AZ Coues unit

[Mikecarr94]

Drew a December coues deer hunt. I’ve already got a general idea of where I want to check out but would love any insight on Coues deer hunting you have. This elevation seems to be 3500-7500. Where would you start to look? What slopes? Angles or direction?
I know water and thick timber areas is a good start as well. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I picked this tag up a few years ago and it is a neat unit; at some point I will go back and hunt it again. The worst part is the sheer volume of folks on the weekends; do expect folks to literally sit and camp on top of each other.

Highly recommend adding a day to visit Kartchner Caverns. If funds permit, grab a lion tag.

Everywhere they talk about Coues, they're there:

https://live-azgfd-main.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GMU-34B.pdf

GMU 34B - Arizona Game & Fish Department

Beginning at AZ Hwy 83 and I-10 Exit 281; easterly on I-10 to the San Pedro River; south along the San Pedro River to AZ Hwy 82; westerly on AZ Hwy 82 to AZ Hwy 83.

www.azgfd.com

I'll send you a PM with more info.

 

[jwilkstn]

Following.

I accidentally applied for Coues as my second choice instead of mule deer and drew a mid-November hunt. Not disappointed in my error, since I planned to do this trip someday anyway, but none of my research was into this hunt I have drawn. I'll be in AZ 24A. I only have 8x32 binos, so looking to possibly grab a larger pair, and have a compact spotter that I'll take, although trophy quality isn't a priority. But general Coues hunting advice or resources is welcome.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Following.

I accidentally applied for Coues as my second choice instead of mule deer and drew a mid-November hunt. Not disappointed in my error, since I planned to do this trip someday anyway, but none of my research was into this hunt I have drawn. I'll be in AZ 24A. I only have 8x32 binos, so looking to possibly grab a larger pair, and have a compact spotter that I'll take, although trophy quality isn't a priority. But general Coues hunting advice or resources is welcome.

Use the info on G&F web site as a starting point as there is plenty of info to get things started. There are plenty of deer in that unit in a wide variety of habitat; everything from the desert to the pines. Depending on where you hunt, your 8x should suffice.

Depending on where you are hunting (ex: Pinals), do not expect there to be ample camping or parking; it can be a PITA especially with road hunters and weekends. The further from Phoenix you are, the fewer weekend warriors you'll tend to encounter.

Do expect some potential access issues due to roads being closed from the fire a few years ago. This will potentially make things a bit worse by condensing folks and their efforts a bit.

Most folks will be gone by Sunday afternoon but do expect to see locals in the afternoons after work.

 

[jwilkstn]

Use the info on G&F web site as a starting point as there is plenty of info to get things started. There are plenty of deer in that unit in a wide variety of habitat; everything from the desert to the pines. Depending on where you hunt, your 8x should suffice.

Depending on where you are hunting (ex: Pinals), do not expect there to be ample camping or parking; it can be a PITA especially with road hunters and weekends. The further from Phoenix you are, the fewer weekend warriors you'll tend to encounter.

Do expect some potential access issues due to roads being closed from the fire a few years ago. This will potentially make things a bit worse by condensing folks and their efforts a bit.

Most folks will be gone by Sunday afternoon but do expect to see locals in the afternoons after work.

Great information, thank you very much!

 

[chrism07]

Glass, glass and glass some more. If you can get to a spot where you can glass all the mountains and hills around you, you can sit there all day and will just continually see more deer. It is very easy to miss Coues deer while glassing if you don't know how to look for them.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The sunlight is your friend and is my number one coues glassing tip to new coues hunters.

Be strategic with your glassing. Take advantage of sun light making them “pop” don’t even really try to glass overly shaded areas. Once you see a coues pop you’ll realize you’ve been staring at them the whole time.

