Guide Puts Clients on the Biggest Bull on the Mountain After 3 Hard Days in Southwest Montana

Three days. Southwest Montana. One general unit. And a guide who refused to settle for anything less than the biggest bull on the mountain. That’s the short version of what Montana Trophy Outfitters’ Forrest Lewton and his clients pulled off in this recent hunt — and if you’ve ever chased elk on a general tag in this state, you know exactly how hard-earned that outcome really is.

Here’s the thing about hunting general units in Montana — there’s no guarantee of anything. Unlike limited-entry districts where you’re drawing a tag specifically for a managed, often lower-pressure herd, general elk tags put you in the mix with every other hunter who walked into a sporting goods store and bought a license over the counter. Southwest Montana’s general units are no joke — the terrain is brutal, the elk are pressured, and the bulls that survive into October and November have seen everything. That’s what makes a result like this one stand out. Finding a mature bull in a general unit after just three days isn’t luck. It’s glassing, miles, and a guide who knows where the elk go when the pressure builds.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks manages general elk hunting across much of the state, with the bulk of Southwest Montana falling under regulations that allow hunters to pursue either sex or antlered bulls depending on the specific hunting district. If you’re planning a future hunt in this region, it’s worth pulling up the current FWP hunting district maps before you go — boundaries and antlerless opportunities can shift year to year based on herd population objectives. Public land access is generally strong in this corner of the state, with a patchwork of national forest and BLM ground that rewards hunters willing to get off the two-tracks and put in the legwork.

What this video captures well is the grind that most people don’t see — the days of searching before the moment everything comes together. If you’re a do-it-yourself elk hunter planning your own Southwest Montana general unit hunt this fall, or just someone who appreciates watching a well-run guided hunt play out in real time, this one is worth the watch. Hit play and see how Lewton’s crew put it all together when it counted.