Coach

Someone got a great deal on an outstanding rifle.

All good points. Old fart is a term of endearment for me so didn't mean to offend. No offense taken. Best wishes to you and those around you.

300 WSM rules. Fantastic round. I'd check with Carter34 on that Tikka. I have a friend with a Tikka T3 in 300 WSM and it's a shooter and then some.

Super fugly and super awesome all at once. Congrats on a rare and unique trophy.

Old farts - guess that's me. Bitter? No. Realistic? Yes. Again, if you can do it confidently and consistently, then by all means take the shot. I know my limits and stick to them. I've seen guys buy these long range guns and not shoot MOA at 100 yards, off a bench. And I know there are plenty of guys on this forum who can shoot better at 800 - 1000 than I can at 400 - 500. But not everyone who buys a 1000 yard gun for whatever price can shoot that gun to it's potential - especially in field conditions. And to Matty's point - I've seen enough guys who can consistently shoot 8 inch groups at 80 yards with a bow in practice, either miss a bull entirely inside 50 yards or worse, a really bad hit, to discern between what we are capable of in practice vs. in the field. One guy I know was prepping for an upcoming archery elk hunt. Once he got confident shooting at known ranges in his yard, he started running around his house several times, then doing a bunch of push-ups and picking up his bow to see what he could really do with his heart and lungs racing and adrenaline flowing. I think we could all benefit by practicing this way.

Think you are right - that's even better! 2 turkey (or archery Javelina), 2 youth javi's and OTC youth turkey tags. Makes for a busySpring.

^^^ True. And when you start seeing a lot of vehicles in an out-of-the-way spot, you know someone saw something big there.

We had 2 for $25 and one for $30 - think that makes 2 pig hunts and one turkey???

Can't wait to hear how it goes! Should be a great year for horn growth. Best of luck!

Beautiful rifle there. Bump.

Guess my scopes don't have parallax adjustment, lol. Maybe I haven't caught up with technology and 600+ yards with the latest scopes and rifles really is a "chip shot". I do appreciate the constructive feedback.

How awesome is that? What an amazing hunt and story. So happy for you two to have that experience. Thanks for sharing and huge congrats.

Great buck! Nice job making a clean shot and finding him.

Might be my last post on this, but have you ever lined your gun up on a bench as solid as you can and just move your head around to see how the sight picture changes? As you move around without touching the gun the crosshairs move with you while the gun is still pointed at the exact same spot. My point is, if you don't have the ability to line up exactly the same each time - cheek weld, head and neck position, you aren't even aiming at the same spot consistently. People spend years just learning this - off a bench. To go in the field and and replicate that one thing - having your eye aligned exactly as you had practiced is a tough skill to master.

It is really great to hear from so many people on here that have realistic expectations and really know what their limits are - great job putting ethics ahead of ego. For those of you who acquire the ability to take long shots and understand all the variables that go into it, kudos. To those who choose not to take a shot your aren't confident in and get closer - also kudos. To the ones who want to go "fling lead" or "fling arrows" without proper preparation or respect for our animals, please take up golf.

+1 on the borax. I usually put it in the water I'm boiling the skull in and it really helps dissolve/soften tissue. Then a brush or pressure washer removes it from those hard to reach places pretty easily.

Yeah this has been a disturbing trend for sure. MOA at a thousand yards is a ten inch group and there are not a lot of people who can consistently shoot MOA in field conditions. Honestly, I haven't seen many people who can consistently shoot sub-MOA off of a bench with no wind. My guess is most of these people bought an expensive gun and a box or two of factory ammo, sighted it in at 100-200 yards and printed out some ballistic chart. Most of them probably would miss by feet on a realistic, in the field shot over 700 yards. I'll be the first to admit - I reload and shoot a lot and I wouldn't shoot over 500 yards with any of my rifles. That's just my personal limit based on what I feel comfortable and confident with. There are some very skilled shooters out there who put in the time and practice to be able to confidently make 700- 1000 yards shots, but IMO they are few and far between.

Great deal for someone.

That is a beautiful buck - congrats to you and your wife! I hope the full story is coming!

Great story and hunt! Those are some absolute stud bucks. Just to see one like that is tough - going 3 for 3 on bucks of that caliber is absolutely amazing. Great job!

Wowzer - two amazing bucks. Especially for the early hunt. Those guys don't move around much this time of year. You two definitely know how to hunt the big boys. Great job and huge congrats to you both on some awesome bucks.

Great buck. Congrats!

Great thread - and lots of great responses so far. I too love to hunt a wide variety of animals. When I'm hunting elk, that's all I can think about. Same with antelope, and mule deer, even javi's and turkey. There's just something special about coues deer that keeps us addicted. The beauty of the habitat they live in, their elusive nature - as others have said how they tend to appear from nowhere and disappear just as quickly. I think if I had to choose one thing that makes hunting coues different is how it really makes you challenge yourself to slow down, really think like a deer. You get up super early, hike harder, glass longer and push yourself. You find yourself in places few people are willing to go, see things most people will never see and experience a challenge that only coues hunters love for its sheer difficulty. You can go days on end, working hard, glassing hard and still go home empty handed. But when it all comes together, you know it took hard work, skill and usually a little luck to find a buck you know has outsmarted a lot of hunters, lions and odds to become a mature buck.

Great hunt and great write-up! That bear is HUGE!

Very cool video! Awesome job.