Bowsite.com

I say we do a bowsite raffle with proceeds going to charity and the winner gets to hunt with Bigdan! Work on that Pat! Lol, Mike

Did Mike just call you crotchety?:)

You have always taken the time to help out whenever I have asked for it, it is much appreciated!! I hope some day I can do something in return.

Rick

Dan we're still praying for ya buddy...hang in there. He's with you always! God's speed amigo!

Warren

God bless!

Nick

Just listened to the entire thing. Lots of great info in there. Thanx so much Dan!

Dan, your grief will pass, but your memories won't. Cherish your time with your son; that will never be lost. Even though you lost him far too soon, just think how much better your life is, even now when the pain is so acute, then if you never had known Cody. You wouldn't be grieving so hard if he wasn't worth grieving for.

Family and friends really are what life is all about. Hopefully for all of us, we not only don't have to go through what Dan has, but realize and appreciate that everyday.

And even though he's in such a dark place, it really is gracious of Dan to take the time to do this for us and not wall himself off in his grief. Thanx again Dan.

Your grief will pass and we all hope it does as quickly as possible. Many tears have been shed here along with yours.

I would love to see an actual picture of the quartering to spot for Big Dan's favorite shot placement. Because I have been taught to NOT shoot quartered to me bulls, I have passed lots of shooter bulls facing me at 25 yards or less while looking for a BSTP (as in "BroadSide Top Pin) or quartering away shot.

Again, thank you for sharing so freely some of your elk hunting knowledge. It is really helpful to those of us who even after several years of chasing elk in the dark timber are really still neophytes compared to experienced bowhunters like Big Dan.

Good info.

Thx, Dan as always two fabulous pieces of information that is seldom heard from the "PROFESSIONALS".

How many times will you here someone say to get behind a tree.

Also, to sneak in from down hill when possible.

These two things alone can turn into success.

I love the favorite shot angle.

Dammit boys, these are game changers!!!

Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge with us, Dan. Still sending prayers from IA.

Dan, do your lips touch when you're doing that?

Danny, kill a BMF this fall ok !!

And when you say "under the shoulder," you could also say inside the shoulder, as in, as long as you get on the middle side of the scapula?

As in, between the spine of the neck and the scapula?

Does that rely on hitting the carotid or jugular and a lung, or I imagine it gets both lungs if the animal is a little more quartered than this picture?

This animal above is a little less than "quartered." How far is your average retrieval with that shot above? I had that exact shot at full draw for 2 minutes last year and I passed till he turned because I didn't trust hitting him in the chest and ended up hitting him in the liver when he turned, then bolted.

It looks like aiming any higher (in this image/scenario) would not result in a path through the vitals.

Now if this elk was facing down hill I would think a higher shot placement would be warranted.

Thoughts??

Thanks bigdan

Good luck, Robb

Flat ground, mid to high lung shot,,,, Just my take anyway.

Big difference when you go inside the front shoulder vs outside. Like the difference between killing an Elk or slicing down the outside of the ribs then telling everybody what an expert you are.

You are a wealth of knowledge Dan. Thanks for taking the time.

Many of us east of the Mississippi are hooked on "mini-elk" and the mystique of going west for the "big-elk" is strong but yes we are clueless.

Your consistent reminder to shoot an elk, any elk is well advised. Get er done boys!

Thanks again and may Cody's arrows fly straight and true.

I really enjoyed this

1. After listening to your tip about calling elk downhill I can see your point. Being a solo hunter most of the time I've had better luck calling them uphill and over a lip right at 15 - 20 yards where they had to start looking for where the call was coming from at that point. Many times, when a herd bull is coming in from above, they tend to hang up on me. Am I not calling from thick enough cover?

2. Mountain winds swirl. That's a given. But my hunting units are all in the mountains, typically hunting at 10,000 - 12,000 feet in the nosebleed section of the hunting bleachers. I tend to find long valleys (4+ miles) that have more consistent wind patterns. What else can I do to find those areas in the mountains with more consistent wind?

3. You briefly mentioned sitting on wallows. What are two or three early season wallow tactics that would help us be more successful?

Thanks again. I'm combining what you've shared with what I'm learning from Paul Medel. I'll have more arrows in my arsenal this fall.

