highsierra

I have a great appreciation for the speedgoat. Have loved hunting them off and on over the last 20 years. Have taken most of my bucks in WY but was fortunate enough to draw in Nevada two years ago. That hunt produced my best...an 80 1/8" buck. Still waiting to draw a tag here in my home state of CA as well as in AZ. Maybe someday.... -HS

Outstanding Video! What a shot...what a buck!

Fantastic Buck....Loved your write up too. Sounds like you still have a couple of good bucks in your spot to go after next year. Congrats!!!

It's been great following your posts...thanks for taking the time to report on your hunts. Good luck in August, and catch some fish in the mean time!

Nice bucks Steven! Looks like the ranch is producing some good ones for ya! Congrats to you and your hunters. -dave

Heckuva buck for your client Steven! Keep up the good work. -dave

Sorry...SOLD

Congrats to both of you on a job well done...making a memory that will last a lifetime!

Nice Job Steven! Is that the same bear we saw? He's got a HUGE noggin! -dave

Last year was my first time hunting Coues in southern Arizona. My friend and I spent 5 days in 36B on a late Dec guided hunt and left unsuccessful. Although we saw bucks, none were "mature" (spikes/ little forks) and we decided to pass. This year was different. We had no problem obtaining Oct. tags for Unit 32 and made our way down to AZ again in search of those little gray ghosts of the desert mountains. Through Ward's Outfitters (Steven Ward) We managed to gain access to several sections of landlocked forest service land via a private ranch with extremely limited access....sorry, I cant give any more details on location...sworn to secrecy. Opening morning we immediately began glassing up lots of deer. Does, little bucks, and an occasional shooter on a distant mountain. Later in the morning when the shadows started to retreat, the deer began to move and we glassed up a bachelor group that contained two shooters. We made our stalk and positioned ourselves 369 yds from the bedded bucks. After a long wait, the shadows moved with the sun and the bucks began one by one to get up and reposition in their bedding area. When, finally, one of the shooter bucks stood up, my friend Kenny ( who had won the right to shoot first in a "pick a number between 1 and 20" game ) squeezed one off...miss! All heck broke loose then. Bucks began running everywhere. Kenny regained his composure and squeezed another shot off at what he thought was the largest buck. Unfortunately, Kenny had tunnel vision and failed to notice that the buck shot at had switched positions with the larger buck. At the report of the 300RUM the smallest buck in the group, a 2 x 1 folded up....oops! Nevertheless, Kenny had his first coues and a helluva story to tell. I was up next. My turn wouldnt come til 2 days later. We had lots of packing to do to get Kenny's deer out and taken care of as well as some other business to attend to. Steven's other clients had taken some bucks and we decided to help them with their recovery. Sunday AM we hit the mountains again and began my search. The morning produced ~ 15 does/fawns and 2 bachelor groups of bucks with no shooters. Again, like opening day, when it started to warm up and the shadows retreated to the gullies around 10:00 AM, the bucks began to move. I managed to glass up a small 2x2 at about 700 yds. We watched him intently because all the other small bucks we had seen were not alone. This proved to be the case here as well. After about 5 minutes of glassing Steven spotted a large mature buck that suddenly appeared about 30 yards to the little buck's left....and he was a good one! We glassed him for 15-20 minutes before he bedded in a spot where he was clearly visible from our position. Next came the stalk. I was not capable of making a 700 yd shot on him so we needed to get closer, alot closer. Slowly we made our way along a ridge, keping aclose eye on our bedded target. Eventually we found a shaded spot under a cedar that we felt would be a good spot to set up. Steven and I had a lengthy discussion on the ballistics involved with the shot. I had data for my rifle and load for 300, 400, 500...etc. yards but not for any intermediates. The buck was bedded at ~350 yards from us and the shot would be uphill at an fairly steep angle. We finally reached a conclusion of where to "dial up" my turret, settling on 9 clicks up from my 200 yard zero. It wasnt long before the buck rose to his feet to reposition himself as the shadows shifted. Immediately upon rising I locked in on him with my custom Rem 700 in .308, cranked up the magnification of my Leupold Mark IV up to 25X, and placed the crosshairs just to the right of his elbow. Slowly I squeezed the trigger until....BOOM! The next thing I heard was "You smoked him!" from Steven. The deer ran about thirty yards across the hillside before piling up. Now the only thing to do was make the recovery. Thirty minutes passed as we watched what appeared to be his crumpled body lay against a couple of mesquites above a prominant rock pile. When we were sure he was dead and not going to move I began the steep climb up to him. It didnt take long with direction from my spotter below to locate him. No ground shrinkage here...I had my first Coues and he was a dandy! After the photo session and an hour of caping and quartering the hike out commensed. The adventure wasnt over as we jumped several other deer and found both shed and a bear skull as we made our way back to the truck. Once at the truck the tape measure came out. We rough scored the buck at 97 7/8 BC gross. I gotta say I'm hooked now. No doubt I'll be stumbling along those cactus infested, rocky hillsides again next year. It's hard to say whether or not I'll ever be privilidged enough to take another coues like this one but that doesnt matter. The adventure I had with one of my best friends on this trip is what I hope to revist again in the future. **If you are looking for an adventure like this, dont hessitate to call Steven Ward of Ward's Outfitters....he's AWESOME!

