Celebrating Montana's Makers: A Giveaway Worth Over $5,700

Here's the thing about Montana: it's a big small town. Not on the map—there, it's vast. But socially? Everyone knows everyone, and good relationships matter.

That's why we've partnered with Peeler's Wild Alaska Seafood and thirteen other Montana brands for a giveaway celebrating businesses that refuse to cut corners. One winner takes home over $5,700 in prizes: hand-forged knives, Bozeman-made waders, craft spirits, grass-fed beef, and wild-caught Alaska seafood. Enter now by clicking here.

These brands don't just make great products. They know each other. They support each other. And they're all proof that doing business the right way isn't just possible in Montana—it's the Montana way.

Peeler's Wild Alaska Seafood

Max Peeler inherited his father's fishing operation and watched fishermen sell their catch for pennies to corporate processors. He decided there had to be a better way. So he started loading freezer trucks and driving Montana's back roads himself—bringing halibut and salmon to places like Havre and Wibaux.

And yeah, there were tough days. Like that -20 degree morning in Havre when he sat shivering in his trailer, wondering if anyone would show up. But they did. A line formed. Because word travels fast in a small town, and Montanans know quality when they taste it.

The fish is caught, processed, and frozen within hours in Petersburg, Alaska, then flown to Montana. We tried it ourselves, and folks, it's really good. [Read our full feature here!]]

Distinctly Montana Magazine

For over 20 years, we've been the voice of authentic Montana, telling the state's real stories—the ones you won't find in a tourist brochure. From the political intrigue of early statehood to the wild places and the people who choose a life of craft and quality here, we believe in the values celebrated in this giveaway: grit, quality, and community. Published quarterly with stunning long-form articles and original photography, we connect you to the true, unvarnished character of this state. If you appreciate the brands in this giveaway, you'll appreciate our magazine.

Montana Knife Company

Josh Smith learned to make knives at 11 from his baseball coach in Lincoln. By 19, he became the youngest Master Bladesmith in the world—a test requiring blades to chop through rope and 2x4s, shave hair, then bend 90 degrees without breaking. After working as a lineman and making custom knives to support four kids, Josh finally launched Montana Knife Company from a two-car garage in Frenchtown in 2020 with co-founder Brandon Horoho.

Four years later, they're building a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Missoula—coffee shop, viewing area, and all. Started with 11 knife drops that first year. Now they employ 80 people and plan to add 150 more. Josh designs every blade himself, applies his Master Bladesmith standards to heat treatment and quality control, and refuses to ship production overseas. Everything's made in Montana.

Simms Fishing Products

When Jackson Hole fishing guide John Simms couldn't find waders that worked in 1980, he made his own. Those neoprene waders kept you warm in chest-deep water and could save your life if swept off your feet. He introduced breathable Gore-Tex waders in the early 1990s. In 2006, Simms released the first G4Z wader with waterproof zippers—setting a new standard for the industry.

Today, Simms is the only fishing wader manufacturer still operating in the United States. Their 45-person "Wader Maker" team handcrafts each pair at the Bozeman Innovation Center in Four Corners. The new 2025 G4Z uses a 4-layer Gore-Tex lower that proved more durable than the previous 5-layer design. Every pair passes through multiple stations—cutting, sewing, taping seams, attaching suspenders. Made by anglers, for anglers, right here in Montana.

Stone Glacier

Kurt Racicot spent 15 years hunting sheep in Alaska's Dall country and Montana's Beartooth Wilderness. Every pack he tried either weighed too much or fell apart. So he bought a sewing machine, taught himself to sew, and started rebuilding packs—lighter and stronger. In 2012, he founded Stone Glacier in Bozeman with one mission: build the lightest, most durable hunting gear possible. No compromises.

Proof Razor

David and Andy looked at razors designed for planned obsolescence and subscription fees and thought: this is ridiculous. Working out of Proof's Belgrade machine shop, they CNC-machine safety razors from aluminum and brass—heirloom quality built to be passed down. Each uses half of a standard blade (5 cents per shave) with no subscriptions or proprietary cartridges. Everything is designed, machined, and finished in Montana.

Lake Missoula Tea Company

A friend left loose-leaf tea at Heather and Jake Kreilick's house. Months later, they tried it and realized peppermint tea bags weren't really "tea" at all. In 2012, they opened Lake Missoula Tea Company. Now, this family-owned business offers over 150 varieties of teas and blends, which are small-batch blended at their certified organic facility in Missoula. They source directly from small-scale farmers in Indonesia, China, India, Taiwan, Nepal, and Colombia. By visiting these farms, they verify that sustainable practices and fair wages are implemented. Lake Missoula Tea Company is Montana's only bar dedicated exclusively to tea.