Dan, I grew up in Libby, Montana. I know Trout Creek, Noxon, the Cabinet Wilderness Area, Lost Prairie near McGregor Lake (between Libby and Kalispell) and many other areas where I saw elk while working as a Forester up there. I tip my hat your way. That is tough country to hunt elk in. It's thick, steep, and the elk numbers are low compared to other states. The Missouri Breaks are a different story.

Thanks,

David

Ooooh that stings...

Greg

Oh what I'd give to be able to hunt the entire season nonstop. My longest stretch will be six days at the end of the season.

Here's a bull I called in by myself a few years ago. I called this one uphill, using a cow elk butt Montana decoy. Once he saw the decoy behind me about 35 yards he came past me at about 12 yards. He dropped when I shot and I hit the main artery along the back. He sprayed lodgepole pine with blood as high as 8 feet up the trunk. He only went 100 yards and piled up.

I hope to repeat the process again this fall.

BigDan thanks for sharing some valuable info for the elk hunters on this site. You are a person I could listen to talk about elk all day. Thanks for taking time out of you day to try and help others.

Prayers will continue for you and your family. Good luck this year.

RG

Pat, Very nicely done! Providing us the opportunity to ask questions and participate was great!

You two just helped a lot more elk find their arrow this fall!!!

Mark

Thanks for sharing Dan and thanks to Pat for bringing thos to us.

I just got back from scouting and hope to put this additional knowledge to use in a month or so.

I'll take 2 of those calls you're sellin!

Can you describe how you do the blast? I think I have it close, but I don't want to actually bark and clear the mtn. What kind of throat sounds do you add to that??

As w/ the others, can't thank you enough for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

Dan, I appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions.

You are a gem sir and a great asset to our community.

Thanks again Gentlemen,

Ty

Zip'

Compared to Bigdan all I know about elk is they have four legs. But he has always helped me, encouraged me along the way, from when I asked him years ago about calling or not "the guys telling you not to call are just not very good at calling. Practice. Get good at it. It works" Straight forward information, no "this is how you do it" just "learn it, practice, get good". Solid uncluttered stuff. No magic pills or tricks, just practice, learn, work on it. And spot on. It works. Just like he said.

From that to literally making the "x" on the map, he has been unselfish and free to share his knowledge. But he wants to see commitment. Told me he'd help me with the maps even. But wouldn't do it till I told him the tags were in my hot little hands.... LOL!

Hopefully I can help out somebody someday the way you helped me. Thanks Danny. Pretty cool.

Since the audio recording of the famous "Blast" was difficult to hear, maybe we could get a video or audio posted if that's possible. Just an idea.

I echo everyone's comments. Dan's the man. No fluff, no hyperbole, just the facts. We didn't have to hear between the lines.

Thanks!

Big Dan, I did my first elk hunt in 2007, and I spent a lot of time on hear asking questions. I remember back then that you were one of the guys who were very willing to share your knowledge. Thank you my friend.

I got more out of this interview than I did in in ten years of reading and watching videos.

It is not often that you can get info that you can bank on.

Dan, I will have an arrow with Cody's name on it. I will be in the Snoweys looking down on the breaks thinking about your hunts.

Pat, once again FABULOUS!

Maybe Dan Evans would be willing to do one next? He is another guy who puts em down and would have a lot to offer if he's willing.

Thanks Dan and Well Done!

Someone who is good with writing (Writer?) should try to sit down with him and cronicle Big Dan's top 10 or 20 hunts. That's a book I'd buy and read every year to get pumped up for elk season.

Thanks Big Dan!

Seriously, who else has killed multiple bulls in two different states within 15 or 20 minutes? Crazy...

Leaving for MT in 17 days!

Kenneth (a British Bowhunter and Proud of It)

Sitting here at 5 in the morning with tears in my eye's again over your loss as I listened to the last audio. Pray you have a good season and Cody's spirit is strongly present with you.

Kenneth (A British Bowhunter and Proud of It)

I truly appreciate the time you made to conduct the interview. I’m heading to NM for a guided hunt on private property middle of Sept; will try and remember some of the things you have taught us.

Thanks again for the great interview.

