The Mountain Wild story begins in the backcountry of America’s Western Rocky Mountains where our founders have operated an outfitting business for nearly 2 decades. During this time, they have had stewardship over nearly 1.5 million acres of pristine, wild land. This precious habitat is home to wild roaming elk and deer that live natural and wholesome lives in their preferred environment. In order to maintain a thriving ecosystem, a certain number of elk and deer must be ethically harvested each year.
Several years ago, we were evaluating the outfitting business to ensure we were doing everything possible for conservation and to fully utilize the natural resource of the harvested wildlife. We felt that more could be done to use the trimmings and bones leftover from the butchering process at local butchers. We also learned that the release of carbon into the atmosphere from decomposing, biological material of carcasses is more damaging to the environment than 10 times the amount of traditional landfill waste. While most of these trimmings and bones from butchers are never used for human consumption, we knew they would be very nutritious for dogs. To eliminate waste, and put this resource to good use, we started converting this all-natural, all-wild, vitamin and mineral-rich protein into wild venison jerky for dogs. In one year alone, from one average size butcher, we prevented 35 tons of waste from being thrown into a landfill. Through this purposeful and focused journey, the Mountain Wild brand was born.
Ted Kimball, one of our founders, said, “We take our stewardship over this wild land, and the wildlife that roams on it, very seriously. Responsible conservation, and full utilization of the natural resource of harvested wildlife, will always be our highest priority. We will do all that we can to eliminate any waste, and to utilize this pure, all-natural, all-wild resource to help nourish the dogs we all care for and love.”
Our Mountain Wild company impact statement emphasizes our dedication to this ethos:
"We honor, protect and cherish the natural resource of wildlife. We are committed to eliminating all waste from the meat processing of legally and ethically harvested wild roaming elk and deer and giving back a percentage of our annual revenues to help fund wildlife conservation and anti-poaching initiatives."
Our unique and purpose-driven product and mission set our dog treats apart from all others. Our flagship product is an all-natural, all-wild venison jerky made from 100% wild roaming elk and deer of the Rockies. It is minimally processed, slow cooked and packaged locally. We even utilize the nutritious, vitamin-rich organs that provide tremendous health benefits for dogs. Our wild jerky has no grains, no nasty fillers and no artificial preservatives. The wild animals used are never farm raised and never caged. With dogs having 99.9% of the same genetic makeup as wolves, we’ve brought dog food back to what is instinctual to dog's genetic needs.
As part of our mission to provide dog owners with the healthiest products for their dogs, we also collect elk and deer antler sheds from the wild and make dog chews. Not only do these wild antler chews help eliminate plaque and tartar from teeth, they are also loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium, collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin and lipids. They are a natural stress reliever, provide great mental stimulation and are clean, safe, odorless, long-lasting, sustainable and humane.
Finally, at Mountain Wild, we believe that spending time outdoors provides great physical, mental and emotional health benefits for both humans and their dogs. We promote, encourage and embrace wild roaming outdoor adventure and creating a lifestyle that takes people and their dogs to wild places enjoying wild things. From day one, Mountain Wild has been purpose-driven and mission focused. This will never change. We will always strive to eliminate waste, while fueling healthier, happier and more active lifestyles for dogs through nature’s purest ancestral protein, vitamin and mineral source that is ALWAYS WILD ROAMING.