Desertdon

Congrats to your daughter and you. Sounds like an adventure of a lifetime to add to the memories.

Good and accurate answers nice job-way to go in helping out a "rookie" to our obsession!

Bluedevil99-I live in your area an have been hunting Ft. Huachuca and 35A since I was a boy. I have some idea on where you may want to focus your scouting efforts. We are just starting a long and fully booked season, but if you want to send me a pm. with some contact info I will try and reach you. Not trying to drum up business, but when we get qualified clients, I do guide Ft. Huachuca hunts and have several on the books for this years late hunt. I will be scouting for these hunts later-if you are hunting the post itself and would like to join us for some scouting you are more then welcome. Welcome to Arizona and the pursuit of the Gray Ghost of the Desert. God Bless and best regards, Don

Congrats on achieving a goal many bow hunters never acomplish! Chef is right your smile in the picture tells it all. Trophies are not measured in inches but in joy and self satisfaction-congrats again on a great trophy.

Food for thought: Some blinds are great morning or evening blinds, some are good at both prime times and some blinds have all day action. Why-Location!!!! Duwane and I don't set up blinds with only prime action-how can you sit the 10 hours in between without loosing discpline? The reason these spots are only hot during the prime time-you're in their dining room. Go to their "bedroom" and you will have company all day!!!!

Scooter, I never mean to be negative on any forum any maybe you just meant "fifty yards....." figuratively. From a lot of experience, unless that coues is completely un aware of you-50 yards is as good as 500 yards. Why-we had four relaxed broadside bucks-drop, spin and miss clients arrows at less then 30 yards-this week alone. At 50 yards that buck could be in the next canyon before the arrow gets there. (Yes-even the new 320+fps bows) We take elk, mulies, pigs and many other critters at 50 yards plus-but I don't advice a shot on a coues much more then 30 yards.

Great looking mount-great buck.

Although one can run into "trouble" in any unit-36B has enough premium areas that I really don't think you need to be playing in the canyons right on the border!! We hunt mulitple clients in the unit every year, we exercise caution and common sense and have never had any dangerous encounters or ripped off camps (not to say that it can't happen-just be careful and aware). Also if you must hunt the "war zone" with a mile or two of the border-do not camp there and try and get out of there after dark. If nothing else, the guys responding to the sensors and other devices will appreciate it.

36B is an excellent unit-one of my personal favorites! Two keys to success-Glassing and hunting where the deer go to after "the rodeo" starts. Those of us "lucky" enough to spend a lot of time a field can tell you there is a world of diference between what you see during your early pressure free scouting trips and what you see after the lead starts flying! This is a key in any unit-not just the 36's.

Jay-Thank you for a good write with solid info. I agree 100% the best weapon we have in our aresenal is our optic's. Going to be a while b4 I get my hands on some of those-but I can see where they are a game changer.

I see I am joining this discussion a little late. In reviewing the postings I see a wealth of great advice and experience being expressed. Bottom line is this-ground blinds work for many reasons. They reduce scent, they minimize the effect of your movement-allowing animals to come in close and relax and they provide shade and shelter making ALL DAY sits possible. In an ideal world you would be able to set your blind in advance and let the animals acclimate to it-not any more on public land! Not only do you risk loosing your blind, you risk "showing your cards" to your fellow hunters. It is a shame that some people have lost the concept of "someone" else's spot! With this in mind you can overcome a lot of the "newness" factor by tucking your blind into a "thick" spot, brushing your blind in and using the afternoon sun to your advantage. To me the most important factor is location-if your set is hot and has plenty of action-you will find the discpline it takes to make the 12 hour sits it takes to take a trophy velvet coues buck with your bow. Duwane and I were 4 for 4 last week out of blinds with the bucks coming in at 114", 102", 87" and 85" (See the Duwane Adams Early 2012 Archery camp story for details and pictures).

Thanks for the positive comments. I hope you meet my buddy Duwane someday too. He is a caring, fun man and a "legendary" outfitter. Every day spend with Duwane is a memory!

Thanks-we are proud of our clients acomplishment. In regards to your advice-you are dead on right!!!! We work very hard on these locations and it would be a shame to "show our cards" by making the mistake of revealing to much in pictures or video! We often deny our hunters request for certain back drops just for the reason you have stated. I thank you for your advice and I thank God I guide for Duwane Adams who taught me well.

Great buck and good write up-congrat's.

Thanks for posting the pictures Chef. Our client Bill had wanted to kill a coues for over 20 years (a bucket list item) and had made a few previous attempts on his own-this is his 1st day-2 hour buck! We are just having the "perfect storm" of an early season-great clients coming into contact with great bucks! Talked to Duwane this morning, our last client for the early season hunt had just killed a 102" buck. We went 4 for 5 this year with the one client who did not kill passing on 10-15 bucks, including several in the Pope and Young class. He was a true professional and wanted a Booner or nothing. The four bucks rough scored 114", 102", 87" and 86". I thank God for talented clients, the opportunity to guide for Duwane Adams and live the dream and for allowing us to harvest one of his most beautiful animal's-the coues deer. Good hunting and safe travels.

Congrat's to your daughter many long term hunters never take a coues with a bow! I LOVE seeing pictures of a family hunting together!!!!!

WOW-What a buck! You must be a very proud father-congrat's to you and your son!

Chef, Thank you for posting the pictures, you know Duwane and I are a little slow on the subject! Plus we are still in hot pursuit of one more great coues buck for our last client. Duwane rough scored Dr. Mike Wilsons buck at 114". We have his two brothers and his Father still coming into our sites-just praying it happens with the client there. I had the BIG guy come in the other morning to 18 yards-Dr. Mike was in the other blind! It worked out ok for him though. We also got 20 minutes of prime morning light video of a HUGE lion tom on his fresh kill. As I filmed this cat from 150 yards away, you can sure bet I was missing my rifle. I have seen several lions in my life-all adding up to about thirty seconds, never have I had twenty minutes of broadside, daylight opportunity! As you know, while guiding we can not carry long guns (I figured it was a long shot for my .357), so I settled for filming-just shot him in a different way. I also managed a very short video shot of the stud Coues! In regards to this toad, let just say this, when this guy came in to my blind the other morning, I looked up and saw what I knew was a very mature deer and yet he only had 8-9" spikes. I looked at him for twenty seconds, then he turned his head-the tree had been perfectly blocking his rack-he was not a spike, what I was seeing was his eye guards! Duwane estimates him to be in the 120's. We are saying extra prayers he comes back soon! This hunt finishes today-we will rest the area several days and then start two more clients after these studs this week end. I will keep you posted on the progress. Thanks again-I sure hope I'll be seeing you in Kiabab, I enjoy your company. Best regards, safe travels and good hunting, Don

My prayers go out for the family!! May God give us a "miracle" and return her safely. I pray for all the law enforcement and volunters involved in the search!

Great buck-144 even is my guess.

Congrat's on a nice ram! Sounds loke a great adventure-you've had your share of cold hunts this year!!!

Chef, Great write up and pictures. Sounds like a super hunt-congrats on a great buck. Between this beauty and your great Kiabab buck, you've had a great season.

Great looking bucks! Good job to both of you.

Great deer Chef! You and Allen both took good ones, I sure enjoyed the hunt and our off road adventure!

Will have to say 140.