SSM: What is a typical day of hunting like at Sweetgrass?
D.W.: A typical hunting day at Sweetgrass starts with a chef-prepared breakfast and gourmet coffee in the Rendezvous Event Center. Following a safety briefing, hunters embark to the fields in custom sporting vehicles. All of our hunts are on the ranch—each day offering unique and varied topography from the Thunderbasin Grasslands, to the cottonwood-lined creek bottom, to the ponderosa-pine forest. The morning walk-up is a long stretch of wild land, with a break for the dogs—and the humans! A gourmet three-course lunch is served in custom safari tents in the field. And during cold-weather months, we light wood-burning stoves for a warm-up. Afternoon hunts are typically a mix of walk-up on new terrain and driven-style shooting. The day is completed with a curated evening event held in one of four venues on the ranch: the Lodge, the Rendezvous, the Wild West Chuckwagon or the Covey Dining Room and Wine Cellar. Guests end their nights by the fire with a whiskey or glass of wine and retire to very comfortable beds in our cabins themed after hunting destinations around the world.
SSM: What aspects of your operation seem to impress guests the most?
D.W.: Our repeat guests come back because they love that they are getting to experience someone’s home. The art has been hand-selected, the dinner tables designed with care, the Western artifact collection, loved. It’s comfortable luxury and a very special place. The birds are plentiful (and unlimited), the food and beverages are five-star and the evening curated events in varied venues are a true taste of the West. We’re told the accommodations are “a place I can bring my wife to!”