Mark Seacat

Mark Seacat lives out the old ideals of the West. That says as much about him as anything that could be written. Born and raised in Montana, Seacat began hunting, fishing, and roaming the mountains with his parents from the time he could walk. Nowadays, Seacat is described as one of hunting’s foremost creative minds, producing films and photography that fit his lifestyle. Want to find Mark? Check one of Montana’s trout streams or look for a valley full of elk. He’ll be close by.

Regardless of the activity, if I have something planned outside and I actually jump out of my bed to my first alarm, or wake up on a mountain in a sleeping bag somewhere during a trip, I tend to think about what lies ahead for the day. I’m a planner. Probably the first thing that goes through my head is… Coffee.

Hunt - Anywhere on a backpack hunt in the mountains.

Fly-Fishing - I like days spent with great friends any way I can get it. I love New Zealand. I love Montana. I love anywhere on the bow of a skiff.
Climbing - I love being in the mountains. Days spent with my longtime climbing partners going hard are becoming rarer and rarer. Any more of those days would be my favorite. I’ve spent a bit of time in the Alaska Range. I’d like to go back there and climb some fun alpine routes.
Filmmaking/Photography - Days in the field capturing a story are all awesome. I love taking photos and am inspired by directing and shooting video.

 

How do you up your game year after year?

 

Continuing to plan adventures, it definitely keeps you both physically and mentally strong year after year, forcing you to up your game! Anymore it’s always less and less about the outcome and more and more about how we can have an amazing experience. As we continue to push ourselves on trips, the trips become better and better. This means we have to be constantly committed to learning and perfecting our planning. One thing is for certain, our days here are numbered, I love knowing that I’m constantly expanding my life experiences on these adventures, not wasting my days.

 

If you could do anything better, what would it be?

 

I could commit to a better fitness plan. I have a young growing family. A couple rowdy boys keep me pretty fit without having to go to the gym… but that will only last for so long! Right now I’m prioritising my family time and relying on the fact that somehow I’ve remained pretty strong off the couch.

 

What haven’t you accomplished that you aspire to do in your lifetime?

 

Wow great question. I want to be an amazing grandfather someday?

 

If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?

 

Definitely. I love being on adventures, mostly extended trips where I really get to soak up an experience. I love being on those trips, but I hate being away from my family. It’s definitely tough, I get to travel because that’s my job, it’s how my family makes money… that’s fun, but being away never is. It’s a balance for sure. I’m really lucky that my incredible wife Katie is so supportive, without that support I wouldn’t be able to leave home. Home is also an awesome experience as a young father with two great little boys and another child on the way this summer. I spend a lot of time devoted to a healthy work/life balance.