(970) 319-4866 
About Colorado Outfitters
Team Members
Owners
Russ Lambert
Owner/Operations Manager/Guide
Russ grew up in Strong, Maine spending his childhood hunting and fishing the western mountains of Maine. The son of a Maine Master Guide, Russ would harvest his first whitetail buck on a solo hunt at the age of 14. Later he would travel to Colorado as a teenager with his dad and successfully harvest his first bull elk – he was hooked. The Rocky Mountains, the Colorado snow, and riding horseback was so alluring that Russ knew Colorado was where he wanted to be.
While a student at the University of Maine, Farmington, Russ worked at Weatherby’s Fishing Resort & Western Mountain Hunter’s Service. Upon graduating from college, Russ immediately made his way back to Colorado and not long after his arrival he was in the woods and on the trail of some of Colorado’s finest big game.
Russ’ passion for the outdoors and his love and respect for wildlife is evident as he teaches and shares his knowledge with all who get the privilege of being guided by him. He specializes in big game hunts which include elk, deer, moose, antelope, bear, and mountain lion.
Russ is a Maine Master Guide and Certified Professional Hunter of South Africa.
Mike Dill
Owner/ "Trail Boss"
Starting at a very young age while growing up in Grand Junction, Colorado, Mike found himself roaming around game trails and mountain lakes in the Colorado Rockies. There was seldom a day when he couldn't be seen riding his bike with a fishing pole or gun on his back, a time when such things didn't alarm people.
He learned many valuable lessons and techniques in the outdoors from scouting, his father, his grandfather and many of their friends. He has built many businesses all with the goal of pursuing a career of doing what he loves, a means to an end. That goal eventually became a reality and outfitting is his full time passion.
With thirty three years and over 200 harvested elk that he has participated in, his greatest joy comes from sharing his world with as many other aspiring outdoor enthusiasts as he can. He has continued his passion for the outdoors, horses, hiking, camping, fishing and hunting all throughout his life until this very day.
Guides
Ed Sanchez
Guide
Edward Sanchez was born and raised in the Florida Keys about as far from western hunting as a person can get. Surrounded by water and a drive to hunt manifested through free diving and spearfishing, similar to bow hunting but underwater.
He always had this overwhelming urge to hunt and harvest driven by an ancestral background on his grandfather side which was Taino Indian,n the native Indians of the Caribbean. His first actual hunting experience came in his late teens early 20s when he was in college in north central Florida where he experienced his first whitetail hunt, after that he was completely hooked. After many years of hunting Florida and Georgia in the late 90s he was able to make a trip to Colorado to bow hunt elk, again he was hooked.
In 2020 he met and was guided by Russ Lambert, where they forged a great friendship. In 2005 he was asked to assist and guide a couple of bow hunters and a muzzleloader hunter, once again he was hooked, since then Ed has assisted and guided deer elk and moose hunters including early season high country mule deer hunts. One of his most memorable experiences was assisting Bob Terwilliger while working on the documentary by Danner boots on elk hunting in the Colorado wilderness titled
"The Trembling Giant"
Bob Terwilliger
Guide
Bob grew up hunting, fishing and horseback riding in the Catskills of New York State and moved to Colorado in early 1994 and has been elk hunting, fly fishing and horseback riding ever since! He thoroughly enjoys taking clients out fly fishing and hunting no matter what their experience level, sharing his years of experience to meet their interests. Bob especially enjoys guiding our back country fly fishing expeditions (including for those new to the sport) and archery elk hunts where he can use his years of calling experience. A key highlight in Bob's guiding career (outside of the fishing and hunt trips themselves) was playing a role in Danner Boot's documentary on elk hunting in the Colorado Wilderness entitled "The Trembling Giant" which aired on the Sportsman's Channel in 2014. Bob is entering his 13th year guiding.
