Adventures Booking Advisor LUCAS PAUGH

I was born and raised in Chinook, a small farming community in Northcentral Montana. As a kid, we grew up on the high line plains Milk River Valley which provided some of the best whitetail hunting in the West. After high school, I spent five years in Butte, Montana studying at Montana Tech to continue my education where I achieved my undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees. Additionally while in college, I played inside linebacker for the Orediggers where I was the team defensive captain and was selected to the All-American Honorable Mention team my Senior Year. #rolldiggs

During my college years, living in Southwest Montana opened my eyes to fly fishing some of the best blue ribbon trout streams and archery elk hunting in the Western Divide. After spending countless hours on the Big Hole River and DIY public land archery hunting the Pioneers, this provided me with some great success and knowledge that most have never exploited. Over the last 20 years, my hunting and fishing experiences have taken me to six of the seven continents internationally (20+ countries) and all over the western U.S. 

One rule of thumb I live by is “You can’t take your points with you.” My strategy is to draw tags that provide the best opportunity for harvesting a mature animal no matter the weapon or season. Having this mindset has allowed me to burn them and consistently draw some good tags. I average over 150+ days in the field and hunt between 4-5 different states per year. Most of my domestic hunts are DIY self-guided and take place on public land. I enjoy hunting all big game, but there's no passion greater than chasing big bull elk in September. My lifelong goal is to kill the North American Super Slam 29 along with a bucket list of species across the globe.

I currently reside in California where I’ve lived almost 20 years. Working in the oil and gas industry has enabled me to travel and pursue my passion of outdoor adventures. When I’m not working or hunting, I am also a licensed outfitter in the state for Tule elk, Blacktail deer, and wild pigs. I’ve always enjoyed witnessing success through others, and not being the one behind the trigger can be just as fulfilling. One of my biggest accomplishments was in 2020 when I assisted one of my great archery friends on harvesting the #1 Pope and Young Tule elk that scored 334 2/8". We had seen this bull since 2018 and followed him for several years before we decided to hunt him. Everything worked out, and it was a magical day on August 3rd when we were able to wrap our hands around "Big 6."

I am very excited to join the Huntin’ Fool team. I have been a member for 10+ years and have built personal relationships with many of the advisors. With my international experience of travel and hunting, this will enable the HFA team to have a resourced subject matter expert for those seeking travel across the globe. These adventures require a lot of planning, preparation, and logistics to ensure a seamless operation. I hope to strengthen the already well established and functioning HFA team as we write the next chapter in international bookings. My goal will always be to provide the best client experience. So what are you waiting for? Let me help you find your adventure of a lifetime today!