Tines

I'm not as active as I used to be on CWT. But I still linger and have always had a tremendous amount of respect for what Amanda built from the beginning. So if I can contribute to her and the rest of you Coues deer fanatics I will! I finally caught up with this buck after he eluded me last year. He's an old buck (and I'm not very smart) so I honestly couldn't be happier. It's always special when you can follow an animal this long. And for those who've done it, it can be very bitter/sweet also. I especially feel that way as I feel like I linger closer to my Coues deer hunting days being numbered. Enjoy.

A little bit of the history I have with him. I originally glassed this buck up in 2013. I've managed to keep tabs on him since then, believe it or not. In 2016 he was certainly the caliber of buck I wanted to take, but my hunting partner had the same tag with a much bigger buck to hunt in a different area. So it was a no brainer for us to go after his buck opening weekend. We were lucky to kill his buck opening weekend in 2016. Due to other obligations, I couldn't get back out into the field for my own tag until that Monday. Even then, I didn't have the time to get in and hunt this particular buck so that Monday was just a day hunt in a different area. That day Mark and I found a buck I just couldn't let go. So I filled my tag that day and wasn't able to hunt this buck. In 2017 I was fully committed to taking this buck, as I was pleasantly surprised he was still alive. I scouted and hunted him hard, to no avail. Then 2018 came and as luck would have it, he was STILL there and just as special as he was the previous two years. VERY fortunate to follow a buck this long and given ALL of the odds working against me and him during those 5yrs, I got him. My summer and pre-season scouting paid off..

Thanks everyone! I honestly didn’t mean the “days being numbered” comment to sound too dramatic. 🤣🤣. I realize I’m not over the hill and these little deer keep me far too excited to give up too soon! Poorly chosen words. What I meant was I have no idea how long I can keep this lucky streak going, combined with the caliber of buck(s) I love to hunt. Glad I could share..........😉

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Makes me want to brave the heat and bugs and huntvvet sometimes. Congrats!

Right on!

Huge congrats! Thanks for sharing and love to hear the story!

You forgot to mention how a3 helped you kill that buck.... 😂😂

I don't get to play on here much anymore. 2009

best mustache to date!!

poacher

132"+ 9-pointer DOWN!!! 😜😜

Mark has a tendency to shoot really big deer. I get lucky once in a while too. I challenge you guys to make it past Marks buck to even see mine. HAHA! I know, it'll be tough. I'm pretty fortunate to have him as a friend and he's no doubt made me a better hunter. To be a part of this hunt was pretty incredible. 3 years in the making. I was lucky to tag a long and provide whatever help or advice I could from the beginning. Some grueling trips and frustrating moments for the both of us. Much more-so for Mark, of course. No doubt, the toughest deer we've both ever tried to figure out and put our tag around. It all came together and Mark made a great 529 yard shot. Mark and I have seen our fair share of big bucks but nothing with a frame like this buck. Not even close. Combine that with a giant body, naturally we misjudged him. But that's okay in the end. Congrats again my friend! Mark and I headed out after he shot his buck and we managed to turn up this guy a few days later. We watched him for about an hour until I decided to go after him. After a miserably hot mid-day glassing session and waiting for him to poke his head out again, he finally did. I shot this buck at 290yds which literally felt like I was in his lap!! Very happy with my buck and in typical Mark fashion, he hiked straight up the mountain to help me pack him out instead of just wait for me down at the bottom. My buck surprised us a little too. Long beams, long g3s and 4th point took him to 109+. Forgive the poor pics on my buck. It started raining and I had to snap a few before I got completely drenched. Thanks for making it to the end :D :D

Gavin turned 10 this year. He and I were able to sneak out for a morning this week and we found this boar all by himself. He made a well placed shot at 170yds. This is his 3rd big game animal in 6 weeks. This kid's had a pretty good year and I'm officially jealous. .

Great pack for sure

This pack has been bulletproof. Very tough and extremely comfortable. 2900ci-4900ci. An additional spike camp duffel will get you 3000 more ci. You can see some of the wear on the pack in the pictures. Nothing that actually affects it's function. Mainly cosmetic. The only thing that's not factory is the "clips" that holds the fanny pack portion onto the pack. I never liked the clips they came with and just permanently secured the fanny pack with Eberlestock accessory straps. $175 OBO

ttt. Price reduced $175

Best coues

Thanks guys. I think some of you might have the impression that I wasn't proud of my 109" buck. I fully recognize that he's a great buck and that score doesn't matter. We all have expectations going into the field and if you can meet or exceed those, then your hunt was a huge success. Mine was a huge success. It's more of an ongoing joke with some close friends.

Strong work fellas! Tremendous bucks

Did Justin hold his 40 sideways?

Atta boy Andrew!! I told you the mustache would work! Well deserved buck man.

Well, sort of. He's far more Scottish than Irish but he's a redhead to the bone. Either way, he's probably the luckiest jr hunter on the planet. Gavin turned 10 in April. This was his first big game hunt; and one all of us will never forget. I've had some epic hunts with Andy (Azlongears) and this one was no exception. Andrew (bowfishAZ) was along as well and I really appreciate everything! I'll make this as short as possible. Gavin hit this buck a little far back. His dad (me) didn't account for the wind, so I'll take responsibility for that. After a couple of more shots to try and finish the buck off, the buck went behind a juniper tree. We were just about to pack up and try to get a different vantage point when almost immediately after the buck went behind the juniper a lion jumped on him!!!! I've heard of these stories. Never thought they were untrue. But always VERY difficult to believe. It was unbelievable! Andrew said that at one point the lion grabbed the buck on his shoulder but the buck got away. It was almost as if this lion didn't know what to do with this deer. "Why isn't he running??" HAHA! Finally the buck would lower his head to defend himself and eventually they went rolling down into the draw. Now, there's a lot of advantages to having a lion hunter as a friend. If you ever glass up a lion they'll all but sell their child or leave their fiance' at the altar to meet you in the field. There's also this side of a lion hunter. If he's sitting next to you, he'll basically tie you to a tree and not let you shoot him until he can get his dogs on him first! After taking in all that we just saw, Andy's amazing wife, Jess, met us with Andy's dogs. It didn't take the dogs long at all to start blowing up the canyon. They trailed right over top of the dead buck (buried and uneaten) in pursuit of the lion. Treed!!!!! Gavin, Andrew and myself bailed off of the mountain and worked our way up the canyon to the dogs and Andy. What a sight to see. My 10yr old experienced more in his first 2hrs of hunting than most would see in 10 lifetimes. It was a lot for him to take in but I'm super proud of how he handled it all. He was way more under control than his father. Thank you again to Andy, Jess and Andrew for all of their help. My dad and 7yr old son Owen were back on the hill as well and got to experience some of it also. A hunt for the ages. Night before the hunt. Eating junk food and being boys... Watching the bucks Gavin shooting After hitting the buck Buried buck Lion and Gavin Lion and Buck Packout Little brother (Owen) helping with the packout

Just added the video link. Guess I'll watch it again... : )