VR

Russell

Why not let the bull walk by and take a slightly quartering away shot. An additional benefit is bow movement will be less likely to be noticed. With Dan's method, yes, you can draw undetected behind a sufficiently large tree (e.g. a large Ponderosa pine), but even then, you have to move your bow to the elk to get on target and that small movement can spook the elk esp. at the closer range one should be at to insure the neck shot tight accuracy requirement.

I'd rather let the elk move slightly past me and take a higher probability shot on a more relaxed elk. Further, this method doesn't require finding a large tree to hide behind. I can't argue against Dan's success per se, but I think this aspect isn't the strongest link and can be improved.

Secondly, do you use full 3D leafy camo? An elk shouldn't spook unless you move or get a wind shift. Either method can work (or fail depending upon one's perspective), the question is which overall produces a higher probability of a positive outcome. Obviously you think your shot is superior, but it depends on really nailing the shot.

Another factor, a lot of trad. bowhunters aren't going to be that comfortable with pre drawing as your method requires. On top of that, you really need a big tree or a very thick bush unless you are prepared to hold for a long time (which is possible with high let offs).

Let me add, I've killed three nice mule deer with neck shots and it can be very lethal but it's not something I prefer even on close range shots as all were.

In recent yrs. I have gone to 3D leafy suits and have had good luck in having elk walk right by me. Most of the videos I watch the hunter is not that hard to see, esp. the face. Full leafy camo or a ghillie suit is a game changer. I prefer the 3D camo because it is so light and more practical for the elk hunter.

That's good advice if you're a "trophy hunter"....I'm a "hunter" and there is a huge difference. Saying to an out of state hunter to "stay at home" if you can't hunt more than a week is terrible advice, especially when elk hunting is funded on the backs of out of state tag fees. If you need to shoot a huge bull to be happy or to prove to yourself that it was a bigger challenge than a satellite or a cow than I feel sorry for you and the true spirit of hunting has been lost in you.

Even if you can only hunt a day, a weekend, or a week. If those hours or days provide you with a quality experience then it was worth it. Don't let someone else define what a successful hunt is for you, you be the one who sets that standard. I would never, ever tell someone that "If you can't hunt for more than a week, you might as well stay home".

I have hunted elk many years as an out of state hunter, never more than a week, and every trip was a great time and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I feel sorry for anyone who can't enjoy what is in front of them.....even for a week.

Part 21 "What is your secret to all your public land success". Basically spend as much time as you possibly can in a place and your odds go up. Pretty much self explanatory. I too am an out of state elk hunter and think his advice on spending two weeks or more is dead on.

And in my definition of "real" hunter ANY person that has taken 50 plus elk DYI on public land would surely qualify for the title of "REAL" hunter. Even if it was 50 cows.

Thanks again Pat and Dan, some will get it some won't.

RG

Your interview was very helpful. Good luck this year!

I was once told a trade is never learned it is stolen .I hope I was able to steal a little of Dan's elk hunting skills .

I absorbed as much as I could from watching and listening to Dan bugle them bulls .

Plus Dan is great with maps landmarks etc his woodsman skills are a key factor in his hunting elk.

Im a lucky guy to call Dan a friend .

Some, just the experience of going and being out there is good enough, and that's fine, nothing wrong with that if that's you goal.

Personally I go to kill an elk, period. I'm not on vacation. I can reflect on the experience much easier with meat in the cooler. What this entire interview was about was killing elk. Not how to enjoy yourself walking around in the forest.

It was a goldmine of elk hunting information. Thanks again Danny. And I second what Pat said. Part Deux would be great.

Thanks Bigdan for giving so much to so many. I have used and will continue to use your advice.

David A. and Fross. Posts like yours ruined the whole discussion for me. My thoughts turned from what a great guy Bigdan is to what jerks you guys were to disrespect someone who has killed more elk than the both of you put together. Bigdan was just stating what has obviously worked for him. You guys are the reason I have been on a different site for a few months. Maybe I'll check back in a few months. To bad because this is an awesome place to learn from some really great bow hunters.

And even when I do disagree with someone, it doesn't mean I disrespect them. I find it very unfortunate more people don't appreciate honest debate and contrary positions...but I digress because in this case there only variance was that I prefer full 3D camo and Dan doesn't.

Thanks, Dan for your excellent straight to the advice and comments. Good hunting this season.