CouesWhitetail

We covered this topic pretty good last year. you can always conduct a search for previous posts about a subject using the search function on this board. make sure you click the settings to search the whole board and not just one topic (like rifle hunting, biology, etc). Here is a link to a thread with a lot of info on scrape hunting from last year: Scrape hunting thread Amanda

Allen, The San Carlos Rec. and Wildlife office sells a reservation wide map that is good. It shows most of the roads with the road numbers on them. I use that map to navigate around generally and then use topos from Natl Geo Topo program. But those tend to be out of date for the reservation. Many of them are only current up to 1966. So although the topos will show the lay of the land well, the roads will vary. And the rez map has more of the current roads on it. So I think it's best to have both. Have him try between Mt Turnbull and the southern edge of Unit DE. And the suggestion of hiring a guide is a good one since you can't scout it out. And the hunter orange requirement came about because of two fatal hunting accidents there this year. They were both during tribal member hunts. Amanda

Thanks Ernesto! Hope everyone has a great Christmas! Amanda

Ok I am all excited because I got a "new" jeep cherokee. It's new to me, but quite used actually. It's got 56K miles on it. Which is about 220,000 less than my old black jeep so it seems like spring chicken to me!! I have beat up my poor old jeep which I have had for 15 years. It's gotten me into and out of every place imaginable. Great trusty rig, but it's losing some of it's power and the rear main seal is leaking oil quite a bit. And the ceiling liner is loose. So I figured it's time to get a new vehicle. The new one has AIR CONDITIONING which is going to be a real treat for me. I have been living without it forever. Power door locks, keyless entry, power windows, airbags. But it doesn't have ABS brakes, which I think is great!! I hate ABS brakes on dirt roads. Anyone else agree with that?? I just can't stand not having absolute control of the vehicle. Anyway, I am posting some pics of my new rig. Anyone else drive a jeep out there? I just love it. I know most of you guys are into pickups and monster vehicles, but I like the smaller size of the cherokee and the fact that I can keep all my gear clean and dry in it (unlike an open bed truck). And the thing is tough as can be. I am not sure what I will do with my old vehicle. It's been such a great car that I am having a hard time with the idea of selling it. But I don't need two of them. You guys ever get emotionally attached to a vehicle? Amanda

You're right diamondback, it was a 2 to 3 core change. I can see why you would try the thermostat first! I hope it works for you. AZ guide - I carry a bunch of stuff with me, but haven't bought one of those jumper packs yet. Anyone know what brand is best? Or all they pretty much the same? AZ4life - good info, I don't mind you hijacking the thread for that. It's applicable. Amanda

Yeah, my old cherokee would overheat sometimes going up steep rough roads in the summer. I ended up getting a better radiator put in. I think they said it had more fins and would be more efficient at cooling the engine. That did seem to take care of the problem. Have you already gotten a better radiator put in yours diamondback? Amanda

Terry, I have a whole section written up with photos on how to score. Check it out. How to Score info Of course since they are sheds, you get no inside spread measurement. Or you can just guess what you think measurement might be if it were still attached to the skull. There is a spreadsheet on that link that you can use to calculate the score. Amanda

Terry did you take any measurements on them? Amanda

Yes, that is where I was parked. I had gone up to glass around Chrome Butte the other day and since some other friends had been asking for pics of my new jeep, I figured I would snap some. I feel like I just entered the new century with all the power door locks and windows and such. I know everyone in the world has had them forever, but I am so used to rolling down all the windows and locking all the doors manually. It's pretty darn nice to just hit a button and be done with it. Will make it especially easy to roll the windows down when my dogs are riding in the back. What do you guys think about automatic vs standard? My old one was a standard and my new one is automatic. Couldn't hardly find a standard anymore. There have been a few times when i needed to push start my old jeep and it makes me wonder what you do if your battery/alternator fails in an automatic and your out in the hills somewhere? I guess auto is nice in that I don't have to worry about missing big boulders and shift at the same time when I am on some rough road. But I don't know. Seems weird to me to have an auto. But it drives just fine. Amanda

I like all the non-typical points though. Looks pretty awesome albeit a bit freakish. Amanda

I hope you have a great hunt! Take pictures and fill us in when you get back. Amanda

