CouesWhitetail

Thanks for all the input. Doug, your idea of just dialing in the yardage is one I have been thinking of. Scott Adams mentioned to me that there are companies that sell dials that will replace your elevation adjustment and have markings on them so you can just dial in the range and shoot. No extra crosshairs to confuse the image in the scope. Your idea is even simpler (I think) where I don't replace the turrets with a custom dial with yardage, i just know how many clicks to go up for the given yardage. Leupold will make custom elevation dials with yardage markers so you can dial in your leupold scope. I am thinking about going that route. You give them the load info and they get the right dial made. Anyone every done that? Here is the link: Leupold custom shop Amanda

Sounds like a great hunt. Amanda

Good advice Diamondbackaz. Maybe with enough complaints he will have to change his behavior. Driving an ATV through a hunting area at primetime seems a bit odd for a game warden to do. Not to mention him threatening you... Amanda

My turkey was wonderful. My husband made a glaze to put on it that included prickly pear fruit juice, and chipotle pepper sauce and a few other things. It was very nice. And I made a soup of the left overs last night and it's really good that way too. That glaze makes the soup have a real complex flavor in addition to the smoked turkey. Never did one in the deep fryer, but I hear they are great. did you like it Stanley? Amanda

Here are the pics that Pollohombre sent me: Nice CouesWhitetail.com hat Dan (the guy with the Coati and Coyote)!

How do you get that price? Can you get it online? I went to Bass Pro website today and it's listed as $99. Amanda

I have currently been working with Boone and Crockett to expand their definition of the range of Coues deer to include the state of Durango. There is an outfitter there that contacted me regarding Coues hunts there and that got me wondering if B&C accepted coues deer from any other Mexican states other than Sonora and Chihuahua. They do not. B&C said what they need is the Mexican Game and Fish to provide info on the range of Coues in Mexico. So the Mexican govt will be sending the information to the next B&C meeting to expand the range B&C considers for Coues. I believe the information is supposed to be at B&C as of today and the records comittee meeting is early next month. I hope to go down to that ranch and see the deer they have down there in Durango. But I think they must be Coues. FYI - This ranch will be offering Coues hunts for the first time in 40 years. Might be a great opportunity for those of you considering a hunt in Mexico. Here is a link that shows the range of the WT species as Safari Club Int'l sees it and it shows the Coues range going into Durango and a little farther south. SCI WT Range map And here is another website that shows a range map that goes far south into Mexico:WT range map Bill - what other Mexican subspecies are you referring to? And where does the blending occur? I would think other than over by Texas, that there isn't much chance of blending of subspecies. Let me know if you have other info. Amanda

I have seen Coues drink water at many different times of the day. Early morning, mid-day and evening. However, there is a better chance of seeing a Coues deer at a water hole in the hrs say between 11-1 than for most any other big game animal. So sitting water mid-day is a good strategy for coues. Amanda

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I am fortunate enough to be having a wild turkey for t-day dinner. And my husband is smoking it on the grill. Yum! Hope everyone has a good one! Amanda

Coues4x4, If you have pics you want posted, you can email them to me. Also, if you want to delete an old user name, email exactly what you want and I can take care of it. Pollohombre, if you need help with pics you can email them to me if the other guys can't figure it out. Amanda

To change your name, you have to create a new account. If you want to do that, let me know and I will delete your account and then you can create a new one. Amanda

I second that treestandman. Way too much judging going on with very little information. I think the point of the thread was more about whether some people are more concerned with the score of the buck than the experience. I know I am not. But I also will try to push myself to hold off and get a bigger buck each time I go out. I think it's more challenging that way. The longer I hunt these deer the more hunts I come home empty handed because I wanted a larger buck than I was able to get. I enjoy the challenge. I imagine it's the same for many people here. But this year I imagine if I don't have a big buck early on, I will take a smaller one later since I really want meat in the freezer after passing on so many deer two years ago and not getting a tag last year. One of the things I enjoy about this site is the excitement people show even when they get a smaller deer. Casey, Ernesto, and several others have killed young bucks this year and were happy and excited to share the hunt with us. I am always happy when someone sends me a pic of their deer and it's not a monster. That way people don't think the only successful hunt is if you kill a 100 inch buck or better. It's funny how people see the same thing and feel differently about it. 2506 says this site is only about big bucks and points. And yet I get compliments from many other people saying how they like the site because it isn't all about big bucks. I try to keep it about all bucks and the excitement we share over this little deer. Amanda

Nice photos. I have seen javelina spar with one another over access to salt blocks near a water tank. Amanda

Wow, that is a gorgeous cat. I sure hope you are tanning that hide. Amanda

Coues deer rut later in the year than Mulies. Mulies are more like Nov-Dec while Coues are late Dec-Jan. Click on the link for some info on the rut and other life stages of the Coues Spot and stalk is pretty challenging with a bow. You might have more success sitting a trail or tank or salt lick or something like that. It all depends on how you like to hunt though. Amanda

Great story! Congrats on your bucks Ernesto and Mario. It's always difficult hunting in hot weather. This is a pretty funny thread going here.....Ernesto's buck could eat Casey's buck...I am still laughing over that one. And planting CW.com flags on mountain tops, now there is an idea! Geez just when I was getting caught up making hats and stickers and such, now I have to make flags??? Thanks for the extra work Ernesto! Amanda

