NM Unit 22 Coues Deer - drew a tag for Nov 2022

[WyoKid]

Roksliders:

Looking to connect with someone that has hunted anything in NM Unit 22. I drew a early Nov deer tag and will be looking for Coues. Looking for general information from someone that has had boots on the ground. I already have my own ideas for access, logistics, areas I will be looking, camping locations and hunting techniques but I wanted to hear about your experience hunting the area and if there are places, hazards or dangers I should be aware of besides the obvious stuff (i.e., everything is sharp or will poke you, water is scarce, lock your truck doors, etc.) It will be my first Coues hunt but not my first hunt if you get my drift - I have done a fair amount of difficult hunts (Audad, Dall, Elk, high country Mule Deer). You can PM me and we can connect via PM, zoom or phone (or meet up if you are in the Aurora, Colorado, area) as you prefer.

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

How'd your hunt turn out? Were you successful?

 

[WyoKid]

No luck with Coues. Saw 12 but no mature bucks. Found some really good sheds so they are there or were there - I was 3rd season so thet might have been pushed out. 5 days was not enough time to find one without preseason scouting. There were a lot of road hunters but very few out walking into roadless areas. Most hunters cleared out after the weekend and we had the middle of the week to ourselves.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Helped a friend on his hunt on an adjoining unit that none of us have ever been in (but damn, I want to go back).

Had quite the rain which led to a lot of mud and fog; kept a lot of hunters at bay.

Pretty cool seeing elk, mule deer and Coues in the same elevation band. But did not see the normal densities that I’m accustomed to.

We used the “run and gun” approach and it worked well for us; same approach we use for scouting a new area. Hit a spot, glass 10-15 minutes (all experienced glassers with SLC 15s). Rinse and repeat for morning and late afternoon; normal hardcore glassing during the rest of the day. Was productive and we saw an assortment of deer each day.

Friend wanted a “representative” buck and we exceeded that. He got a 3x3 that should go mid-90s; sucker only gets larger with each look at him.

There was a learning curve as the terrain is unlike classic Coues country. Could spend a month out there and still feel unprepared. The phrase “it is better to be lucky than good” likely applied” on this hunt.

Had a blast and want to go back.

 

[WyoKid]

Same here. I want to do it again. My first Coues hunt and loved the challenge. We saw and heard Elk but didn't find any mulies. We took a similar tactic and glassing with 15x Swaro for an hour and then moving to a new spot to glass angles or different ridge. We also had fog in the morning.

I have to say I am sold on the Swaro 15x for this type of hunting. My buddy had Vortex and decided to sell them and get Swaros given the clarity and resolution. We also had some 8x and 10x, which worked better in some areas where the glassing was 500 to 600 yards away.

If I had seen a 3x3, especially towards the end of the hunt, it would have been tough to pass him up.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Same here. I want to do it again. My first Coues hunt and loved the challenge. We saw and heard Elk but didn't find any mulies. We took a similar tactic and glassing with 15x Swaro for an hour and then moving to a new spot to glass angles or different ridge. We also had fog in the morning.

I have to day I am sold on the Swaro 15x for this type of hunting. My buddy had Vortex and decided to sell them and get Swaros given the clarity and resolution. We also had some 8x and 10x, which worked better in some areas where the glassing was 500 to 600 yards away.

If I had seen a 3x3, especially towards the end of the hunt, it would have been tough to pass him up.

Good point about the lower mag binoculars. (Hopefully) Next time we hunt there I'll bring my SLC 10s for the close in work.

There were some smaller 3x3s that my friend had to decide to shoot or not; there were a couple of last second decisions to pass. The hard part was being in new country and limited time; any other place it'd been an easy "not a shooter" decision. Thankfully Lady Luck showed up and my friend got a nice buck.

Absolutely gorgeous country and I cannot wait to go back. Hopefully it'll be with a tag in my pocket.