I drape my patagonia zip up breathable mid layer over my head/torso and binos up the the front lenses to really hone in and get all excess light out of my peripheral vision. A comfortable

Glassing chair and good tripod/pan head with 15s and you’ll find them moving all day. Moving out of shade in the morning feeding into the sunlit areas. Afternoon moving back to shade for naps. Evening they will feed back into the sunlit slopes or move as groups to water holes. A lot of time coues deer will move straight to water in the evening at dusk, before feeding out.

You will likely still be pre-rut depending on weather on location so look for those bachelor groups of bucks. They tend to like early morning jousting and season pressure keeps them way up top where I hunt every year.

If want to shoot a meat buck look for the large groups of does and fawns, there will almost always be buttons and spikes in tow in those groups still.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Following.

I accidentally applied for Coues as my second choice instead of mule deer and drew a mid-November hunt. Not disappointed in my error, since I planned to do this trip someday anyway, but none of my research was into this hunt I have drawn. I'll be in AZ 24A. I only have 8x32 binos, so looking to possibly grab a larger pair, and have a compact spotter that I'll take, although trophy quality isn't a priority. But general Coues hunting advice or resources is welcome.

Great unit. One of my favorites. Enjoy!

 

[Fitzwho]

I killed my early December Coues buck (2017) at 6700-ft in the middle of a snow fall. I would start at the top and work your way day. But Coues could and will be basically top to bottom. If you get lucky enough to get some snow up high, the deer were all bailing off the mountain during my hunt.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I killed my early December Coues buck (2017) at 6700-ft in the middle of a snow fall. I would start at the top and work your way day. But Coues could and will be basically top to bottom. If you get lucky enough to get some snow up high, the deer were all bailing off the mountain during my hunt.

Yeah, the Pinal's are high enough to get snow right after Thanksgiving.

 

[Fitzwho]

I haven’t hunted the Pinals. Just the Superstitions and the Chiricahuas.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Superstitions are great, as well. They're all good, actually.

 

[Paul B]

The further you get into that hunt the better it becomes. I killed the coues in my profile pic about 4500'. I actually prefer hunting the lower elevation stuff that has steep walls and ridgelines

 

[Mykolaivka887]

The further you get into that hunt the better it becomes. I killed the coues in my profile pic about 4500'. I actually prefer hunting the lower elevation stuff that has steep walls and ridgelines

Yep, anywhere between 2,000 feet elevation and 10,000 feet elevation is all good stuff. On one of the hunts I did down there a couple years ago, I saw 5 bomber bucks hanging out together on a little hill near the flats, at about the 2,200 foot mark. They are an incredibly adaptable animal, compared to mule deer.

 

[4090Sharps]

Yep, anywhere between 2,000 feet elevation and 10,000 feet elevation is all good stuff. On one of the hunts I did down there a couple years ago, I saw 5 bomber bucks hanging out together on a little hill near the flats, at about the 2,200 foot mark. They are an incredibly adaptable animal, compared to mule deer.

One of the fun parts about Coues hunting--I pick the terrain and area I want to explore or hike around in, then figure out how the deer are using that terrain, because inevitably, they're around.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

One of the fun parts about Coues hunting--I pick the terrain and area I want to explore or hike around in, then figure out how the deer are using that terrain, because inevitably, they're around.

Same here.

 

[mountaingoat08]

Yep, anywhere between 2,000 feet elevation and 10,000 feet elevation is all good stuff. On one of the hunts I did down there a couple years ago, I saw 5 bomber bucks hanging out together on a little hill near the flats, at about the 2,200 foot mark. They are an incredibly adaptable animal, compared to mule deer.

More like sea level to 10,000. I’ve killed coues deer on the beach in Mexico. They are definitely one of the most adaptably smart animals I’ve hunted. Mature bucks live through many seasons even with 1800+ permits a year.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I have not hunted below the 32nd Parallel for that sub-specie of whitetail deer. Only in New Mexico and Arizona.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have only hunted them in January archery, find them while looking for mule deer.

Cold mornings find them on East facing slopes catching the sun, colder the better and they are much easier to see in that early sun!