Colton Kramer made a promise to his girlfriend this year that he would take her deer hunting for the first time and that it would be a great experience. But when his plans to take her to a friend’s ranch suddenly fell through, he turned to LandTrust.
“I called the customer success team at LandTrust and asked if they’d recommend anything for the occasion. They immediately presented me with four quality options and after discussing more about each property, what game would be present at certain times of the year, I picked Big Horn Adventures.”
Kramer explains that he really appreciated how much it felt like it was two sportsmen talking about hunting rather than a generic customer support line.
Colton Dombroski (above, top) of the LandTrust Customer Success Team is an avid sportsman himself and enjoys supporting others in their endeavors.
Originally from central Minnesota, Kramer grew up whitetail deer hunting with his dad and the rest of his family. Just over six years ago, he moved out to Bozeman, MT and began expanding his own hunting portfolio.
“Montana is such a large state so it can be hard to get a lay of the land and get to know the country, but that’s what brought me to LandTrust!”
Kramer admits that he’s pretty accustomed to traveling for hunting. He shares how he feels about the hunting pressure that is currently on public land, especially around the major cities. Colton compares hunting on a public parcel nowadays vs 10 years ago and how different it is with so many more people out there.
Clear as can be out at Big Horn Adventures in Hardin, MT.
“People like myself just have to look for other options. I’ve tried everything under the moon to try to reach landowners about hunting private land and have had some success but always at a costly price and with a lot of extra stress.”
After hearing about LandTrust, Colton was instantly intrigued and started exploring the diverse opportunities. He was impressed with the number of options available throughout Montana and became excited about the possibility of traveling around the state for more hunting in new places. He also deeply considered the controlled setting and less pressure that he could find on a LandTrust listing, figuring this environment would create a great experience for his girlfriend, Amelia.
Amelia had grown up with a hunting family but had never ventured out for a trip herself. She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a LandTrust listing and was nervous that they’d pay to drive two hours and go home empty handed. Colton wanted to assure Amelia that it would be a successful trip to Big Horn Adventures, so he called the landowner, Jennifer.
“Jennifer was so great! I was expecting very minimal interaction with the landowner but when I called, she gave me a ton of information to work with.”
Colton was impressed with the communication from Jennifer and blown away by all of the insight and advice she was able to provide about where she thought the game would be and when. He felt like the landowner made the whole process really simple and when he and Amelia showed up before the sun had risen Jennifer saw their headlights coming down the road and gave him a ring. She then continued to check in every hour to see how things were going and share tips from her husband, Craig.
The upper field at Big Horn Adventures.
“Suddenly, we came over a hill and saw 50-60 deer just hanging out. Amelia’s eyes immediately lit up!”
Amelia, proud of her successful first deer hunt.
“A lot of people will drive three hours just to get to public land and it will end up being a terrible experience. Staying up the night before thinking about all of the variables but hoping it will be a good day, then hiking 10 miles that morning just to see someone already out there on the hillside… having your girlfriend fall asleep the whole drive home rather than look through all of he photos from the exciting hunt. But that wasn't the case for us!”
.jpg?width=600&name=1W6A9249%20(1).jpg)
Amelia and Colton enjoying this experience together.
Colton shares his opinion that public land access just really deters people away from hunting. The crowds and uncontrolled setting can often be difficult to deal with. On the other hand, booking an experience on private land instantly increases the quality and also provides a safety net. Kramer appreciates that he has a better idea of what to expect on a LandTrust listing because he can ask the landowner questions if necessary. He also points out how convenient it is for people who don’t have a lot of time on their hands nor a girlfriend who wants to put on a big backpack and hike 10 miles into the mountains.
“What makes LandTrust the coolest is the price range. I know plenty of hunters who will pay $30k for a year-long lease but only use it a handful of times. LandTrust has something to offer in every price range and being able to pay per day makes it so much more affordable and convenient.”
Colton is just one example of many sportsmen who had an incredible experience this fall booking with LandTrust. We are wrapping up a great year with out landowner and recreator community and can't wait to see what 2022 has in store for us all! If you are interested in hearing about other recreator's experiences you can read about CJ's Montana Elk Hunt, Todd's Kansas Bird Hunt or Miranda's Nebraska Turkey Hunt.
Trusted services
LandTrust helps make sharing easy, enjoyable, and safe. We verify personal profiles and listings, maintain a smart messaging system so Landowners and Recreators can communicate with certainty, and manage a trusted platform to collect and transfer payments.