Matt Breton
Guide
Matt grew up in VT and started going to the family deer hunting camp at age 5; he has been hunting and fishing ever since. He is a U.S. Army veteran and works as a physical therapist for most of the year. His first hunting adventure in the Rocky Mountain West took place in 2013, chasing elk and mule deer in Wyoming. He started hunting in CO with Russ and his crew in 2015 and guided his first elk hunting clients in 2022. Matt believes hunting should be an adventure and that chasing game in the wilderness is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime.
Dustin Snyder
Guide
Dustin was born and raised in southern Pennsylvania where he began his pursuit of wild game with his father and brothers before the age of four. Sifting through pricker bushes for cottontail and butterflying venison backstraps was embedded at a young age.
Fast forward a few decades Dustin earned his bachelor's in Wildlife Biology and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, where he currently resides on a 300 acre farm at the base of the Green Mountains.
Dustin also works for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife as a K9 Officer for the last 13 years.
In 2014 he came out elk hunting in the Western Wilderness with his brother and it became an addiction and passion to pursue western big game. He finds that perseverance is the ultimate key to his success in chasing down big elusive animals in Colorado
Clay West
Guide and Wrangler
Clayton West, an Iowa native grew up working on a farm in the conservation restoration program (CRP), working on wildlife habitat restoration sparked his interest in hunting whitetail, pheasant, turkey and he enjoys the challenges it creates. He understands you can't have good wildlife with out the right habitat and has passion for wildlife and the environment they live in, leading him to earning a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resource Management at Colorado State University!
He also grew up in a rodeo family, spending much of his time on the back of a horse and eventually competed in the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association and the Professional Cowboy Rodeo Association in Saddle Bronc, the traditional event of rodeo!
While in Colorado he became obsessed with the chance to chase western game, leading him to go after elk, mule deer, bear, and pronghorn!
Clay also works part time logging trees back in Iowa.Outside of work he all spends, in his own words" a stupid amount" of time shed hunting. He does magnificent speciality euro mounts, mounted to cuts from the trees he logs and cures himself as well as other woodworking projects.
Roger Lambert
Guide and Camp Personality
In the summer of 1962 when he was just 15 years old, Roger Lambert and an older friend outfitted and guided a group of Boston University Geology students on a 3 day trip up Day Mountain in Strong, Maine.
Forty five years later he still gets just as much kick out of it as he ever did. Whether it's Elk hunters in Colorado, a Moose Photo Safari in the High Peaks region of western Maine, Roger loves sharing the heritage and beauty of mountain habitats.
A Master Maine Guide, Roger's specialty is Moose calling and guiding trophy moose hunters often setting up remote "Moose Camps" for the enjoyment of his Staff and clients.
Roger is very proud to have mentored and inspired many young guides, including his son, the owner of this company, and has conducted Moose Educational Seminars at many of the major sporting shows in Maine. An active life member of the Maine Professional Guides Association, his advice is often sought out by many policy makers and advocates for Maine sportsmen on many backcountry issues.
Many of Roger's clients have taken "World Class" bulls and his favorite pursuit is "Holding Out" for a Boone & Crockett Bull.
Joe Schaffer
Guide and Website Designer
A native Minnesotan, the wide open, wild spaces called Joe out west in the mid 90’s, when he moved to Montana. His love for the mountains, and the game that call it home, kept him in Montana till he moved to Wyoming in 2012. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Wildland Recreation Management with a minor in Wildlife Biology, a Master’s of Science Degree in Technical Communication and a Doctorate of Education.
Joe’s role at Colorado Outfitters is primarily on the operations side, specifically in designing and maintaining the website and electronic communications. He has done this work for numerous outdoor-related businesses, including many guides and outfitters. While much of his work is behind a computer, that doesn’t mean you won’t find him at home helping out at camp, on the trail, and in the mountains and water.
Wranglers and Ranch Staff
Richard "Rich" Cousins
Wrangler and Logistics
Rich grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping in the cranberry country of southeast Massachusetts and the family camp in New Hampshire. He completed college in northern Michigan. Rich lived in Wisconsin for ten years before settling down in Maine.
