what is required for obtaining licenses and maintaining a good relationship.
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Montana DNRC has graciously offered to provide specialists to discuss state regulatory, land use and conservation issues. They will openly discuss issues relating to guided services on state lands, public use issues and challenges from an environmental perspective
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The Flathead National Forest, a division of the USDA-USFS, is providing information officers as resource to our school to understand the expectations of outfitters and/guides, the permitting process, and conservation practices
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