"Let me tell you about Bull Creek Outfitters. I live just south of St. Louis Missouri, where there are no Mountain Lions. In the fall of 2013, I saw an advertisement by Bull Creek Outfitters regarding Mountain Lion hunts. At age 74 ( then ) - I thought “what a great idea”, mountain lion hunting. Well, maybe that’s a stretch for an old man. Then again, why not ?. So I placed a call to Cleave Dwire and got the facts and figures and possible dates to hunt.

Everything just fell into place. I booked a flight to Vegas, shipped way too much hunting gear to Bull Creek in Pioche NV, and waited for the hunt date to arrive. February in Nevada was great weather, but maybe not conducive to great lion hunting. Dry and somewhat dusty was the condition as we drove thru the mountains looking for sign and tracks. I will confess, I was totally lost when it came to tracks and recognizing such signs. In dusty two tracks we travelled & hunted with great expectation. Why would I know anything about this type of hunting. In Missouri, all we have is whitetail deer & turkey, and for the most part you sit and wait for them to come to you.

Mountain Lion hunting is altogether different, but a heck of a lot more interesting and exciting. I drew Monty Dwire, the somewhat younger brother of Cleave for my guide. I will tell you for a fact, both of these young men know their business. Professional, but down to earth. They make you feel like you have known them forever. Those brothers have a sand lot simply full of lion dogs. There must have been 40 hounds with the family name fully freeze branded on each hound, for safekeeping. Who the heck is going to try to walk off with a dog with someone else’s name on it ?.

A couple days hunting and looking for tracks, and then the hunting Gods smiled on us. It snowed and gave us perfect hunting conditions. This is exactly what the boys were wanting, and finally got. Wonderful snow and great tracking conditions at last. You gotta believe me when I say conditions were great. 5 to 7 inches of the white tracking material set to tone for my success on the mountains of Nevada. I can guarantee you that your hunt will most likely be one of the most memorable experiences you will have in the realm of hunting.. Great accommodations in various dining halls of different hotels will surprise you because you will think that there is no place remotely close that resembles civilization. Then, around the mountain and down the valley to another remote and quaint little mining town appears your destination for the night.

Do not expect a five star ranch house with exquisite dining facilities and accommodations, but rather great out of the way hotels and restaurants that will do your hunting experience forever justice. These two brothers, Cleave & Monty know their business, no question about it. The only thing you must do is call Bull Creek Outfitters ( 775-293-1917 ) to set up your hunt for a lifetime in Nevada. Cleave will facilitate transportation from the airport to your destination in and around Pioche, Nevada, and I guarantee you that you will not regret having gotten involved in a fantastic mountain lion hunt with these fellows. Remember, you only go around once, and you will not want to miss out on this adventure of a lifetime."
-Charles A. Herzog Sr.

"December 2014 I finally got a great mountain lion. I hunted with Cleave and his brother Monte. These 2 guys worked there asses off to help me get a lion. Starting the hunt at 3 am looking for tracks and hunting all day. On the fourth day of my hunt Monte got on a good track around noon and we followed it till 8pm. The male lion measured 119 inches tip to tail it was a real nice male. I have been on many guided hunts Africa, New Zealand and Asia. I can not say enough good things about Bull creek out fitters. If you want a lion and one hell of a hunt book with these guys."
Respectfully
Tim Harris

"After an unsuccessful attempt to complete my Super Ten with Mountain Lion from British Columbia, I was making plans to attend the GSCO Convention in Las Vegas the last weekend in January, 2016. By chance, I came across a picture of a hunter with a huge cougar that the hunter had taken in Nevada just a couple of months earlier. The hunter was praising his guide and Outfitter-Bull Creek Outfitters of Pioche, Nevada. I decided to call Bull Creek and spoke with owner Cleave Dwire about his operation. Cleave told me that he and his brother, Monte, had taken 14 lions for 16 hunters in the 2014/2015 season and was on track for an identical season for 2015/2016. So when Cleave told me he had a cancellation for the week after the GSCO convention, I immediately booked the hunt. It was really convenient for me since I would already be in Las Vegas for the convention and Pioche was only a 3 hour drive north. I was admittedly concerned with the weather in Vegas reached 70 degrees, but after driving 3 hours north into the mountains, we got 14 inches of snow the first night. To make a long story short, my hunt was absolutely great. We cut multiple cat tracks, had a couple of good runs with the dogs, and on the 3rd day of actual hunting we killed the trophy of a lifetime for me. My Super Ten was completed with this hunt and I couldn’t have had a better time or made better friends that I have made with Cleave and Monte. I would absolutely recommend this trip and these guys to anyone that loved sharing a hunt with good friends, enjoyed listening to a great pack of dogs, and appreciated the tremendously beautiful desert and mountain country of Nevada."
-Michael White
870-762-9436
"Theodore Roosevelt said, “In cougar hunting the success of the hunter depends absolutely upon his hounds . . . and absolutely upon the man who trains and hunts the hounds.”

