Coues Outfitter Recommendations

[UKwildcatfan]

Mesquite Mountain Outfitters out of Tucson. They have several ranches in Sonora. I've hunted deer and turkey with them several times, also free range bison in Sonora. Going back next year again. Highly recommend them. They do DIY hunts also. I can DM phone number to anyone that wants it.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I don't know as much about his fully guided hunts but I hope he treats them way different than his DIY hunts

Would like to hear about it

 

[TacoTaylor]

Have you been on a DIY hunt through him?

No, I've had the opportunity and ultimately passed and went with another group because of feedback I received. Several guys I've been with have done his DIY hunts and all had the same feedback after I passed that opportunity. Jay at Mindful Hunter also just released a podcast with the same review of his experience and it aligns with others. His business is a numbers business, he sells tons of DIY tags down there. Depending on the ranch you go on, it is a total gamble. Some ranches have decent numbers, some have horrible numbers.

 

[Loco4dux]

No, I've had the opportunity and ultimately passed and went with another group because of feedback I received. Several guys I've been with have done his DIY hunts and all had the same feedback after I passed that opportunity. Jay at Mindful Hunter also just released a podcast with the same review of his experience and it aligns with others. His business is a numbers business, he sells tons of DIY tags down there. Depending on the ranch you go on, it is a total gamble. Some ranches have decent numbers, some have horrible numbers.

Ya I heard that too. I asked Jay Scott directly about his response to the podcast and he had explanations and proof (videos/pics of texts etc.) that contradicts many of the complaints that MH had. But, whatever.

Care to share who you went with and your experience with them?

 

[TacoTaylor]

Ya I heard that too. I asked Jay Scott directly about his response to the podcast and he had explanations and proof (videos/pics of texts etc.) that contradicts many of the complaints that MH had. But, whatever.

Care to share who you went with and your experience with them?

Overall I still consider Jay Scott as one of the godfathers of Coues hunting and he has more experience with Mexico than just about anybody. I also take some of the reviews with a grain of salt because I don't think a lot of people know how to hunt coues deer or what to look for. I'm not saying that is the case with MH but I found it interesting that his reviews match those of others. I've gone DIY with the mountain project.

I also think its worth noting to pay attention to things happening to Coues in Sonora. The first is that the past several years have been quite the drought. The monsoons have been spotty and not great and if rain doesn't come at the right time it affects antler growth. I also think some years when the drought is bad enough, deer just don't rut as much. Sure does get bred but I don't think they all do and deer definitely die if the drought is bad enough. The other thing is theres more rumors circulating about pen raised or high fenced coues deer. That takes the fun out of coues deer for me but if others want to do it, to each their own.

On top of that, not all ranches are managing deer as they should. They can overgraze cattle to where deer will go to neighboring ranches, predators can wreak havoc on these ranches if theres no predator management taking place and pot hunting happens too. Just because you are supposed to be the only hunter on the ranch for the year doesn't mean the ranchers aren't shooting deer or having other people out there to shoot deer if they are getting paid for it too.