Our Story
BEST OF THE WEST
with a long-range vision.
Founded in 1999
THE SHOW THAT STARTED EVERYTHING
The company's meager beginning started in 1999 as Bridger Trail Video with partners Jack Peterson and Dale Caldwell. They filmed and edited hunting shows for friends and family in the small town of Burlington, Wyoming. The demand slowly grew and in 2003, they changed the name to Best of the West Productions and had their first episode air on a cable network.
Hunting animals in the vast, inaccessible terrain of the Rocky Mountains made it an absolute necessity to push the readily available hunting equipment at the time to extremes in both distance and performance. The team was filming one-shot kills at unbelievably long distances using the best rifles and optics available at the time in combination with ammunition made with high ballistic coefficient Berger VLD bullets. John Porter added a custom turret etched with yardage marks instead of clicks. This vital feature made it easy to range and dial for a quick and accurate shot.
Part II
Growing Popularity
Now airing on four cable networks with popularity for this incredible hunting show continuing to grow, Best of the West moved their headquarters from Burlington to Cody to accommodate that growth and gain a more respectable appearance. At the time, many hunters doubted long-range shots at an animal could be done ethically. Best of the West's philosophy flies in the face of hunting ethics that have stood for generations and was not only unwelcomed, but harshly criticized by the hunting community.
In addition to entertainment and controversy, the show provided just as much education on the science of ballistics and why the use of quality products and some basic shooting principles matter to prove long-range hunting CAN be ethical. Best of the West was the first outdoor program to air an episode with a big game kill beyond 500 yards on network television and quickly reached the status of the Long Range Hunting Authority.
Proven Results
A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
Eventually, Best of the West moved away from using other companies' products to develop their own line products. They opened a custom gun shop using high-quality components and built rifles with proven sub-MOA groups to 1,000 yards. The focus was to keep the rifles as lightweight as possible without sacrificing the accuracy needed for those once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain hunts. Naturally, there was also a need for a top quality long-range optic to go on the rifles, but it had to be both quick and easy-to-use in those same once-in-a-lifetime hunts.
Huskemaw Optics met the challenge with the flagship Blue Diamond 5-20x50 riflescope and a turret that allows dialing both distance and windage from a single turret without calculation. High quality hand-loaded ammunition manufacturing was also added to the family of products. Long-range courses are offered nationwide by Best of the West to educate attendants about our products used in combination with the principles of long-range hunting. Together, these things make up a system for long-range hunting.
Pushing Boundaries
The Full Lineup
Many additional optics have been added to the lineup, including a long range optic specifically for crossbows. Best of the West created a muzzleloader featuring a unique magazine-fed primer carrier, once again pushing the hunting community into the unknown world of long range black powder systems that could reach ranges beyond 600 yards. Best of the West rifle systems and Huskemaw Optics scopes are now sold worldwide.