I know this first hand after hunting with Cleave Dwire and his pack of well-trained hounds - my two friends and I harvested three awesome mountains lions in seven days!

If you want a great adventure and success in stalking a cat, then hunting with Bull Creek Outfitters is a must!"
Dr. Bryan Judge
Hunting Enthusiast and Outdoor Writer
Ada, MI, USA
616-745-1187

"I guess you could say that I'm addicted to Mountain Lion hunting. After 7 times in Idaho with 2 different guides, I lost my patience with the excuses I was hearing. "Oh, I forgot the batteries for the dog collars" and "Oh, I forgot the snowshoes got broken on the last hunt", and with the dogs running trash and snowmobiles that broke down constantly. But even with all of that I scored 2 cats, 1 female and 1 large Tom with a bow that scored #8 SCI. So when it came time for hunt #8, I did a lot of research on Mountain Lion hunts and found Bull Creek Outfitters in Nevada. When I contacted Cleave at Bull Creek he told me we only hunt lions, and nothing else although with his skill and expertise, I hope he considers branching out with other animal hunts as well. Well after speaking with him, I was impressed with his knowledge about dogs and lions which surpassed anyone else I hunted with or spoke to in my research. Cleave gives 150% of his time and effort. He is extremely disciplined and his dogs are very well trained. In the 7 days I was with him I learned a whole lot more that I thought I knew. We turned loose one time and in 3 hours the dogs had a cat in a horizontal mine shaft that was 250-300 feet deep, about 6 feet high and about 3 feet wide and I shot the cat with a bow at the deep end of the mine. The cat stretched out at 8'4" from nose to tail and weighted in at 155.5 lbs. with an empty stomach. We took the cat to Fish and Game as is required and the officer said that had the cat eaten his weight would have been between 175 and 185 lbs. If you are serious about a great lion hunt, you need to contact Cleave and you will hear a very knowledgeable guide and a very capable person. Remember, cat hunting depends on 3 things; conditions, good dogs, and most important a guide who knows his business and gives his all. Make sure you're in good shape because you'll be climbing at high altitudes (4,000-9,000 feet). If you can't do that forget it, you're wasting your time. Cleave takes your safety very seriously so take what he tells you seriously, listen to him on everything and hopefully your hunt will be successful. I went to Bull Creek Outfitters as a client and made a good friend. I just booked a hunt in Dec. 2016 and I am looking forward to another memorable hunt. If you need any further details, I would be happy to speak to you."
Sincerely,
Rick Koehler,
631-580-5343

"Two friends and I hunted with Cleave and Monte Dewire at Bullcreek Outfitters and the experience was far better than we could have ever imagined. We have always wanted to go mountain lion hunting and started searching for guides. When we saw Bullcreek Outfitters we were really impressed with their photos and their success rate. I decided to call the number instead of contacting them via email and Cleave answered the phone immediately. I peppered him with lots of questions and he answered every one, so we locked in a date and couldn’t wait for the hunting trip to begin.

The hunt went better than we had even dreamed possible. We got on my lion track within the first few hours of the hunt. What a great experience to see how the guide identifies the tracks and puts the dogs on the tracks and the real action begins. We tracked this lion for most of the day, and sure enough we got him later on that evening. One huge lion down and 2 to go.

The next day started like the first and, just like the day before, Cleave and his brother found another fresh lion track. That second day played out almost identical to the first day and we got a second huge tom on day two. 2 down and 1 to go

I was thinking, “there’s NO way we could get 2 lions on 1 trip let alone 3 lions in 3 days”. Well, Cleave and Monte get on the track of a 3rd lion early in the morning of day 3. Sure enough, like clockwork, Cleave and Monte along with their pack of incredible hounds, got on the track of this lion and we got lion number 3 at the end of day 3! We were shocked to say the least.

The hunt far exceeded our expectations of how we thought we would hunt mountain lions. Cleave and Monte make it look so easy. We couldn’t have asked for nicer people or more experienced guides than we found at Bullcreek Outfitters. We enjoyed the hunt so much that we booked another trip for my twin sons to enjoy this great hunting experience."

