The clouds hung low in the sky as we hauled the loaded truck and trailer with horses and gear up the mountain pass to public lands where we could hunt for deer and elk. Maria Lovely, a sixth generation Montanan who grew up alongside these mountains in a remote ranch town, slowed the truck to a crawl as she scanned a nearby pasture brimming with a couple dozen mule deer casually grazing end of season field growth.
“See that buck – that’s a good one,” she says without taking eye contact off the field. “I would shoot him.”
Her eyes hung on the impressive animal for a few seconds before she pulled herself out of the reverie, pressed on the gas and continued up the mountain. Though private land prevented the shot, there’s no doubt Maria’s keen eye and practiced precision would have made a silent and swift kill. The 22 year-old is accustomed to confronting every challenge like an opportunity.
Maria grew up the daughter of a wilderness outfitter with the majestic Montana peaks right out her back door which exposed her to the mountain lifestyle from a very young age. She laughs as she recounts the story of her first horseback ride when she was only two weeks old.
“My mom held me in a front pack and took me out scouting for bighorn sheep,” she says with a huge smile, highlighting the sparkle in her blue eyes.
Her parents built a successful outfitting business in the Montana backcountry, embracing the wilds of the west and sharing them with visitors each season. From dog sledding and fly fishing to horseback riding and hunting, the Lovely family built a business and a life around the spoils of untouched land. She learned early on to appreciate and value the land
