WFGinNM

I've been trying to figure out exactly how much an AZ hunt cost would be just for the license and tag for a non-resident. I guess living in NM has put a drain on my ability to understand other states hunting regulations. Any way one of you patient folks could give me a breakdown of what it would cost including the non-resident license, and then the coues tag? Also are there any hidden cost like New Mexico's habitat stamp, habitat and access validation, ect? I've stretched the bank account pretty tight with a trip to Kodiak next November and will miss the NM rifle hunts. So I was wondering if it would be feasible to try my luck with the AZ Oct. hunts. Can't get coues off the brain. Thanks, --Bill

Fortunately most of the out of town hunts I go on I stay with friends, and when they draw here in NM they stay at my cabin. So the overhead is pretty low, just the cost of licenses, travel, and food. The hardest thing is missing the kids, my son is 13 and we spend most weekends here chasing cats, so he doesn't feel left out when I go somewhere without him. It's all done on a pretty slim budget, but a generous 5 weeks a year of vacation. If you ever feel like hunting north central NM let me know. I have a cabin about a half mile from the Valle Caldera south fence, my smartest investment out of highschool. --Bill

She'd like that. Actually she loves to go hunting with me, we are helping a friend with a cow elk hunt in 21b here in NM this weekend and She has her first biggame hunt for cow next weekend here in 6c. She was going to send me to PA to bowhunt whitetail if I didn't draw here in NM, but I drew coues and we have 2 elk tags. 2008 just seems like a loooong way off right now. --Bill

No problem Shortpants , I usually like to get a copy of the regulations. I find it's a bit easier for me to understand the information that the internet format. I haven't sent to AZGFD yet for the regs since I'm still trying to justify 2 out of state hunts in the same season. Then I have to sell the idea to my girlfriend... I wonder if she'd like to visit southern AZ? --Bill

I've checked out the AZ game&fish website, just have to get used to it I suppose. Thanks for the help AzPlumber. Doug, I plan on doing a bit of duck hunting while I'm there, pretty much just depends on the weather. A harlequin drake or even a pair is definitely on the list. --Bill

I shoot 160 gr Federal Nosler Partitions for elk, and have been shooting some Federal 150 gr Nosler Ballistic tips planning on using them for coues. I'm comfortable with either load, just wondering what some of you folks with experience with coues would choose? Thanks, --Bill

That is great, I really like how having the pictures give you a better feel for the hunt and add to the feeling of being there. I'm dying to head back south and at least do some antler hunting just so I can be back in coues country. Maybe I'll find some time to pack up the dogs and head south to do some lion hiking. Congrats, --Bill

Had a good time during the first hunt, saw coues everyday except for Sunday. 11 total, 9 doe and 2 bucks 1 fork without browntines, and 1 that walked through the bottom of a thick canyon before we could count his points or find him again. We stayed in that spot all day waiting and searching for him to show himself but no such luck. We also saw 4 bears and a bunch of mulie doe. The hunt started off a on a bad note Friday afternoon when I tried to look through my Nikon 10X42 ATB's and the view was all messed up, must have knocked them on something. One of my friends loaned me his 10X42 Leupolds but they left much to be desired as far as clearness. We had a main camp and moved about on the 4 wheelers to save on fuel and wear and tear on the truck, then hike in to glassing spots. On Tuesday upon returning to the bikes a bear had found them and ate the seats, we must have chased him off because he didn't have a chance to finish them. I'll try to post some pictures when I have a bit more time. --Bill

AZ>NM, Good to hear you got into some. I'll be back at it in '08 I hope, Unless I can find some way to get a tag next year that doesn't conflict with my Kodiak blacktail hunt in November. I'm still looking at my pictures and maps trying to figure what I should have or could have done. But no complaints from me, It's a blast just seeing these little deer. Can't wait to see your pics. --Bill

Doug, You sure seem to do quite a bit for the folks at a few different sites. I know that when I start looking to upgrade my hunting glass I'll sure be checking with you. Have you heard anything good or bad about Nikon's Monarch ATB 12X56 binos? Thanks, --Bill

I believe I've found the first one, but the second one is probably next to the buck that I can't see either. --Bill

I haven't had much of a choice here in NM, where I've been hunting coues it's usually thick steep and rocky. Pinyon, juniper, and oak with deep grass. Most of the deer I've seen have been around 9:00 in the morning in the sun or just above the shade line in the afternoon. makes me wonder about how many I've overlooked. Like mattys281 said, I have found myself trying to cover too much country instead of being more thorough glassing smaller pockets. --Bill

Ummmmm... ya... how 'bout some pics? A year from now I'll be on Kodiak with Alaska Coastal Marine (11/10- 11/17). CB1 where did you hunt and what transporter did you go with? I have to try to place coues on the back burner and concentrate on blacktails. --Bill