WildRye Distilling

Montana isn't Kentucky—we don't have generations of bourbon distilleries. That's why Philip Sullivan and Trevor Beard started WildRye Distilling in Bozeman in 2013. They grow sweet corn on their family farm in Corvallis and source barley, Flathead cherries, honey, and juniper from Montana growers. Their Five Drops Bourbon is made almost entirely from Montana-grown ingredients. Hand-bottled in small batches, crafted for "mountain movers, early risers, and fireside storytellers."

Stickleg Ranch

After years watching drought squeeze their operation, Seth and Jennie Becker cut out corporate processors entirely. They shifted to regenerative agriculture—summer calving, letting cattle build soil health naturally, grass-finishing their Black Angus beef without grain. Seth lost both legs below the knee in an oil rig accident during college but fought to keep working. Today, they ship grass-fed beef and pastured pork directly to customers nationwide.

Oboz Footwear

John Connelly spent 40 years in footwear, working for 17 brands. In 2007, he started Oboz in Bozeman with a simple goal: design boots he'd actually wear. Their O FIT Insole provides biomechanically engineered support. Boots are named after local peaks like Bridger and Hyalite. For every pair sold, they plant a tree—over 6 million since 2007. John passed away in 2023, but his legacy lives on.

Underwood Art

Instead of a lemonade stand, Casey Underwood opted to have art shows at the end of his parents' driveway, selling drawings of fish and birds to friends and neighbors passing by. Fast forward thirty years and not much has changed. Only now, Casey has made a career out of drawing fish and birds and has amassed a catalog of over 300 wildlife-themed designs.

Based out of a small studio in Bozeman, Casey strives to provide high quality and affordable artwork to those with a passion for fishing and hunting. He has collaborated with some of the industry's leading brands and his decal displays can be found in retailers around the country.

Rambl Gear Co.

Casey LeBrun kept watching his gear scatter across the truck cab every time he hit the brakes. Bear spray under the seat. Binos buried somewhere. Sunglasses cracked in the door pocket. He borrowed the French culinary concept of mise en place—everything in its place—and spent three years prototyping a vehicle gear organizer that actually worked.

Started from scratch with a trip to a local fabric store. Tested different configurations until the pockets made sense: dedicated sleeves for bear spray, binos, maps, a hidden laptop stash. Built with 500D CORDURA and YKK zippers, every component sourced in the states and constructed in Montana. Bar-tacked at high-stress points. Designed to be repairable, not disposable. The whole thing rolls up when you're not using it.

Montana Whitewater

Bill Zell quit his PhD in computer science in 1991 and drove west looking for work. After bouncing around broke, he spotted a sign for Big Sky and took the turn. Got a job at the daycare, then ski patrol, then guiding rafts on the Gallatin. The next year, Bill and his buddy Pete Mommson started Montana Whitewater in Gallatin Gateway. They took eleven clients that first year.

Thirty-three years later, Montana Whitewater runs three rivers—the Gallatin, Yellowstone, and Madison—plus ziplines, fly fishing, and tubing. In 2023, Bill bought longtime competitor Geyser Whitewater after 30 years of friendly rivalry. Still family-owned, now run by Bill and his wife Melanie West, the company has grown from eleven clients to thousands while keeping the river clean and supporting local youth programs.

Madison River Fishing Company

Joe Dilschneider grew up fly fishing the Midwest, then headed to Boulder for college. After guiding in Colorado's central mountains, he landed in Ennis in the mid-1990s and started Trout Stalkers guide service. For years, his clients met each morning at the Madison River Fishing Company, founded by Tom DiMeola in 1984.

In 2016, Joe bought the shop. It's been around for 40 years—one of only a handful of fly shops in the country with that longevity. When a dam malfunction drained the upper Madison in 2021, Joe organized 20 volunteers at dawn to rescue stranded fish. That's how you protect your home water.

What This All Means

These brands are doing business the right way—paying fair wages, sourcing quality materials, building things to last. They're rooted in Montana not because it's trendy, but because this is home. Nobody's claiming perfection. But these folks show up every day, make things, support their neighbors, and refuse to compromise on quality. In a world run by faceless corporations, that matters.

How to Enter

Entry Link: https://www.peelersseafood.com/mtgiveaway

Good luck, folks. Remember to be thankful we live in a place where businesses like these aren't just surviving—they're thriving. Where quality still matters. Where relationships count. That's Montana. And that's worth celebrating.