5yearcoueshunter

Congrats! Definitely a great trophy. Have my first tag as well this year. Went out for 4 days the first week and never saw a sheep! That's what I get though for not doing any scouting I guess. lol A tough hunt but cool country and did see a few sheep on the ground. Can't wait to hopefully get one one of these days. Congrats again! Travis

Had the chance to do a little waterfowl hunting in the Rio Grande Valley with my Dad and uncle. Nothing fancy, no dogs or decoys, just some pass shooting. A couple of honkers for my Dad and Uncle. My Dad also had a Crane tag. He doubled on these. Got my first Blue Goose! Dad got a snow and I got a mallard drake. Thanks, Travis

Tommy, I would definately give it a try. It's a lot of fun. Pass shooting waterfowl is probably the hardest wing shooting around because the distances involved, but it's sure a good feeling when you connect. We had a chance to go out one more time this past Friday. With the weather being so cloudy and rainy, we couldn't resist as usually those are the best waterfowl days. I was hoping to get a Canada goose, but didn't see any this time. The duck action was really good and light goose wasn't bad either. We got a few birds and then decided to stop because we didn't want to clean anymore. ha ha 2 mallards, 1 pintail and 2 Ross geese My Dad got a Pintail drake. We hadn't shot one of those for quite a few years. He also was wearing some jewelry. This was the first banded bird we've ever bagged. Pretty cool. Thanks, Travis

Tommy, They have their own kind of taste. They don't taste bad in my opinion, they just taste like waterfowl. Nothing like quail or anthing. Dark meat. There not my favorite, but I usually enjoy a goose, crane or duck dinner once and a while. They all taste similiar. Crane being the lightest meat of the three and goose the darkest. We pluck our birds and roost or smoke them. In my opinion it's important to keep the skin on when cooking. Plucking is a pain in the rear, but worth it I think. That's why I don't shoot too much waterfowl in a year. lol Travis

Absolutely awesome Tommy! I need to go! ha-ha Congrats, Travis

Hey everyone, My Dad and I just got back from the Gila on a muzzleloader hunt and we both had success. This was without a doubt the best hunt we've been on together, especially since we didn't even think we were going to be able to hunt deer this year when we didn't draw a tag in June. Thanks to a few leftover tags in a unit we were somewhat familiar with, we were able to go deer hunting and have a very memorable experience. After missing a small fork horned Coues on Day 2, (which is very typical for me lol) I was able to find this beautiful Muley on day 3 up in a rough canyon which I thought had all Coues deer. I was in total shock when he stepped out of the canyon bottom. I had no hesitation on this buck and was able to put him down at 212 yards. He is the biggest Muley I've ever shot and man he was difficult to get out. We guessed him to field dress between 180 - 200lbs. We ended up having to pack him out in quarters as the canyon was just too steep to carry him out whole. I shot him at 10:30 on Day 3 and we didn't get all the meat out till noon on Day 4. I can't thank my Dad enough for all he did in helping me get this buck out. On the last day of the hunt, even though my Dad was tired and had sore muscles, he was determined to hunt all day long. Well that decision definately paid off for him as he took his first Coues deer! He just turned 60 this year and he couldn't have asked for a better trophy. I couldn't believe it when he called me on the radio and told me. And not only was it his first Coues deer, but it was a very good buck that I think just about anybody would put their tag on. I was so excited and happy for my Dad. If it wasn't for him I would never started hunting and definately would never have wanted to hunt Coues. I remember the day when he went hunting for them for the first time and came back home and described how neat and special these deer were. After that I had to go hunt them and have been hooked ever since. I owe just about everything to him and I was just as happy or more happy as when I got my first Coues a couple years back. We scored him right at 100, but my Dad is going to have someone officially score it as I don't have much experience scoring. Like I said, this was the best hunt we've been on together. My Dad and I are still somewhat in shock as we really didn't expect to get anything on this leftover muzzleloader tag. I think it just goes to show that anything can happen when hunting and every tag you can get is a good tag. Thanks Travis