Thanks for the replies and help. With coues season over for me and not a shot fired I can save the 150's for '08 when I try for coues again (I hope). Time to get the 7mm ready with the 160 partitions for the December cow elk hunt, and then probably use the same 160's for Blacktail on Kodiak next November. --Bill

I'll be headed out in a few hours to 23. Stopping for the night at a friend's house halfway and finishing the trip in the morning hopefully with enough time to set up camp and do some scouting for Saturday morning. We'll be south of Mule Creek either trying to use road hunters to our advantage or going deep. Be safe everyone, --Bill

My only shot was at around 300 yards I thought (he was much closer), I didn't have a range finder and the bullet landed in AZ 27 somewhere it was a major miss. But this year the box of shells says 1 1/2 to 2 miles, I'm going to have to aim real high. --Bill

Great pictures Doug, I'll be headed up to Kodiak November of 2007. I'll be hunting the west side of the Island with Alaska Coastal Marine can't hardly wait, just have to concentrate on coues for now. If you don't mind, what bays where you hunting around? --Bill

Well here's hoping that I can find a 14" spike with 3 or 4, 5'' to 6" kicker points. --Bill

I was wondering how bad the road warriors really are in 23 when the hunt starts? I know there are 50 coues tags for the first hunt, but... there about a million mulie tags as well. In the past (8 years ago) I ran into some locals that only hunt "blacktails", no kidding that is what they told me, said that whitetails were to small to bother with. Anyway are guys really hunting all over each other there? It has to be better than the days of old when it was over the counter. I know that I might ask a bunch of questions about hunting coues in southern NM, but if anyone needs info about north central NM the Jemez Mountain area (6c) I'd be glad to help out. It's a tough draw but the muley populations are starting to show some really promising young bucks with nice spreads and impressive trash, just hard to locate in the steep thick mountains (not easy glassing country). Yes we have plenty of elk, turkey, bear and cats (lion and bobs) as well. Thanks, --Bill

Good deal Scott, I'll be headed down to 23 Thursday after work. Hopefully I can locate my first coues buck. --Bill

I told him that if we were hunting elk all we would be seeing are deer. That is a ral nice buck that Cole shot. I've seen some real good deer in the Burro's in the past. --Bill

Well, my son had his first NM deer hunt over the weekend in 17. Saturday morning we saw 14 doe and 1 spike, as well as 2 bulls and 5 cows. Not a legal deer spotted, so we headed to a different area and when my son closed the last gate on our way out he found an arrowhead next to the rear tire, he was pretty happy. That evening we glassed a buck about 6 or 7 hundred yards away across a canyon, it was too late to go after him so we headed there first thing in the morning and tried to find him again with no luck. After a few hours of glassing with nothing found, boredom got the best of him so we moved back to where we started on Saturday morning. It was somewhat overcast so I was hoping that there might be some deer moving. While I was glassing he was looking for more arrowheads, a couple other hunters moved into the foothills I was glassing so I got optimistic that they might push something out. After about 30 minutes I see movement, 22 cows and 6 bulls, but no deer. Well that was all the time we had for his hunt with the long drive and school. Had a great time looking at all the animals, and my son found 6 arrowheads so he was pleased. --Bill

"Why is it weird to count all the points and call a muledeer a black tail? A mule deer has a black tail?????? The buck does have ten points????????" "New definition for Mule deer. CARP " Tomorrow after school my son and I are headed to Magdalena for the unit 17 youth deer hunt, Hopefully he can shoot a Black-tailed mule-carp deer. With... umm... at least 2 or is that 4 pointy things, maybe 6 counting the brow tines if they are at least an inch long. --Bill

e-Scouters. They come too sites like this,everybody gives them information on where to go after I just spent a weekend in my truck beatin the heck out of it with all the wear and tear on tires , big money in gas and all the money spent at the map store just to scout out areas. After finding agood area I will be hunting opening morning I come home , flip on the computer and there is somebody else telling a E-SCOUTER EXACTLY WHERE I WILL BE OPENING MORNING. After getting home late on a Sunday night with all the money and effort it is a lot frustrating. I'm new to coues hunting, do have some questions but completely understand how it is to scout, learn and hunt an area for years, put in your time and have someone else tell folks where to hunt just so it seems like they know what they are talking about. I try to not ask questions about where to hunt, when I head down to hunt this year I just hope that I don't step on anyones toes. More so I'd hate to invade someone from this sites hunt. I have a friend up here that I used to hunt with, we have gone seperate ways without conflict, I've just started spending more time hunting with my 13 year old son. Well my "Friend" has been taking his dad's friends to places I've shown him over the years. Is it public... yes. Is he allowed to hunt there... yes. Did he put in any leg work to scout these areas... heck no. Just wants to be Bwana. That said if anyone needs help here in the Jemez mountains I'd be glad to help... but it will be private. --Bill

That would be nice, but I'm committed to the 7mm or my backup .243. --Bill