AZ Coues

[jrod]

I would like to try a Coues deer hunt in Arizona maybe next year. Can you guys recommend a zone that would be relatively easy to draw (1-2 years). I haven't done the research myself yet so maybe someone pointing in the right derextion will get me lookin. I don't need a book buck but any coues deer seems like a trophy from what I have read. It seems like they inhabit similar habitat to some of the blacktails I like to hunt, brush and rocks .
All the Best

 

[junior88]

go to the azgfd website, online draw section. look at the leftover tags. you could draw any of those units as a 5th choice. the hunting is terrific. the closer you get to the border, the number of leftover tags increases. I am sending in my application tomorrow for leftovers tomorrow. hopefully by mon or tues I will know where I will be hunting

 

[big28hunter]

Did my first coues deer hunt last November in unit 35B near the border. Drawing was 100% in that particular unit with left over tags as stated above. You"ll see quickly why they call them the Grey Ghost. Good huntin'

 

[JWP58]

If you hunt with a bow, you don't have to wait to draw. Just by an OTC tag.

 

[Gweb85]

Im not sure of the odds anymore but i drew a coues tag for 34b back in 2003. Some of the hardest hunting ive done to date, but well worth it. i think i ended up taking a 2x that year. Good luck.

 

[billy-bob8]

Be careful what you wish for. Coues deer hunting is very addicting.
The closer to the border is easier to draw for obvious reasons, we have been hunting 36C for years and have never had a problem, but that said we do all pack pistols as a precaution.
The early hunts are available for left over tags, the reason being that the GFD gives out a lot of tags, The hunting pressure is high, and the weather even for the end of October can be in the 90's mid day.
One year we hunted the unit on a early tag and my son Ryan took a small buck, the GFD had a check in station at Ajo/three points and out of 600 tags there had been only 12 deer checked in by 4 Sunday afternoon. OK enough of the negative.
My sons and I put in for the late December hunt and 1 of us usually draws, the odds are about 20% for the late hunt. There are 125 tags and the hunting pressure is much less. We go the last week of the season between Christmas and New years. Head for the high ground before dark, bring the best glass you can, and have patience, the rut is starting and deer can appear all day.
Coues hunters are very dedicated and the physical nature makes any buck a great buck. Check out Coueswhitetail.com for more help.
Good luck and post pictures

 

[jrod]

THanks for the great responses. I sorta figured that the border zones were a little easier to draw, for obvious reasons. I will be rifle hunting prolly, and I thought our coastal blacktails were called the grey ghost,. I think it is probably very similar to blacktail hunting in California.
If I hunt closer to the border would the hunting be any better than if I were to hunt farther north?
I think a 2x would be a fine trophy, just like blacktails; any of them is a hard earned trophy.
Also, those of you who have hunted in the border zones, what experiences have you had with the smugglers, coyotes(the people type), and the border agents.
Cheers

 

[junior88]

lots of border patrol, a few illegals, no smugglers. I glassed up 4 illegals and decided to back out of the area. as luck would have it BP was coming down the road. they asked if they had backpacks. they would be the smugglers. when I said no they didn't seem too concerned. anyway I didn't hang around to find out. on another hunt I came within about 25yds of an illegal when he stood up from the bush he was sleeping under. he was using a garbage bag for a blanket. pretty sad actually.

don't be discouraged. those are the only encounters I've had in about 10 hunts down there. its great hunting and the scenery is beautiful.

 

[Sundevil]

can you handle the heat? will you be able to scout prior to the hunt? will you be able to hunt during the week?

if you can handle the heat and can scout ahead of time the late Oct hunt is a good hunt. If not go for the hunt that starts the day after Thanksgiving and goes for 10 days. Lots cooler.

lots of weekend warriors. if you can hunt during the week you will miss 90% of the other guys.

plenty of deer in the southern units but the bigger bucks didn't get big by being stupid. get away from the roads and you will see a lot more bucks. good luck!

 

[Sundevil]

get a good pair of binos mounted on a tripod, get a good pad to sit on. find a good vantage point and spend the day behind the binos. you might look at an area 20 times and then all of a sudden, BAM, there is a deer standing right where you have been glassing for the last 2 hours. check garmin to see what the best times for deer movement are. it is amazing how accurate it is. good luck.

 

[sagebrush]

Never seen a blacktail bedded under an ocotillo. Nothing like blacktail hunting at all IMO. Hike to a high spot and glass desert for 2 miles in every direction all day long.

 

[big28hunter]

Here's how my guide Austin Atkinson glassed for deer. He was even kind enough to bring me a chair along. Sure made it a lot more comfortable and less fatiguing.

 

[big28hunter]

I took my coues buck the 4th day of a 5 day hunt. In that time I never seen a parasite. Just the garbage these scumbags leave behind. I was very close to the border.

 

[jrod]

Dang Big 28, I guess you cant get much closer than that.
How bout a pic.
Cheers

 

[big28hunter]

Austin put me on a great buck the first day that was close to 90"s. I blew it but ended up with this Veteran's Day buck. I was very happy with him! Good huntin'

 

[jryoung]

Never seen a blacktail bedded under an ocotillo. Nothing like blacktail hunting at all IMO. Hike to a high spot and glass desert for 2 miles in every direction all day long.

In many parts of CA it seems very similar. The Western Hunter show just had a Sonora Coues hunt with Jason from Kuiu and I couldn't help but see the similarities between a lot of blacktail hunting in CA on the edge of the central valley or carizzo plain. Hot, arid, dry, vast, and small deer.