Steven, I posted the story of my buck in the "Rifle Hunting for Coues" section of the forum. You are an awesome guide and it was a privilidge hunting with you. Thanks for the memories. -HS (AKA Dave)

Just got in from a range sesion this AM. Its been raining/snowing and BLOWING here in the Sierra Nevada for what seems like the last week. Finally, this AM I awoke to broken skies and NO WIND. I am preparing for my Dec. Coues hunt that will take place next week in in AZ 36b . Here's the set up: Remington 700 Varmint Special in .308 Scope: Leupold MArk IV 8.5 x 25 Stock: Custom MPI Thumbhole Silhouette Ammo: Gunwerks Extended Range 168 gr VLD Berger I still plan to get out again before the hunt (weather permitting, its blowing and raining again now) to shoot the rifle at 300, 400, & 500 yds. I dont want to just rely on balistic tables...want the real-time data if possible. Here's some photos of the set up...target at 200yds in uper left of screen Close up of rifle: and the results... I was pleasantly suprised to see how well this gun shot the Gunwerks ammunition. Comercially availalbe ammo sure has come a long ways! No excuses now, the rest is on me! I have no experience using this ammunition on game animals and am curious if any of you do. Any comments on how much meat damage to expect from this hollow point configuration would be helpful in making my final decision on whether to go with this load or my old standby handload using the Hornady 165 BTSP bullet. Highsierra

Wow. Simply gorgeous! Congrats to your Dad.

Love it!!!!

Hey "Coues" people! I normally find myself posting on other forums (I'm a die-hard Blacktail and Muley hunter) but this year my friend and I finally drew December Coues tags for 36B so I have been lurking here lately. We are well aware of the issues involving the "undocumented" folk that utilize that area and are taking the necessary precautions that so many of you have posted about here on this site. In fact, due to the nature of this kind of hunt and our inability to adequately scout the area due to the distance we live from the zone, and our lack of experience with hunting in such a volitile area, we broke down and hired an outfitter. Hopefully this will not only increase our odds of success but will also keep us safe. This will actually be the first "guided" hunt either of us have ever been on. We pride ourselves in being ethical, experienced, D.I.Y. hunters but felt that in this case it might be time to bite the bullet and seek out the services of an expert. I know it made the wives happy knowing that we werent going into this hunt totaly blind. We will be leaving for our hunt the day after X-mas and hunting the entire last week of the season. Before we pull out I have a few qustions for the "experts" out there on this forum: 1. Realistically, if we have the proper equiptment (high quality optics, trained eyes, etc) how many branched-antler bucks on average should we see a day if our guide has done his homework? 2. What caliber of bucks are people typically taking in this unit on this hunt in recent years? Is there any stats available on this...such as BC scores? (any pics you could share?) 3. On day 3 of a 5 day hunt would you shoot a 100 inch 3x3 or hold still hold out? 4. Does anyone have any other pertinent, up to date (recent) info on any specifics of the area that are not already published by the AZFG or heavily discussed on this or the other major Coues forums? Thanks in advance for any info you feel comfortable sharing! HIGHSIERRA

Sorry you feel that way. I just dont want to open a door for any undue bad-mouthing, criticisms. Unfortunately, some people in this world like to jump at the chance to tear others down. I'd like to keep it positive, ya know. If you are really that interested PM me and I'd be happy to discuss our choice of outfitters and the reasoning behind it in private. Highsierra

Would rather not say at this point. No sense in it anyways, the decision was made already and the hunt is finalized. I will, however, give him due credit when our hunt is over and I post on our results...fair enough?

Thanks guys for the opinions / advice. I am very confident we chose the right outfitter. He came highly reccommended from several industry experts. All the same questions (plus more) were posed to him as well as a long list of individuals that had used his services in the past. Still, it's always nice to hear from other D.I.Y. hunters such as yourselves before heading out on an adventure like this. I've personally loged many years chasing big game most all the western states except AZ. I'm no stranger to chasing muley's at over 10,000 ft., or spotting blacktails in the oak woodland at long rang ...but this Coues hunting in the desert mountains of southern AZ where you gotta not only dodge cactus but also keep clear of the illegals seems so foreign. Maybe that's the appeal to me...something different you know. Definitely a new challenge, possibly even a new addiction! If you couldnt tell already, I'm really starting to get excited for this hunt. Having one more big game hunt this year is certainly a bonus...and getting out of the cold, windy, rainy, snowy weather we're having here at home will be a nice change too. Wish the weather that we are having here would clear out and give me a chance to hit the rifle range again though. I am very confident with the rifle I'm bringing (Rem. 700 Varmint Special .308 topped with Leupold Mark IV 8.5 x 25)at long range, but I still would like to get a little more trigger time in right before the hunt. Cant practice enough you know! Keep the comments an info coming...I am an information junkie. Highsierra