coues deer 2014

[bowbearman]

Hello I'm thinking of planning a archery DIY coues deer hunt in AZ for Jan'14 just wondering if anyone is willing to help me out a bit with some info I have never hunted AZ so know nothing about it I have hunted all over the rest of the country but its time to add a coues deer to my list so if anyone is willing to help me out in any way shape or form it would be appreciated or if anyone else is going or wants to go maybe we can work out a trip together!!!!
Thanks
Aaron

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Never too early to plan!

Big optics, patience, and shoot long range



There is alot of country to cover and you might only catch a glimps of that buck before he finds cover and 15 minutes before you see him again. It's important to see him early or you might not see him at all.

Those are finicky little buggers. If they think something is wrong, they are out of the country.

Alot of guys down south shoot out to 120 constantly to prepare for long shots.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

The deer are not that hard to find but hard to kill with a bow. Very finicky indeed like Dr said above. My advise is to search on google earth for fairly open terrain with several vantage points to get you up above them and use your glass. At least this is what me and my hunting partner did last year and we saw 3-5 bucks a day doing this. Glass for a few hours and move, glass and move and so on.

Good glass is important as you will be using it all day. An absolute must imo is to get a tripod adapter for your binos. Getting your binos on a tripod will guarantee that you see more deer.

Longer shots are more common as well, the buck my buddy ended up shooting was a 70 yard shot.

 

[fire arrow]

Here's the scoop. Everything in the desert is freezing cold. Animals don't start moving until the sun gets up. Start your glassing on SE hillsides. The sun hits them first and warms them up first. Most often you will notice movement and not the deer. Once you find a deer look under brush and trees for other deer. Coues will bed down in areas that are very hard to stalk in on. You can try and plan an ambush for when they get up, or wait for the thermals and try to get close. Remember there are a lot of eyes on you. Another option if there are not a lot of guzzlers in that country is to find a water hole. I'm not big on sitting water holes, but very effective. Might be worth getting a javalina tag too.

Be very patient when glassing, and get comfortable it will help you glass more.

 

[Nick Muche]

They hold banker hours in my opinion. Don't expect them at first and last light like their whitetail cousins...

Find a bench with some oaks on it, look for sign. I would hunt them just how you hunt a whitetail. I'd use a stand in a good travel corridor and let them come to you. Early in Aug I would spot in stalk or hunt water, but in Jan during the rut I'd find a concentration of doe's and then hunt them. There will be bucks nearby...

This one came through chasing a doe. 44 yard shot.

 

[shaun]

They are very addicting to say the least! Like was previously stated they like to bed up high under Junipers. They are very very skiddish I had a few pick me out from hundreds of yards away. I plan on going back next year since I was not able to go this year. Here is a pic of my 2012 coues I shot him on public land in a hole in the wall unit. AZ holds some stud bucks for sure. This guy will end up making top 10 SCI and top 25 All time P&Y as soon as I get off my butt and send in score sheets

 

[Nick Muche]

Buck of a lifetime right there Shaun!! Ouch, I'd quit hunting Coues if I ever got one like that. I plan to go back sometime, not sure when, maybe this year, maybe not.

 

[Slim Jim]

That is an awesome buck Shaun! You don't see to many that size let alone get a shot off on one

 

[bowuntr]

That's a pig... congrats. Ed F