Devin Archibald – Epic Outdoors Staff Member
Devin Archibald is the newest member of the Epic Outdoors staff. Devin comes with a very strong hunting and guiding pedigree. We are excited to announce his addition to our team! Devin will be a full time hunting consultant as well as our guided hunt specialist, helping research new outfitters, find new guided hunt opportunities, and help members find their dream hunts.
Hunting and the outdoors have been a big part of Devin’s life ever since he was a child. He was one of those kids who lost more sleep the night before opening day than he ever did on Christmas Eve. At a very young age, Devin started hunting with his father in southeastern Utah. He was fortunate to have access to a cabin that his grandfather built in the late 80’s. This area was right in the middle of some fantastic deer and elk country. Some of Devin’s favorite and earliest childhood memories come from sitting in the one room cabin, listening to his grandpa, uncle, and father telling hunting stories from the “good ole days”. The stories he heard, along with the days spent following his father on the mountain fueled his passion for hunting and the outdoors.
Devin grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah and as soon as he received his driver’s license, Devin was hooked on seeing new places, learning new units and exploring anywhere he hadn’t already been. Shed hunting became a perfect way to learn this information and quickly became an addiction for Devin. He was always on the road, spending most of his money on fuel to get to the next hunt or new area. His Mother still talks about how embarrassing it was to call the school so often to excuse his absence because he was on the mountain.
When Devin was 16, he received a call from Doyle Moss of Mossback Guides and Outfitters. Doyle asked Devin if he wanted to ride down with his son Cameron Gillman, Devin’s lifelong friend, to be a spotter on an elk hunt. Devin went and he was hooked! In the following years he filmed many of the hunts that Doyle guided and really enjoyed the thrill and pressure of running the camera. Watching and learning from Doyle was invaluable to Devin. Not only did he learn how to call, stalk, and glass, but how to treat people, clients and strangers, and to be humble. Before long, Devin was a full-time spotter and guide for Mossback. During that time, Doyle introduced Devin to Nevada Master Guide and owner of Western Wildlife Adventures, Ron Lara. At the age of 18, working with Ron, Devin guided his first Nevada hunt. He quickly fell in love with hunting the Silver State and working with Ron and his guides.
Nevada is where Devin spent many days scouting and guiding for Mossback’s Heritage Tag clients. He was known as the “Lone Wolf”, spending 5 or more days a week, alone in the desert, looking for giant bulls. During this time, he intimately learned different units and the different terrain throughout many states. Devin was fortunate to participate, with some great friends and clients, in harvesting some state record animals. Over the years, with Ron Lara and great friend Chris Quintana, he has guided clients to some great bucks and bulls in the state of Nevada.
For Devin, guiding worked out great for his schedule, not only did he love what he was doing, but it allowed him to attend the spring semester at Southern Utah University where he studied business management. He soon realized that it would take him 9 years to graduate from college at that rate. So, during the summers, while scouting for Mossback clients in Nevada, he took online classes. Reading his books under cedar trees in the middle of the day and taking his tests at the nearest free WiFi laundromat, but he was able to get it done.
In addition to guiding Devin worked at Fierce Firearms as a sales executive and was able to hone his customer service skills. He also gained a vast knowledge of rifles and hunting calibers. During his time at Fierce, Devin never slowed down when it comes to hunting. Many of Devin’s clients have hunted with him for several consecutive years.
Devin has always been an individual who values relationships, friendships, and hunting experiences. Devin is a huge asset as a hunting consultant and guided hunt specialist for our team. Devin’s experience and knowledge of what is expected, important, and valued on a guided hunt, uniquely qualifies him to work with our members, planning hunts and matching them with the best outfitters in the industry, to meet their individual needs.