BuzzH
Well-known member
I got lucky in the AZ draw again and drew a late Coues tag. The area I drew was recommended by my buddy Monty. He has a couple friends who are very serious Coues deer hunters and they offered to help me out with my deer tag. The importance of networking on out-of-state hunts is critical if your going to try these things ON YOUR OWN.
I arrived on the second day of the season, as I had some things to take care of before I left. Opening day one of the guys that helped me a ton on this hunt, killed a dandy Coues, it scored 102 and was a great buck.
The first morning I hunted I went with Monty's friend Mike, who is about as serious as a heart-attack about hunting deer. We hiked into one of his spots and after a few hours of glassing had seen over 30 including one buck that we both thought would be right at 100. I was tempted to shoot him, but passed. Mikes thought was that with the tag I had it would be smart to hold out for something that was for sure over 100. Mike and one of his buddies showed me around the unit that afternoon, pointing out the best glassing spots. They had obligations and left the next morning.
I hunted alone the next 5 days and saw 30-50 deer every day including some nice bucks. I also saw lots of javelina and found 2 bobcats one day.
My buddy Monty and his Uncle Ron came down to join me and help out on day 6 of the hunt. Mike and one of his friends stopped by on their way down to Mexico to hunt deer and see how things were going. They told us about another spot to check that they thought would be good. So, that evening Monty, Ron, and I went and checked that area and found some deer including a couple average bucks.
We went back the next morning and after about a half hour of glassing I spotted a great buck. I knew right away he was big and I decided to make a run at him. The stalk was great, having to weave around through the wait-a-minute bush, cat claw, prickly pears, etc.
I finally got to a point where I thought I could shoot from. Monty watched the deer the whole time from our original glassing point to make sure he didnt move. I finally found the deer, which if you havent hunted, you really cant appreciate just how well these deer blend in to their environment. They are extremely cautious and never really make stupid moves. Anyway, he was bedded for a short time, but soon stood up and I got to look him over at 314 yards through my spotting scope. The image of that buck standing there looking my direction in the sun will be burned into my memory forever...that buck was just awesome.
Eventually he turned broadside and I set up for the shot. I placed the leupold dot right on his shoulder and after calming down for about a minute...I slowly squeezed the trigger. The shot was perfect and he wheeled and ran about 10 yards and fell.
To say I'm happy with this buck is an understatement.
Monty and I with the deer:
Another look:
I arrived on the second day of the season, as I had some things to take care of before I left. Opening day one of the guys that helped me a ton on this hunt, killed a dandy Coues, it scored 102 and was a great buck.
The first morning I hunted I went with Monty's friend Mike, who is about as serious as a heart-attack about hunting deer. We hiked into one of his spots and after a few hours of glassing had seen over 30 including one buck that we both thought would be right at 100. I was tempted to shoot him, but passed. Mikes thought was that with the tag I had it would be smart to hold out for something that was for sure over 100. Mike and one of his buddies showed me around the unit that afternoon, pointing out the best glassing spots. They had obligations and left the next morning.
I hunted alone the next 5 days and saw 30-50 deer every day including some nice bucks. I also saw lots of javelina and found 2 bobcats one day.
My buddy Monty and his Uncle Ron came down to join me and help out on day 6 of the hunt. Mike and one of his friends stopped by on their way down to Mexico to hunt deer and see how things were going. They told us about another spot to check that they thought would be good. So, that evening Monty, Ron, and I went and checked that area and found some deer including a couple average bucks.
We went back the next morning and after about a half hour of glassing I spotted a great buck. I knew right away he was big and I decided to make a run at him. The stalk was great, having to weave around through the wait-a-minute bush, cat claw, prickly pears, etc.
I finally got to a point where I thought I could shoot from. Monty watched the deer the whole time from our original glassing point to make sure he didnt move. I finally found the deer, which if you havent hunted, you really cant appreciate just how well these deer blend in to their environment. They are extremely cautious and never really make stupid moves. Anyway, he was bedded for a short time, but soon stood up and I got to look him over at 314 yards through my spotting scope. The image of that buck standing there looking my direction in the sun will be burned into my memory forever...that buck was just awesome.
Eventually he turned broadside and I set up for the shot. I placed the leupold dot right on his shoulder and after calming down for about a minute...I slowly squeezed the trigger. The shot was perfect and he wheeled and ran about 10 yards and fell.
To say I'm happy with this buck is an understatement.
Monty and I with the deer:
Another look:
