CampbellsCouesAdventures

Your honesty, openness and ability to reconnect with your true passion for the sport shows us all what a class act and great outdoors person you are! Congrats on a great buck and an honest story with a double sweet ending!

Dad of the year! Priceless moments and pics. Congrats.

My first Coues Deer ever (2011). Felt like it was a "trophy" because I harvested this beautiful animal while my son took his first Coues as well sitting next to me in the same ground blind. His was a 3x3. They came in together and we took them within a second of each other. I took mine with a Winchester 30-30, iron sights @ 175 yards. Thanks for letting me share...again!

Congrats. Beautiful bucks!

WOW, just WOW. Super pics, super stories, super family. Well deserved for sure!!! Congrats. Team Campbell

Great story, great bucks! Congrats!

Her are a couple pics of our first ever Mule Deer we took on the second day of firearm season 2012. They came in together to a watering hole where we had been patiently waiting together in our ground blind all morning. We dropped them both in their tracks with our Savage 300 Win Mag. We feel very blessed. Thanks for letting us share them with you.

Congrats. Great buck! Hunting with your son is a sweet memory for sure.

Last year my son and I harvested our first Coues Deer Bucks (a 3x3 and a 2x2) that came into a waterhole in north central Arizona. This year, just over 24 hours ago, we harvested our first Mule Deer Bucks (a very symmetrical 3x3 with a 22 inch spread and a 2x4 with a 17 inch spread) as they too came in together to a new waterhole in the desert. We took these deer on day two, they came in at 10:30am on what was a very cold morning. We each only needed one shot to drop them in their tracks with our Savage 300 Win Mag. These deer exceed our wildest dreams. Thanks for letting us share them with you. Remember, the real "trophies" are always the times spent with your hunting buddies in the great outdoors! Happy and safe hunting to all.

Thanks to all for your congrats and kind remarks. We still can't believe how blessed we are to have taken "double bucks" within seconds of each other, from two different ground blinds we shared together(in 2 different Units), two years in a row. Our first pair of Coues in 2011, now our first pair of Mule deer in 2012. There is nothing like sharing a deer blind with your son. We had a well thought out plan and were prepared for that magical moment. It still feels like a dream. Remember, the true "trophies" are the times you spend with your hunting buddies. Thanks again. Team Campbell Bill & Billy

Congrats on a another great buck and equally well written story to take us on your journey with you Jason. Of all the people I have met, you by far embody the essence of what it means to be a great outdoors-person and ambassador of Mother Nature. You have reverence for the animals and for the land on which they walk. You are ethical, informed, dedicated, passionate, humble and eager to share your vast knowledge with others. Your success is not by luck, but as a result of a well design and executed plan, all the time teaching your boys and those of us who are eager to learn more. Mother Nature and this world is a far better place by having a man of your integrity in it. I look forward to sharing another campfire with you and your family soon. Congrats again! Team Campbell Bill & Billy

Congrats! Great buck and story.

Congrats! Always wondered how those Muley get the "torn ears"? Fighting with another buck? Fences?

Great deer, shot and video! My son and I took our 2 Coues last year over a dried -up waterhole with about 2 cups of water in it. Nice job.

Congrats on a great buck and the play-by-play story and matching pics! Well done.

The second best day in a deer hunter's life after opening day is the day your taxidermist calls to let you know your mounts are ready. Here are some photos of our "trophies" we just picked up. Our 2 bucks were taken on the first day of Coues firearm season in 2011 after 11 hours in our ground-blind. We posted our story last year on this forum and are happy and proud to share these follow-up pics. Can't wait for the fall. Happy and safe hunting to all. Bill & Billy Campbell.

Great story and first buck. Congrats!

Great job! Congrats. Super buck!

Great bucks guys. Congrats!

Great job guys! Father & son hunts are the best. We just had one ourselves. Congrats!

Great buck and Father & Son hunt! Persistence does pay off. Congrats guys.

Our Coues Bucks story actually has it's origin in the great state of Michigan. Our family relocated from Michigan to Arizona in 2003. I was used to hunting the swamps, river bottoms and hardwood forests of northern Michigan where I harvested my first buck in 1990 when my oldest son Billy was then just 1 1/2 years old with a Winchester 30-30 with iron sights at 100 yards. It was always my dream to one day share a deer blind with him and help him harvest his first deer, so he too could have that experience of a lifetime. My son Billy(now 22) and I have spent a lot of great times learning(the hard way) how to hunt the very elusive Coues deer of Arizona since our move here in 2003. When we set out for our hunt just a few weeks ago, we were as bound and determined as ever that "this would be our year". We spent Opening Day in a ground blind overlooking what had become a "dry" waterhole for the first time since we began hunting there. Although many of our buddies in deer camp thought we were nuts, we spent 11 straight hours there, ever so confident that this was "our year". We passed on a 200+ yard shot on a buck east of our ground blind because we could not get a clear, high percentage shot. We had many hunters who were arriving in the area on Friday come by our blind, just waiting for us to leave and slip right into our spot. We were a bit tired, hungry and sore from sitting all day, but we sat patiently just sharing great Father/Son chat to pass the time. Just as we were settling in the for the "evening" portion of our hunt, I spotted two deer coming down the hill leading to the far back-end of the watering hole, about 200 yards straight away. We both could clearly see the much larger trailing deer was a 3x3 or 4x4, while we were unsure of the lead deer. As the lead deer entered back area of the waterhole we could then see that it too was a buck maybe a 2x2 or 3x3, our hearts began to race. This smaller buck walked slowly in another 25 yards and began to feed in the shadows of the afternoon sun, facing broadside to us. The larger, trailing buck took a few steps and stopped to stair directly at us as if we were feet away, not 200 yards. I could hear my son's breathing increase as he sat 3 feet to my right and I whispered to him to take some deep, slow breaths and adjust his scope on his Savage 300 WinMag to 200 yards. He quickly asked if he could take the shot, but we both knew with the deer facing us, that was not a high percentage shot. So we waited. I could see the larger buck was very alert, but as my son was focusing on the antlers in his scope, I was focusing my eyes on the deer's tail, which was still down in a relaxed position. We both watched as the larger buck took a few more steps forward, oh so slowly and cautiously. My son thought that any minute he was going to bolt for the treeline, while I was confident he would still move towards us a bit more closely and improve our odds of a clean kill. While the smaller buck continued to feed in his original spot, the larger buck finally walked up next to him for a moment, turned broadside and then without notice, quickly started to make his way towards the left side of the waterhole into the sunlight (I had previously discussed a moving deer scenario with my son and how I would "grunt" to stop any moving buck so he could get a high percentage shot). As the deer quickly walked towards the treeline, my son Billy continued to follow him in his scope waiting for my signal. Just before the buck entered the treeline to never be seen again, I grunted, he slowed and with the deer clearly in his scope, Billy pulled the trigger and made a clean, double lung shot as the buck fell immediately right at the treeline, 150 yards away. Immediately I noticed that the smaller buck had remained motionless during this time and was still standing broadside to me at about 175 yards. In that instant, I knew my dream had come true, my son had just taken his first deer and I knew I could make a clean shot with my Winchester. I leaned forward, took off the safety and confidently pulled the trigger, only to then see the other buck instantly fall where he had been feeding. In 2 seconds, we had harvested 2 Coues bucks, my son's first deer and my my second buck of my life. We both simply looked in awe at each other and what we just accomplished together as Father and Son. With a hug, a handshake and a pat on the back we simply were overjoyed at the blessing of the moment and what Mother Nature had just provided for us. The pride, joy and gratitude that "our day" had come will live with us forever and every time we rise to spent a day in the great outdoors and a campfire with each other and our great hunting buddies(you know who you are!). Maybe these two bucks are not "trophies" as some would define the term, but surely a "trophy" moment realized after all the hard work and persistence had finally paid off. And yes, they both are being shouldered mounted to forever remind us that dreams do come true. Congrats Billy, so proud of you son! Love, Dad

Great bucks and buddies, they go well together. Congrats on your first Coues!

My son and I want to say thanks to all for your congratulations and kind words. We couldn't be happier and more thankful for that day. So good to be in a forum with other hunters who truly understand the joy, challenge, dedication and commitment that is part of any Coues deer hunt.

Here are a couple photos of a few quail my son and I took on a morning hunt on opening weekend of the 2011 quail season.