Rich has been hunting with Colorado Outfitters since 2012. In 2023 he retired from driving tractor trailer to start a new life pursuing his passion; to hunt and fish full time. Spring and Summer find him working at an Alaskan fishing lodge. His Fall is dedicated to working for Colorado Outfitters.
Aidan Deist
Wrangler
Aidan is an avid outdoorsman spending much of his time exploring the colorado wilderness with his cattle dog, Beetle, where he finds time tinkering with bushcraft projects and priding himself in his survival skills.
When he is not looking for feathers, skulls, and sheds he is planning his next adventure or hunt.
He started his outdoor guiding career, as a rafting guide, on the bighorn section of the Arkansas River. Now he finds his home as a full time staff member of the Colorado Outfitters team and is eager to share his outdoor knowledge with guests.
Ben Green
Wrangler
Ben is originally Pennsylvania and has been a wrangler for over five years with Colorado Outfitters. He enjoys showing guests around the trails and introducing them to the our horses and mules. He takes pride in his relationship and care of the animal staff that work at Colorado Outfitters.
Ben has assisted with medical needs in the Kurdish region of the middle east. When he is not on the trail he works on his martial arts training to stay in shape.
Bob Shellum
Packing Instructor
Bob Shellum, a former Marine Corp Master Gunnery Sgt, has worked in the outfitting industry for over 20 years with jobs ranging from Camp Jack, Wrangler, Head Packer, General Manager, and sales representative. He has also been an Instructor for a outfitter, guide, and packer school along with conducting packing demonstrations and seminars at outdoor sports shows and other venues throughout the United States.
In conjunction with the school he also instructed Army Special Forces in packing operations for deployments abroad. Bob also worked as an animal packer for the Department of the Interior at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado where he supported the Trails Division, and other entities, for Park Operations. He has been mentioned and photographed in several articles of outdoor magazines including Western Horseman.
Tanner Beers
Wrangler and Ranch Hand
Tanner is a traveler most of the year working as both a professional fisherman in the rough water of Alaska and leading mule trains in the mountains of Colorado.
His summers are spent working as a deckhand on commercial fishing vessels in Alaska. Catching cod and other fish in one of the most dangerous jobs in the modern era.
He has spent the last several years working with Colorado Outfitters in the fall where he has full immersed himself in the wrangler and packer trade. He enjoys the time spent bring hunters on and off the mountain and swapping stories in the trail.
In the winter he enjoy getting off the cold colorado mountains and heading for the warmth of southern Arizona and exploring the outdoors on his motorcycles. Lastly, as his last name suggests he has even spent a few years working as a professional brewer making beer.
Seth Merrick
Wrangler
Seth is a life long hunter and experienced horseman. having spent over 20 years in the Yampa Valley, there's not too many that know the area better.
He has 25 years of experience as a law enforcement where he also served on the mounted horse patrol, search and rescue, and tactical teams.
Currently still working as a part-time sheriff deputy and he splits his time operating his own horse boarding and hauling business. Horses are his passion and there’s nothing more enjoyable to him than being in the back country on a horse and share that experience with people who don't normally get to enjoy such a beautiful place as the Routt National forest in his opinion the best way possible, on the back of a horse!
Colorado Outfitters, LLC
19495 County Road 17
Craig, CO 81625
(970) 319-4866
info@co-outfitters.com
What Our Clients Say
Myself, Mike Cigich and Marty Moyer would like to thank you for an awesome experience!
Thanks again for the experience!
Your satisfied client - Adam Walker
I waited 25 years to draw this tag and I can't say enough about how Colorado Outfitters made my dream come true!
Ricky Taaffee
Our wilderness pack in trip with Colorado Outfitters was top notch from beginning to end. The quality of the Guides, horses, meals and accommodations were superb.
The Reid Family
I had the good fortune to choose Outfitters as the professional guide service for my Colorado Moose hunt. I can recommend Colorado Outfitters with the highest confidence.
Mark Sampson
I had a great time fishing at Colorado Outfitters last summer! This was my first time here. Needless to say, I'll be back as fishing, scenery and horses were great!
Paul Winterman