COOSEFAN

Awesome pics guys and congrats to all on the success! This is a great thread and it really made me sit back and reflect and even though I didn't get to hunt Coues as much as I wanted to, I still had a great year! We took some giant bulls and spent a ton of time in the woods with friends and family! In thinking back, I think my most cherished memory from 2008 was seeing that Jaguar down in mexico with my buddies Craig and Steve, that's just something you never forget! Instead of posting a link to my photobucket account which would be easier and cover it all, I'll just post up my most favoritest pics of 2008..... Quite possibly my favoritest of all favorite 2008 pics were these TCam pics which pulled my spirits out of the gutter just prior to my opening day in Kaibab.....ultimately the #1 factor in my success!

Thanks for the great reply's, even the funny ones..GINO Pig huntin' is always a blast and I made up for this very short hunt by lettin' the air out of another piggie in Mexico last week with my .300 Winnie!!! I've killed 13 pigs with a bow, 1 with a pistol and now my 15th was finally with a rifle....always wanted to try it, but never wanted to apply for the rifle hunts here, they are too fun with a bow! Thanks again, JIM>

Well I don't have much of a story but it was a fun hunt as usual! I missed the spring draw so I picked up a leftover pig tag about 2 weeks ago and we headed south last Thursday to chase some critters around. Arriving late we just set up camp and drove around to get a feel for the hunting pressure and landscape. On Friday we pulled out the bows and headed for the glassin' hill and got the tripods set up just before light. After about 1/2 hour of glassing an incredible amount of deer (no shooters) I moved the 15's down to pick apart the country directly below me and right there about 100 yards away a fat ol' piggie filled my veiw! I turned to my bro and said "game on"! I grabbed my new DXT and dropped off the bluff just in time to see the pigs get boogered by some cows. The pigs were sidehillin' away so I adjusted my stalk and headed them off. The stalk worked and soon I had one of the big pigs broadside at 35 yards, I drew back and followed my normal routine of countin' the pins down and pickin' the spot but my trigger finger was anxious and jumped the gun (thats my excuse) before I was ready and the shot went over his back! Now the pigs are runnin' in every direction so I "woofed" and called another of the bigger pigs back. This pig came in hard all bristled up and stopped at 20 yards just in time for my arrow to slam through the heart and one lung. The pig ran for about 30 yards and piled up in mere seconds while the whole time my bro and friends watched from above! Although it was a short hunt for a pig, we still had a great time glassin' up Coues and Muleys. We called in several groups of deer and passed up some smaller Muley bucks, also called in 3 coyotes and 1 bobcat today but the coyotes were too fast for my bow and the bob felt 20 yards was too close for comfort and turned and burned before I came to full draw! All in all it was a successful trip and now the new bow is broke in...... so now i can get serious about stickin' a Coues Can't beat spendin' time with family and friends out in the woods chasin' critters around with bows, last weekend was a blast! We also had the priviledge of meeting up with some familiar faces down there as well! It was great to meet WoodsAZ and Basser15, super nice guys and a pleasure to share a camp with! Thanks, JIM>

Congrats Davey! I shot a coues buck that had "over-grown" hooves but he lived in the high elevation pine tree country so it didn't make sense to me and figured it had to be a diet related thing? Great job, those pigs can be a needle in the haystack in salt cedars! JIM>

Wow! Thats a crazy and rare experience right there! Gorgeous lion, thanks for the video and pics! JIM>

That's a huge accomplishment right there, congrats big time to ya! JIM>

Dang, I might be blushing right now.......you guys are all too kind, thank you very much! My birthday was good, we didn't kill any monsters in Mexico but had a fun trip and returned safe so it was a success. Thanks again for all the kind reply's! JIM>

I too hope you had a great birthday Doug and thanks for all you do! JIM>

That is a giant buck! Huge congrats to your dad! I was truthfully going to agree with Gino on the score, that thing is a PIG! JIM>

Way to go Tyler! I love gettin' in close and just watching them, that's when you get to decide which one your tag will look best on! Congrats! JIM>

Very cool! Congrats on a great trophy with a bow! JIM>

What a stud buck and what an accomplishment Jason! I knew any guy workin' trailcams out in 110 degree heat when the deer only had fuzzy nubs on their head had to be a serious and dedicated desert hunter.......you keep provin' that you are indeed that! I'm jealous and you definitely deserve that buck, congrats! JIM>

Way to go Larry! I could tell in your voice on the phone you were excited about the buck and I can see why, that buck is alot bigger than you made it out to be! Congrats to you, can't wait to see the video! JIM>

Welcome to the site Erin and congrats on a giant buck! I really enjoyed your writeup, thanks for adding to the thread! JIM>

Freakin' awesome story and awesome buck Bret! Huge congrats to you, you deserve it! JIM>

Awesome Doug! I wish I would have gotten your message sooner, I could've met up with ya! Looks like an awesome time, hopefully I can make the next trip! JIM>

Awesome job on a great archery muley!!! JIM>

Awesome job guys, congrats! JIM>

Way to go Matt!!!! What a stud buck! JIM>

Great write-up! I have one of the Piranta's and have completely gutted, skinned, caped and quartered 2 full elk with 1 blade! I forgot to bring extra blades with me so I didn't have a choice and was surprised how sharp it still was after the 2 bulls! I use mine to cut legs off at the joints, but as described, you definitely don't pry with this knife. Also you have to be very carefull when cutting thick hide such as the dorsal cut on an elk, the hide will grab and twist the blade causing it to snap. Outstanding knives for sure, just gotta be very careful with them! JIM>

