Ian has been a valuable addition to the Flying B Ranch team thanks to his passion for working dogs, swinging flies and guiding guests towards plentiful birds and hefty fish.
Ian grew up in Springfield, IL. However, some of his most memorable early hunting experiences took place in North Carolina, where he hunted quail with his father and uncle. After receiving a master’s degree in guitar jazz performance from Southern Illinois University in 2008, he decided to venture out west and become a guide.
Ian began his Orvis-endorsed guide career in Montana, where he fished for native west slope cutthroat and bull trout on the South Fork of the Flathead River. During this time, he spent his winters in North Carolina’s low country, where he guided upland quail hunters at Wintergreen Hunting Preserve and chased red fish on the tidal flats. In 2013, he decided to brave his first western winter and started guiding for Flying B Ranch.
Ian is now overseeing the dog kennels and bird processing operations as well as the grounds keeping around the property. He remains one of our full time employes, guiding guests both on wingshooting and fishing adventures. Ian spends much of his time writing about and photographing his hunting and fishing experiences. His writing and photography has been featured by Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine, Montana Outdoors and Montana Fly Fishing Magazine. You can find these and other works (including many original recipes for wild game) on his blog: www.migrantwaters.blogspot.com.
Ian’s other hobbies include obsessive shed horn hunting, tying flies, stocking his freezer with wild game and chasing carp wherever he can find them. He and his wife Janna live in Kamiah with their two Brittanys: hunting dog Gus and petting dog Max, as well as a pair of young GSP's Rio and Rigby.