Hi All, I have done a couple scouting trips trying to find a big buck for my dec hunt. Unfortunately, I have been skunked both times. Bad weather and lack of water have made my trips devoid of big bucks, but thought you guys might enjoy the pics anyway. Found my first desert tortoise while out the other day. he is a very old one, maybe 70-100 years old. He is about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide and I almost ran him over if my husband hadn't spotted him in the dirt road along with all the other rocks. Then on Thurs and Friday I did an overnight backpack trip and found a baby tarrantula, which I haven't seen before either. It was only about an inch long. You can see the penny in the photo with it for scale. Cute little guy. And where we hiked up there were quite a few shell fossils in the rock. I think they are from the Devonian period, which is about 400 million years ago. The first pic shows the kind of rock they are in. They are the reddish brown flecks you see in the big rock. I did the backpack trip with my husband and friend, Natalie. We got to camp around dark and commented on how lucky we were the wind wasn't blowing. But after dark the wind started building and it howled all night. It was so strong it could move us in our sleeping bags! in the morning it was still blowing and we hiked up to a point to glass. Up on the point it was hurricane force winds! It would stop us from making forward progress and if you weren't bracing yourself the gusts would knock you off your feet. Well, since I had backpacked all the way in there, I glassed anyway. I tried to find areas where the trees and bushes were not whipping around, but I found none. I had a really hard time even holding my head still while glassing. I am guessing the wind at 50-60 mph up on the hill. Anyway, we gave up after an hour or so and came back down. The day warmed up and the wind was much lighter down lower. Here is a pic of Natalie and I on the way back down (i am on the left of photo): Well, we didn't get to see any deer, but at least we had an adventure! That wind was pretty intense; thank goodness it was only in the high 40's and not real cold. Otherwise I would have frozen to death! Amanda

Great pics Scott. Thanks for posting them. Looks like a great time. Congrats on all the birds. Amanda

Check with Josh. Here is the link to his website: Rimrock Outfitters Amanda

Great job describing your addiction! These deer are addicting and incredibly beautiful. People frequently ask me why they are so addicting and I can never really quite describe it. But like you say, the challenge of the hunt, the country they live in and the grace and beauty they display while living there, make them a very special critter. Congratulations on your excellent 2 point! Amanda

I think tail color is just highly variable. I often wonder if it's possible that there is some mule deer influence in the black topped tails of Coues, since I tend to see those more in areas that have both species of deer. However, I think it's just natural variation. If you look in my Coues Biology page, you will see a photo I took of three bucks together in the same area all with different color tails. They were all young bucks, I don't think tail color changes with age. Here is the link to that page: Coues Biology page Amanda

Rembrant asked me to post this hunt story and photo for him. Jim Atcheson and I like to hunt one of the Northern New Mexico units. We have had 4 permits in 5 years. Out of the 4 permits, I have killed 3 mature bucks; 2 - 4 points and a 3 x 5. The two biggest bucks were taken with a muzzleloader. I love that place. The reason I am successful is because of Jim. He reads mule deer better than anyone I have ever known. He hunts extremely hard, but couldn't give a darn if he kills a deer at all. He enjoys the hunt more than the kill. Consequently he benevolently sets me up as the shooter in a drive/sit situation. Sometimes he lets me do the push, but mostly we end up arguing and I end up "losing" and having to sit on a high point massaging my trigger. This deer was pushed into me, on purpose, by Jim. The buck ran by me at 40 yards. After shooting, the deer didn't seem to break stride, and I lost sight of him quickly. I gave a quick check of his tracks (about 30 yds.) for blood and there was none. I was convinced I had missed again (I had already missed 2 other mature bucks this hunt!). I told Jim that I was gonna reload my gun and shoot myself. He said there was no need for that, because his gun was already loaded. Now, there's a true friend. Before we hooked back up, he swung through a pocket of trees below my stand (he never quits), then I was to walk down the bucks tracks to help determine where he went. This is part of Jim's never ending pursuit of patterning mule deer bucks. Which, as a side note, is the most amazing thing about hunting the sands of Northern New Mexico; deer can be tracked all day, and discovering where these bucks go, and the ground they cover, is truly fascinating. Anyway, after following the bucks tracks for about 60 yards, there he was - dead!!! He never bled a drop. Still learning about hunting with a muzzleloader. Good thing I didn't shoot myself! Didn't get him weighed, but we figured him to be about 180+# dressed. He has a 26" outside spread, scores 177 gross and 172" net (unofficial). His teeth are worn nearly to the gum line. He may be an older regressing buck, yet his rack is symmetrical and quite beautiful. I'm a blessed man. Things - everything - seems to be so busy these days. I really cherish being able to get away with a good friend for a while where there is nothing - absolutely nothing - more important than killing a deer.

Congratulations on your bucks! What unit were you in? Those look a lot like two bucks I saw in 31 a week or so ago. Amanda

Happy Birthday Brian! Hope you are out glassing somewhere! Amanda

You are right, you never know exactly what you will see. We also saw a troop of coatis feeding in pinon pine at close range, but I had left the camera back at my vehicle! So no pics of them, although it would have been great! There were at least 10 of them all scrambling around the tops of the pinons eating the nuts. Amanda