Dennis Cronin
Pennsylvania

Cleave and Monte,
"Just wanted to Thank You again for a awesome Mountain Lion hunt and helping me to complete my Super 10 with archery equipment. We defiantly worked hard to get it done but due to your expertise and perseverance we got it done and in style with a great Tom ! I spoke with other cat dog outfitters before and after booking with you guys – they all had nothing but good to say about “ the Dwire boys” In fact you were referred to as “the best in the business”. After hunting with you I can see why.

Your experience and knowledge of the sport can be second to none.

I really appreciate all of your help and value the friendship we have formed.

I would for sure recommend you to anyone needing a cat for their Super 10 or just to hunt them the right way for a great adventure never to be forgotten.

Keep in touch and hopefully we can get together to hunt Nevada again!"
Gus Maxfield
Austin, MN
gus@lmboilersystems.com

"My husband, who is an Alaska State Wildlife Trooper, surprised me with a guided mountain lion hunt for my 2016 Christmas present. Considering what he has done for his profession for the last 22 years, I was optimistic about Bull Creek Outfitters being a top-notch, professional, by-the books guided hunt.

When we arrived and actually met Cleave and Monte for the first day of hunting, they far exceeded my expectations and even my husband’s! He has seen and dealt with everything; the worst, the illegal, the average, the legitimate, the best and everything in between as far as hunting guides go. Bull Creek Outfitters/Cleave and Monte are by far, the most personable, honest, professional, humble, hardworking guides that we have experienced either personally or professionally. Their passion for what they do, how they do it and the outcome for the hunter is evident within the first 10 minutes of meeting them.

Before meeting Cleave, I wondered if my husband’s career and presence on the hunt (he was just along to enjoy the time and to share in my hopeful success - he wasn’t hunting) would overshadow me, “his wife, shooting archery”, as being the hunter. That very brief thought was immediately replaced with Cleave & Monte’s acceptance, encouragement and excitement for me, as a woman bow-hunter out for a big tomcat!!

While Cleave and Monte are fantastic guides and made the whole experience fabulous, I do have to mention their dogs. Witnessing the proficiency, skill, training and perseverance of the dogs was absolutely incredible! Those dogs truly have unique personalities and know that “kitty kitty” is go-time!!!!! I cannot praise Cleave and Monte without mentioning how amazing their dogs are as well.

Beyond everything that I’ve already mentioned, Bull Creek Outfitters has an incredible success rate for their hunters. They don’t claim to be 100%, but from talking with them, it’s pretty darn close, year after year. Adding to their percentage, I was extremely successful on my hunt, shooting an incredibly large, beautiful, “Pope & Young” tomcat!!

It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, man or woman, archery or rifle….Cleave and Monte @ Bull Creek Outfitters are the best. We are so appreciative of their hard work, so thankful for our new-found friendships and so excited to hunt with them again!"
Thank you,
Angie Machacek
Alaska

"On January 19, 2019, I embarked on a Mountain Lion Hunt with Cleave and Becky Dwire of Bull Creek Lion Hunts. At 67 years of age, I thought I was in pretty good physical condition. After all, I work out hard every morning at the fitness center. Boy, was this an eye opener.

We hunted every day. Sometimes starting at midnight and sometimes sleeping in until 3 AM. I’ve never had guides work this hard for me. For the record, I’ve been on several guided hunts including: elk, whitetail, mule deer, antelope, moose, and grizzly bear.

Yet no matter how hard they worked they made it enjoyable and taught me a lot about lions.

On this morning they picked me up at 2 AM. The weather had change in our favor, providing snow and single digit temperatures. At 3:00 PM, Cleave spotted tracks and immediately announced it was a big, big Tom and the chase was on.

That’s when I learned the effects of altitude, steep slopes, and deep snow. I was forced to my limits, and maybe a bit beyond. But Cleave and Becky nurtured me up that mountain. Taking care of me physically and psychologically. They stopped the climb frequently so I could rest and catch my breath. They offered reassurance that I was doing well, boosting my confidence. They even helped carry my gear.

Long story short, we got that Tom at 8:15 PM and Cleave was right ... he was a monster. Cleave and Becky caped out the lion and we started back down. Part way down Cleave marched ahead and had a fire burning for us when we arrived. Unfortunately, by taking the easy route down for me, we were still 10 miles from the truck. Cleave called Monte, his brother/partner, who drove 120 miles to pick us up. I got back to my hotel at 6:30 AM. That my friends is a very long day.

The next day we all joined Monte and my hunting buddy to help him get his lion. We both left Nevada very, very happy hunters.

Cleave, Becky, and Monte combined their knowledge of lion hunting and terrain with hard work, long hours, dedication, and compassion to make this the most memorable hunt I have ever experienced. "
Larry Szeliga