Not sure what you are asking. Do I think Texas whitetail and Coues can interbreed? yes. But for the most part their populations are seperated. There is an area in West Texas where there is a Whitetail (WT) that is intermediate in form between the two. A little bigger than our Coues and smaller than the Texas WT. Many people call them Carmen Mt. WT. Here is some info from Jim Heffelfinger from his upcoming book about deer in the southwest. Maybe this will give you some of the info you want. Looks like in Mexico there may be more mixing of texas and coues WT. I put his contact info after the information so you can contact him if you want. Coues whitetails in southwestern New Mexico are found primarily in the Animas, San Luis, and Peloncillo mountains extending up to the Mogollon Mountains and Black Range. These whitetails are geographically separated from, and do not interbreed with, the population found in the Sacramento Mountains in south central New Mexico and in scattered, isolated pockets in the eastern half of New Mexico and west Texas (Findley et al. 1975; J. Nelson, personnel communication, NM Department of Game and Fish, 2000; TPWD Files). All white-tailed deer east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico are more similar to those in South Texas (O. v. texanus), which are measurably larger in body and antler size (Bailey 1931, Raught 1967). Although the smaller Coues form and the Texas form of whitetail are separated in the U.S., they blend together across a series of populations south of the border (Findley et al. 1975). Whitetails gradually becomes larger as one moves north and east out of Chihuahua through west Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and then into South Texas (Krausman et al. 1978). Whitetails in northern Coahuila, Mexico and the Chisos Mountains of west Texas have been described as a different subspecies, the Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer (O. v. carminis). These deer are isolated somewhat from both the Coues and the Texas whitetail at the extreme northern portion of their range in west Texas. Krausmen et al. (1978) supported the recognition of Carmen Mountain whitetails as a distinct subspecies based on skull and body measurements of Coues, Texas, and Carmen Mountain whitetails. However, there is no geographical separation of Carmen Mountain whitetails in the central and southern part of their range. In fact, Coues whitetails from western Chihuahua gradually become larger in size throughout their continuous distribution in Coahuila and into South Texas. Farther south in Mexico, the Coues whitetail intergrades imperceptibly into populations of whitetails that have been described as a number of different subspecies. No analysis has ever been conducted on how these whitetails differ from Coues whitetails, or from each other. These deer probably represent a gradient of characteristics throughout the range of this species. Jim Heffelfinger Tucson Regional Game Specialist Arizona Game and Fish Department 555 N. Greasewood Road Tucson, AZ 85745 (520) 628-5376, Ext. 530 (office) (520) 975-6322 (Cell) (520) 628-5080 (FAX) jheffelfinger@azgfd.gov

In addition to the measurements that Red Rabbit gave, Ear length is generally about 6 inches. But beware of variances. I have heard several experienced Coues deer hunters and guides talk about deer that have smaller bodies and heads than average and it makes their antlers look huge in relation. So they end up shooting a buck they think will score well, but ends up being say 85 inches or something. So the same thing can be true when using generalized body measurements for estimating hold over. hey, on a lighter note, does anyone here but me think that Chef looks like he's smoking a joint in his avatar? I always thought so until I looked closer and noticed he is kissing a fish. What do you guys think? Amanda

Oh my!! That is awesome Amanda

These ones? And is the guy's name Bindley or Bradley? His taxidermist sent me the photos and said it was Bindley. But you guys are saying Bradley. Maybe Vincent frequents this site and will let us all know....

I have seen bucks go back to feeding right after I killed one of their buddies. They go up and smell the dead buck and then just wait around wondering what to do and eventually get back to feeding. So sometimes they go back to normal right away. I think it depends on how much pressure they have seen. And I think it's age dependent too. A buck that has been through many hunting seasons will probably spook more easily than a young one. I think the bigger bucks learn to hold tighter and hide more than the younger ones do. Amanda

I agree with Lark and MoreD. The WT spends his time learning the details of an area. That knowledge gives him a survival advantage. The other bucks might get spooked and hide more, which will make you think they left because you won't see them as easily, if at all. They will go where they feel safest, which will generally be a thick area that they are already familiar with. Amanda

That was great Lark!! When you gonna write a book that I can sell on this site? You already have a devoted fan base that would buy it. You are too funny. Thanks for the good humor. Amanda

I don't know how many of you guys have checked out the latest Find the Deer game on this site, but I wanted to get some feedback on it. I know the photos are kinda low quality because most were taken through my scope and so the focus is poor. But what I am wondering is are they good enough for the game? Can you guys see the deer? I can see them on my screen, but I have a high end computer, so I started thinking maybe others can't see them as well. Maybe you can tell me which photos work or don't work for you. Or which ones you like the best in terms of a challenge to find the deer. Here is the link to the page in case you haven't seen it yet. Find the Deer Game Amanda

is this the one you guys are talking about? It's in AZ Coues rifle page 33 Amanda

I am glad you guys like the game. Dan, most of the photos are taken with my digital camera held up to my spotting scope (15-45x). Some are held up to my Zeiss 10x40's. And some are just handheld pics of deer I walked up on. None are trail cams. If anyone has any photos they think would be good for this game, you can email them to me. There is a find the shed game too, so if you have photos like that, let me know. Amanda

That's terrible. My prayers go out to those families. I can't imagine the heartache they are going through..... Amanda

Each user selects their own time zone. When you are logged in, go to My Controls (near top right of forum). Click on that and then look on left hand margin for Options and Board Settings. Click on that. Then set time zone. For myself, I had to choose GMT -7 Mountain Time to get it to read right. AZ is kinda of strange in that we don't do daylight savings. Amanda

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing the new deer hunting book I am selling in the bookstore. It's Deer Quest by Lance Stapleton. Lance attempted something no one had done before. He tried, in one year, to take exceptional bucks of each of the six varieties of deer in North America. He is a great writer and this book is just a pleasure to read. Go to this link to read more about the book: Books This book would make a great Christmas gift for a huntin' buddy! Amanda

I don't use one. I know several people who like to use them and swear by them, but I just can't get comfortable with one. Makes me feel more unsteady and more likely to trip. But I guess that's just me.... I do like the idea of using them to steady your binos if you are quickly looking over an area before moving on. Amanda