Dan Evans spent eight days scouting and 21 days hunting to take this 312-inch elk at 12 yards early in the 2003 season, before hurrying off to another state where he held a draw tag.

Some of the people who manufacture archery products also happen to hunt. Dan Evans is an elk hunter who happens to manufacture archery products. He's one of those guys who's dyed in the wool, hard-core about his hunting. He uses all the elements of research, tag drawing, scouting and dedicated hunting time to put himself in position to shoot big bull elk. He's among those few remarkable guys who does it all on public land, without a guide. In 2003, Dan's remarkable season included three trophy bulls from three separate hunts. Even for guys who don't put as much time in, Dan's story has something to teach about pursuing big bull elk.

"I had two days left in that hunt," Dan recalled as he layed out the details of his third monster bull in five days. "My brother and I showed up after dark on September 18 and began scouting. We immediately split up and went out to listen and locate bulls bugling in the dark. The next morning we drove a few miles from camp and hiked into where bulls had been bugling. We heard two right away, but both sounded like immature animals, yet I've learned over the years that you can't always tell the size of a bull by its bugle. I snuck into 30 yards of a five-point in an old burn. We could hear the other one 200 yards away, coming toward us. I was very relaxed, expecting another rag-horn to appear, when all of a sudden, a huge rack appeared on the horizon. This bull had a seven-by-eight frame with matching 18-inch sticker tines on each side. The bull stopped broadside at 19 yards with one little hole in the brush. I released and the animal went 35 yards and crashed."

This monster bull was the third of the season for Evans and joined a long line of standout trophies. Evans' office looks like an elk museum, yet he does it on his own, and even buys a good share of his licenses for different states over the counter.

Evans is secretive about his hunting locations. "A lot of people follow me around, trying to find my spots," he says with a sly grin. "I do a lot of scouting and research to find big bulls, something anyone can do."

THE SEASON BEGINS
Evans left home on August 12, with his brother John, wife and two children. "I began hunting on the 20 of August, begins Evans. We traveled in a camping trailer and the kids played during the day until I came back each night. Sometimes I spiked out, but mostly I came home. My brother lived in a tent and operated a video camera for scouting purposes and to catch the hunts on tape. We split up each day, used good optics, and spent much of the preseason glassing.

"Each night we came back to camp and talked about what we'd seen. Watching an animal on video tape gave us a greater opportunity to score the antlers. I probably have video of 100 bulls from this past season. I set my standards high, usually 360 or better.

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