Thanks everyone for your replys! Sam, I'm shooting a 50 caliber rifle with a 175 grain 40 caliber Red Hot Sabbot at about 2400 fps with 150 grains of powder. I'm only 1 inch high at 50 which puts me about 2 inches low at 200. Shooting an Omega with 2.5 X 8 power scope. So, not very primitive! ha-ha Hunting has never come that easy to me so I try to be equipped as best I can. I have total respect for guys who can get it done with primitive muzzleloaders and bows of any kind. I did shoot my first buck with an old hammer Thomspon with peep sites. That was fun and I have been thinking about doing that again sometime on one of the primitive hunts they have here in NM. Thanks again, Travis

Doesn't get much better than that! Congrats Marcy! Awesome pictures too. Travis

Great job Gabe! That's a beautiful first Coues and it looks like you definately earned it! lol Congrats again! Travis

Congrats on a georgeous buck! Seeing that lion is pretty cool! I have yet to see a one. Travis

Wow! Awesome job youngster! I wish I could have taken something that big when I was young. lol Congrats again! Travis

Congrats! Awesome buck! Travis

Congrats Tommy and the rest of your crew on an awesome hunt! I got to see that big boy in person and the pics don't do him justice. You guys know how to get it done! Travis

Holly Molly! He is Giant! Congrats Scott on a once and a lifetime trophy! Travis

That's what it's all about right there! Awesome buck and wonderful pictures too! Congrats to the young fellow there. Travis

Wow! Beautiful buck! Congrats! Travis

Cool buck! Congrats! Travis

Awesome job Jim! Congrats to you and the hunter. Amazing bull! I always luv reading your posts, so please keep them coming. Thanks Travis

Picked up a couple of Muzzloader tags for my Dad and I. I'm glad I'm going to be able to hunt something this fall. ha-ha There are still plenty left guys! Travis

Hey Jeff, Yeah I've hunted sandhill cranes here in the Rio Grande valley several times. It's a very fun hunt. I usually just find a big group that's roosted on the river at night and then postition myself for some pass shooting in the morning. It's a lot of fun. They are pretty good eating as well. I take the time to pluck them and then smoke them. Where are you thinking about applying? Travis

Awesome story Amanda! Congrats to you and the other ladies on their NM birds! Spring turkey hunting is so much fun! Travis

Went to a new area completly blind. Didn't roost anything Friday night. Slept in Saturday morning cuz tired from work week. Went to a trail I saw on the map at noon. Walked a short distance up the trail with my good buddy Jim, made my first call of the day, gobbler answered about 150 yards away. After around 4 calls, 7 or 8 gobbles and 20 minutes, single gobbler comes in at full strut. Plan was for Jim to take him, but he couldn't get a shot so I took him at 20 yards. One inch spurs, 11 1/2 inch beard. Couldn't ask for much better! Thanks Jim for sharing the experience with me! Sometimes it pays to go somewhere new and don't have a clue what to expect! Thanks guys Travis

Awesome job! Congrats! Thought about going to Jemez this last weekend, but decided to go south. Thought the snow storm might have kept the gobblers quiet. Guess not! lol Congrats again! Travis

Hey guys, I have always had the rule of thought that you should get the animal field dressed as soon as possible. If the temperature is cold, leaving the hide on a deer, antelope or Javelina is ok. Becauase Elk hide is so thick, I've heard you need to skin them no matter what the temperature is. I believe Jack OConner wrote that about elk. This is the rule I've always followed and have never had any bad meat. I'm not a bowhunter, so I have no experience with having an animal dead more than an hour before field dressing. I also figured if you shot an animal at dark and didn't recover it till the next morning that if for sure would be spoiled. I have no experience with this so I'm interested from hearing everybody's thoughts or experiences with this scenerio. I sincerely hope your deer will be edible. Like you said, if it doesn't smell bad or if the meat isn't dis-colored, it will probably be ok. Thanks Travis

Who did your mount? That thing is awesome!!! Horns too of course. I see the award, how big is it? Thanks Josh! A friend of mine actually did this buck for me. He only does it part time but he's really good. He takes his time and pays a lot of attention to detail. It took him about a year to do, but it was definatly worth the wait. I was a little nervous at first because this was only the 2nd Coues he's ever done! The buck nets 100 1/8. He barely made the B&C awards book. I know a lot people kill a lot bigger bucks on this site and don't put in the record book, but it was just such a special buck to me because it was my first Coues after hunting them for 8 years here in NM. I'll cherish it forever! Thanks Travis