Ingo

Hope we get some of your luck. Congratulations! Sitting out in 22 hoping to get lucky. Only does so far.

My wife and I have Coues tags for the Nov 6-12 season and it will be her first deer hunt. She has shot rifles many times, is proficient, and I DO have a youth model .243 M70 that she can use BUT... I have a Savage .223 1:9 twist 20" barrel that is a dam laser beam. Taking any recoil or flinch impulse out of the equation sounds attractive to me. With a bullet like the Barnes 55gr TTSX I'm thinking she's golden to 200 yards and may be good for a careful shot at 300? Otherwise, I'll probably be carrying a heavy .260Rem so she'll have no problem shooting that if we have anything further. What you guys think?

Yeah, I know. If we're looking at 400 yards we'll set up the .260. I just thought the .223 with a good bullet would be plenty for a Coues at 200. It's just such an accurate gun I know she could easily put one in the heart with it at 200 and wouldn't have to even think about recoil.

I'd always thought this way to until people had told me that they do ok with modern hunting bullets with .223. I'm probably going to set her up with my .243 and a low-fireball load. I like shooting slower powders with almost every bullet I load for .243 but usually there's a huge muzzle blast because of that. That'll give someone a flinch real quick. Probably do an 85-95gr bullet.

Thanks. Good real world experience. That deer you shot at 300 was with the 55 tsx?

I'm one, self-masochistic SOB. Yeah... For the right rifle anything's possible. I know they are durable. Put an arrow through a nice one in a bad spot a few years ago and I'm pretty sure he lived to see another season.

I'm not much of a rifle hunter but I drew a coues tag this year in unit 24a. I have a 7RemMag and a .243 Win as options to take with me. The .243 just shoots a lot better so I figured it would be fine. I've really only loaded coyote ammo for it in the past and with 70gr Nosler BTs or 87gr Hornady V-Max I have achieved sub-MOA in the .7-.8" average range at 100 yards. The rifle is a 1:10" twist Winchester M70 with a 22" barrel. The 7Mag is a 2MOA gun no matter what I load for it. I'm really kicking myself because I've had a project gun in .260Rem that has been in need of a bit of gunsmith work for the past several years but life has been in the way. It's got a 26" Shilen Select-Match barrel 1:8" twist. I was going to have it done before this hunt but it's too late at this point. The old standbys like the Sierra 85gr HPBT, the Sierra 100 grain GK and such might be where I start but I know there are a ton of newer bullets that I have no experience with. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm probably going to try either the Hornady 100gr Interlock BTSP or the Sierra GK 100gr BTSP. Looking at the numbers I think these bullets will work well inside of 500 yards. Now I just have to find some time to load and shoot. Have a new baby at home and spare time is nonexistent. I have about 20lbs of assorted powders to try with RL-17, A4350, IMR-4831, being the best fits in my war chest. Wish I had some slower burners but I'm going to try what I have first. Thanks again, everyone.

Or if you really hate your arrows, Eurasian doves.

He did shoot them. They're very similar and whatever is chosen will be a winner. They're both great bows. Can't beat a former TOTL bow with a new-bow warranty for $450. I would get the Hammer even though I like the HD cams a little more.

The Hammer was a renamed Evo 7. It's a great bow but the Evo cams are slightly harsher than the Drive-family cams. Basically, the Drive-type cams are like a single cam with matching eccentric shaped string tracks. The bottom cable track is a cam and the top cable track is round. This is supposed to give single-cam smoothness along with the increased speed, efficiency, and the level nock travel of a hybrid cam. I've heard a few people say the Source HD can tune faster than a Decree HD, is just as smooth, and feels practically the same. That said, I have seen Hammers go used for like $350 with new premium strings. At that price it's hard to beat.

I've shot the Bear Attitude, I really like the bow for the price. But i had it maxed out 32" with no other room for adjustments. It just felt like it was a little short. Nice bow otherwise.The Bear is a great beginner bow, FO SHO. The PSE Freak SP is the best long-draw bow out there PERIOD. I want one and I'm only a 30" draw. Keep your eyes peeled for a used one on archery talk. I think a PSE Vendetta XL goes 32" but I can't remember.

60 yards. A few days ago.

I have a scale tattooed on the side of my index finger that lets me get within +/- 2yds. You guys should try it...

I know the OP already got a bow but I wanted to mention Corner Archery. They have been very good to me over the years and for bow work they charge very little. I see people bring bows they just bought at Cabelas in their and they will happily set everything up for the most reasonable prices that I'm aware of. One of the big reasons I like to support Corner is their youth archery programs and JOAD. If you're ever there on a Saturday morning you can see the waves and waves of kids they train. I've never had even a hint of condescension or arrogance from the owner Rhonda and the staff shooters have all been very nice, as well.

Make your $300 go as far as it can. Be looking for high-end bows from the past five-years. Don't worry so much about the brand. I'll list some good picks for each brand. PSE - Dream Season Evo, Vendetta XL (long ATA), Vendetta DC, Drive LT (great budget bow, only $500 new), most of the non speed-bow PSE X-Force bows are excellent. Matthews - Drenalin, Z7, really any solocam Matthews will be a good hunting bow. Bowtech - Assassin, 08' Allegiance, some of the later bows had finish issues but they make a great bow don't let anyone tell you they don't. Hoyt - you might find a 2013 Charger in your price range (it's entry level but a great bow). An Alphamax 32 or 35 should be attainable. They have a ton of bows and most of them are really nice.

To the OP: Those full-blade QAD Exodus you already have are reputed as one of the best penetrating, sharpest broadheads you can buy. They should be for $40/3. Many people that used to shoot Montecs now shoot the Exodus. I'm going to use them this year instead of my SS Montecs.

If you hunt under the Mazatzals you will see some of the coolest country in Arizona. There's stuff out there few people will ever see. Just be prepared to pull some cholla needles out.

I had this hunt in 2014. It's been mentioned that the terrain is tough and the bulls are hard to get to but it's not an impossible hunt. I hunted for 8 days and I was near bulls probably 6 of those days. I didn't get a shot but I felt like it was just dumb luck because I was within bow range a couple of times. You have two options, in my opinion. Sit on one REMOTE water spot for the entire hunt, or spot and stalk. Odds are probably better if you sit, but for me, the odds of me sitting for 8-10 days on the same spot are infinitesimal. We sat a few days and spot and stalked a lot but next time I would devote all my energy to spot and stalk. I AM NOT in good physical condition (6'2", 310lbs) but I when I left I was 20lbs (no kidding) lighter and my legs were getting used to it. I grew up in Payson/Strawberry so I've hiked those hills my entire life and I knew what to expect. I've got 22N this year so I'll be hunting out of my dad's house up in Strawberry. I do want another crack at 22S someday because I think it's probably one of the most challenging hunts in AZ with a smidgeon of a chance at success for dedicated hunters. The area we hunted was some of the most breathtaking country I've ever traversed (near the base of the Mazatzals).