Shawn Lawson Jr. and Marissa Lawson (Lugdon) live in Bradford, Maine with their two daughters, Elijah and Parker. They purchased Gunsmoke Lodge in Brownville, ME in 2019 and have been working to build this business on the core values of family and a passion for the outdoors. Shawn and Marissa both grew up hunting and experiencing the Maine woods with their families and want every client to share in the same joy.
​
The Lawson’s have tons of family and close friends that will be helping along the way. No matter what, you will always get a friendly environment to make you feel at home on your stay. They have lots of plans for the future and can’t wait to share them with you.
Shawn is the owner and shot caller here at Gunsmoke Lodge. He is the primary guide and wants to make sure every client has the best possible experience. His favorite part about guiding is turning strangers into friends that want to come back every year. Shawn earned his Maine Guide license in 2014 and has been working continuously each year to gain the knowledge and experience to make every hunt successful. He has become a trusted and well-known guide at different establishments across Maine, and now gets to take that experience into his own business.
In 2023, the original lodge was sold and a new lodge was built in Bradford, Maine to be closer to home. At that time, Shawn went into a partnership with Tracy Best of North Carolina to expand the business. Tracy has 50 years of experience hunting bears with hounds and 15 years guiding in Maine. He owns a construction company in North Carolina and has plenty of experience running his own business. His love of hounds and hunting is how he met and became good friends with both Shawn Jr and Shawn Sr. Tracy brings a lot to the table at Gunsmoke Lodge and can't wait to build relationships with our clients.
We always want the best for our hunters, that’s why we hire the best! There are a few different faces you will meet at Gunsmoke Lodge, but each guide has the experience and trusted knowledge about Maine’s wilderness that you could hope for. We have full faith in everyone here, and are sure you will have an awesome time with them. While their main goal is to fill your tag, they also want everyone to have fun. You can hear their crazy stories at the breakfast table, or around the fire at night with a cold drink.