cohntr6

Its kind of bitter sweet isnt it? Your going to have to wait a long time to hunt deer again. Congrats! Thanks for sharing. jeff

Its crazy how things can all of a sudden come together and to your advantage after years!! I can relate. Congrats and thanks for sharing! Have you scored him? Jeff

Very nice any scores on the two bucks? or did I miss it? Thanks for sharing. Jeff

Are you rested yet?! LOL! Great buck and congratulations.

an even 125!! Congrats! Jeff

Looks like a heck of a year for you all! Jeff

Looks like a great buck, thanks for sharing. Jeff

Are you sure he only scores 105?! Looks bigger. I have noticed a lot of people posting unit numbers, dont let others persuade you not too! Great story and way to hold out! Jeff

Living in AZ for just over two years has taken a lot getting use to. Last year I drew a whitetail tag for around my house in Safford for the 1st hunt in late October. I was schooled as I had little knowledge and no experience in hunting these little deer. A couple months later I bowhunted them for 6 weeks or so (around work and family schedules) and learned quite a bit but still didnt fill my tag. SO this year I drew the same unit with a friend for the late November hunt and prayed for the weather to be cooler! I also drew a cow elk tag for unit 23 in New Mexico that started a day after and ended a day before the whitetail hunt. My plan was to hunt the opener in AZ then head to NM and hunt the opener and stay till I filled my elk tag. ( I hoped that would only take a day!) I knew where we would be opening morning for deer and sure enough the bucks I had scouted were there to but my friend rushed a shot and spooked the deer as the fog rolled in giving me no shot at the biggest deer. Oh well off to NM....after almost 4 days of not seeing a tan hide I figured my odds were better at finding a whitey so I headed back to AZ with only 2 days left in the hunt. I put myself back in the same draw as opening morning and after looking over lots of does and over an hour of glassing I found the same 3 bucks higher on the ridgeline. It was weird, i could barely stop shaking as I lined up the crosshairs on the buck at only 188 yards (I know that is not the range most of YOU are use to! LOL!) but the .257 weatherby and 100 grain barnes triple shock folded the buck in such a force I was amazed! Finally my first coues whitetail! I thought I had decapitated him but the bullet's energy spun him and put his head and neck between his front legs! As he lay. I rough scored him at 77" gross

I keep getting a vibe I should get a lion tag. Congrats, that will be a hard day to repeat!

Tjhunt2 Is your license plate the same as your handle? If so I saw you on HW 60 around Mesa friday afternoon. I kind of waved as I passed. jeff

Very nice, there is some smokin' deer there! What units are they coming from?

Congrats!! Great buck have you scored him yet? jeff

Awesome and easy!! lol

Bump for Dave

I hear you about the mulies. I am from Colorado and these little whitetail have taken some getting use to. Either way it is hunting to me and I love getting out rifle or bow, whitetail or mule deer. BTW that is a smoker buck!! Thanks for sharing. Jeff

I got the .257 vanguard sub moa and I love it! Yes the factory ammo is a bit steep but what ammo these days isnt? I do plan on doing some reloading soon as I have plenty of brass and all the stuff I need. I have shot some sub moa groups at 100 yards but so much of that benchrest shooting is so dependant on me doing my part as the rifle does its part fine. I did shoot a coyote last week at 482 yards so I suppose I dont suck that bad. Anyway I would give the gun and caliber a thumbs up. Jeff

Nice! I got my first one too. Takes a load off doesnt it?!

Sorry it took so long, here is a couple more:

Dude, just get some glasses or contacts! Your not getting any younger!

Dude, Hello! You didnt say you got on this website much. I'll talk to Monica.

I'll be up in 27 or 1 on monday or tuesady! Cant wait

Hello all crazy desert dwelling whitetail fanatics!! My 1st post: I am from Colorado and have lived in Safford/Thatcher (SE AZ) for the last 18 months, it has been an adjustment but getting out to hunt helps. Well last fall I drew a whitetail tag in unit 31 for the late october hunt and scouted a decent spot that was consistant. I blew it opening morning by spooking 2 nice bucks and spent the next 4 days of hunting and cussing the hot AZ weather. I only saw a few more deer over the remainder of the season and went home empty handed. Oh well that is hunting and there is always next year! Wait you all have a bow season that is split up and the 'late' bow season just might be worth it. So I bought a tag (s) and a friend let me in on his honey hole and I hunted the same spot from a few days before Christmas to the end of the season (Jan. 31, 2008). I figure I put in close to 25 days (outings-either a morning or evening hunt or both as I live in Safford and the spot is less than 30 minutes away) and I SAW DEER EVERY TIME I WENT OUT! Granted it may have been only a few does a few times but since bucks were rutty from my 1st outing to about Jan. 20-23 I saw groups of deer most of the time. This place was consistant to say the least!!! During the bowhunt I glassed more than I have ever glassed before and started to pick out the tiny deer better in the mesquite, prickly pear, long grass, catclaw, ocotillo, and occasional juniper (lol- to name a few of the pokey plants around here!). Occasionally I would make a stalk when I thought it would work (it didnt) but most of the time I would GLASS. One day I had a buck following a doe below me (only 50-60 yards!) and watched them until they bedded, made a stalk, spooked them and missed THE shot (the buck briefly stopped giving me a shot). I am always looking for sheds and have not found a single antler during my hunts which perplexes me. At the end of the archery hunt I had a tough time finding bucks and was puzzled as to where they went. So here are my questions for the experts here ( I consider you all experts because I am new to coues and have one season under my belt): -----I assume coues (as well as the mulies) are shedding as we speak, in this part of the state, right? ----- If not, when? -----Do the bucks go solo or bachelor group back up after the rut? -----are the bucks in the roughest/thickest part of their little homerange or do they move? ------if they move, how far do they go from where they would have been chasing does a few months prior? -----how much shedding pressure is there in the Safford/MT Graham area ( I imagine only a few will be able to answer that question)? -----thanks!!! I havent given up on hunting whitetail in case ant of you are wondering!

Thanks all Yep I work in Morenci though, it would be nice to work at the Safford mine.

Thanks for the picture hunt coues. Let me put a newbie field judging guess on that buck....100-105?