Bozeman-based Warriors & Quiet Waters offers archery program

Fly fishing and archery elk hunting have a lot in common, besides luring their disciples into some incredibly beautiful country.

Both are intricate sports where imitation is key.

For example, in fly fishing an understanding of which bugs are in a stream or hatching — and matching those with a suitable replica — can mean the difference between hooking a trout or going home skunked and frustrated. Likewise, archery hunting for bull elk demands knowledge of the big ungulates’ favorite hangouts and often how to coax one into close shooting range by making realistic bugles or cow calls.

Both activities require diligence, practice and a good bit of knowledge that’s often built up over dozens of outings, hopefully with a skilled and generous mentor, as well as a dive into how-to videos, books and magazine articles.

For the past three years, a nonprofit group founded in Bozeman to take veterans fly fishing in southwest Montana has transitioned to also offer an archery hunting experience.

“Hunt for Purpose is designed to guide post-9/11 combat veterans to a greater sense of clarity around their identity, values, potential, and purpose through archery elk hunting,” said Brian Gilman, CEO of the nonprofit Warriors & Quiet Waters, in an email.

“Hunting is not the objective of the program; rather it is the mechanism WQW will use to help our participants achieve clarity of what they believe, who they are, what they can do, and what gives their life meaning,” Gilman added.

The group’s website describes the program as “a life-changing expedition into nature and self.”

The 40-year-old Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a Missoula-based conservation group, was so impressed with Hunt for Purpose that it boosted its state Hunting Heritage & Conservation Education grant for the program from $2,500 last year to $28,416 in 2024.

“We contributed a significantly greater grant amount this year because of the good work carried out by WQW and the positive impact it makes on vets and their families, and how the program advances our hunting heritage efforts by giving veterans the chance to learn and develop skills they may not otherwise have had the means to do themselves,” said Mark Holyoak, director of Communication for RMEF, in an email.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation supports many programs in other states like Hunt for Purpose, Holyoak said.

“Some of those include RMEF volunteer involvement,” he added. “That varies from state to state to state and event to event.”

From fish to fur

Warriors & Quiet Waters was founded in 2007 to help veterans “cope with the physical, psychological, and moral trauma of combat.” Since inception it has served more than 1,000 veterans. All expenses are paid, from air travel, to gear, guides, housing and meals. Mixed in are group therapy sessions to help the warriors transition back to a stateside life.

Likewise, the group’s offer of a week-long archery hunt also covers all participants’ costs and gear. So far 29 veterans have gone through the program.

“It takes a lot of people to put these together,” said Jesse LeNeve, director of program operations for Warriors & Quiet Waters. “And all the gear companies that help us out, they do one on one private sessions to allow training or gear fitting. So a lot of people have gone out of their way across, not only just here in Bozeman, but in the outdoor industry.”

LeNeve, who started with WQW about 16 years ago on the fly-fishing side of the program, said the transition to bow hunting is much more consequential for participants and their mentors. There’s no catch-and-release when it comes to hunting, unlike fishing, he noted.

“Once an arrow flies, that’s it,” he said. “So making sure people are prepped and prepared, and they put in their time and they feel confident in their abilities” is important.

An avid outdoorsman, he also noted that although the program started out with one of the most challenging hunts — archery elk — they’ve now opened it up to pronghorns and deer. In three years, participants have shot three elk thanks to the help of outfitters, but LeNeve noted archery elk hunting isn’t a high-success sport. That means more “mental fortitude” is required to preserve and keep hunting.

Participant view

Nathan, whose last name was withheld for privacy, is an Army veteran who participated in the WQW archery program after first taking part in the group’s fly-fishing course. He said the six-month archery curriculum helped to show him “what living a thriving life looked like and the steps and changes I needed to make to get there.”

“I got the guidance and mentorship I needed to narrow my view a little and focus on the things that would propel me forward,” Nathan wrote in an online post. “What made the process even better was being there with other veterans that were going through the same process.”

The program has quickly become popular, with many more applicants than available spaces, LeNeve said.

Sparking a desire

Holyoak, of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, said his organization’s goal and reason for contributing to Hunt for Purpose is to “spark a desire for participants to continue using the hunting skills they develop throughout the course, and eventually pass them on to their children or other family members.

“We feel it makes an impact on the participants’ lives in a way that aligns with the hunting heritage portion of our mission which is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.”

Warriors & Quiet Waters’ partnership with groups like the RMEF are important, according to Ann Leuprecht, corporate and foundation relations manager for the group.

“This partnership highlights the importance of community support in making these transformative outdoor experiences possible,” she wrote in an email. “By contributing to WQW’s programs, others can also play a vital role in helping veterans find purpose, resilience, and connection through hunting, fishing, photography, and other outdoor experiences.”

‘Big medicine’

Veterans are introduced to the Built for More Program through a month-long online Preparation Phase. That’s followed by a five-day “outdoor immersion” experience. Next comes a “discovery phase” that takes place virtually over six to 12 months, which includes video conferencing with fellow veterans and a facilitator “geared to recalibrate your life’s trajectory.”

The “capstone experience” is a return to Montana for another week-long outing in the woods to “gather in nature to honor the journey and commit wholly to the path ahead.”

In addition to the “Hunting Track,” the nonprofit also offers a photography and fishing program which have attracted almost 100 participants.

“My biggest takeaway is getting people outside in any mode, be it hunting, hiking, backpacking, just immersion in nature, just being outside, just getting out in the woods,” LeNeve said. “Giving people another tool to get out of their comfort zone and get out in the woods or a park, or any sort of semblance of outdoors has been just great.

“I call nature ‘big medicine,’ and the more you can get, the better off you are.”