I once shot a bedded buck at 45 yards, the arrow hit perfectly and the buck bedded shortly after the hit. I would have bet money he was dead....nope! After an hour we tracked him up and he jumped and ran! To make a long story short, I finally killed him later that evening and about 1 mile from the first shot! My conclusion was that when the deer was bedded the vital organs aren't situated exactly the same and although it appeared to be a perfect shot, that first arrow only hit one lung because of the angle......but if he was standing it would have been a perfect double lung! The point in my story is that by taking a "95" yard shot, I would think your arrow had quite an arc to it's flight upon impact and may have only hit one lung because of the angle. Low hits have never been good in my experiences unless you "actually" hit the heart which isn't the easiest thing to do on a perfectly broadside deer and is very low and forward in the chest. A single lung hit deer will do as you described. Definitely follow up with your search and best of luck! JIM>

Congrats on the piggie, that's one of the funnest critters to whack with a bow! JIM>

A close friend of mine, Bret (GTT), took his boy, Jakob, on his deer hunt which started the same time as mine last week. As I was sending text with my progress to him, he was sending text messages back to me with their progress......we were cheerin' each other on! I've known Jakob since he was born and we all were excited for the day when he would take his first buck.......and that day finally came last Sunday! I couldn't wait any longer for Bret to get the story and pics up, and I know he's busy, so here it is in Bret's words. Congratulations Jakob, you stuck with it and did it like a pro, you know I'm proud of ya, your buck is 4 times bigger than my first buck! JIM> Taken from Bret's email......... "Hey everyone, Got back from Jakob's 2nd deer hunt on Sunday afternoon.Opening day found us driving up high on a ridge glassing some country we had seen alot of deer last year.The water hole we found in there last year was dry & we only came up with 7 does & no bucks that morning.Back to camp for some lunch & back out for the evening hunt farther up the ridge this time where we knew there was water.We came across a truck,quad,& 2 polaris rangers already back in there.We parked past them & took off on foot anyway. As soon as we got to a good vantage point I started to glass & saw 2 forkies about a mile away & 2 hunters walking right past them! We hurried over to try & get a shot but couldn't relocate the bucks before dark. Day 2 we went back to our 1st spot & glassed up 9 does & no bucks. We hiked about a mile in to glass some hidden draws but only found 2 more does. We headed out for lunch & then to a new spot for the evening. We went to one of our traditional spots early afternoon but decided to leave because all the people. We ended up back by our original spot around 4:30 & started to glass some new country. It wasn't long before I had a big 2 point feeding in the shade of a high north facing slope! We hurried to get in position for a shot with only about 45 minutes of light left. After climbing steep rocky ridges & fighting cactus we finally were across from where we last saw the buck.Right away I see him walking up the ridge away from us because we had spooked some cows on the ridge below the buck.Jakob got set up with his .243 on a bipod, I ranged the buck at 180 yds. & he let the 1st bullet go...boom! the buck takes 2 steps & stops...reload! boom! then the he disappears behind some trees. We went over to look for the buck & any sign of a hit but couldn't find anything. By this time it's dark & we had a mile hike out to the truck. Very disappointed but not giving up hope we would be back at 1st light to look again. Day 3 we were glassing the entire hill side looking for any sign of that buck but came up with no deer at all. Around 7:00 we decided to hike back up in there & get directly across from the last place we saw the deer. As soon as we toped out on the ridge I could see back up in a hidden draw & spotted Jakob's deer!...200 yds. from where he was last night! Guess he missed the night before....probably buck fever, I don't know where he get's that from...lol. Jakob got set up again with the bipod & I ranged the buck at 280 yds.I asked him if he wanted to try & get closer & he said " no...I can take him from here".So he settles in & boom! the buck takes 2 steps up hill & stops...reload! boom! the buck goes down but all I can see is his head & he's still alive!...put the cross hairs right on his head & squeeze the trigger...boom! The buck flips out of his bed & rolls down the hill right into a prickly pear patch where he lay for good! I had him aim at the head because the gun was sighted in at 200 yds. & I knew the bullet would drop into the bucks chest. After all the high 5's, hugs, a 1 hour photo shoot, & deboning the buck...we packed him off the mountain & were back to the truck around 11:30. Jakob was exited to get up every morning, always stayed right with me on those long hikes & never complained,had a positive attitude,made some great shots & got it done when it mattered most at 280 yds!!!!. By the way...Jakob's buck is bigger than anything his dad's ever got & I didn't get my 1st buck until I was 16! He's on a roll...a javelina in January & now a deer! Great job buddy...I'm so proud of you! ........................... ...........I'm sure you noticed but I forgot to mention what we thought was a big 2 point turned out to be a big ol' 3x2 with eye guards! Funny thing is...Jakob told me he thought he was a 3 point that night he shot at him & I said that's probably why you missed...your not supposed to look at the rack! LOL!!!! " Thanks,Bret

That just makes me sick, I'm excited if I find 3 coues sheds in a year, and you guys are trying to top the 100 mark!!!! Maybe it IS possible areas get picked over Hey Jim and Jake, we'd love to see some pics of those antler piles if ya got em'.....and maybe some tips from the shed findin' pros? Thanks, JIM>

Thanks for the inspirational link From what I read, I learned that lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. WHAT THE HECK....so, I should just stop looking for sheds and just start looking? C'mon Tyson, I need more help than that! I'm already a pretty lucky individual and I cover alot of ground in coues country every year and I'm lucky if I find 1 or 2 sheds....it just baffles me! I'm just glad you at least can find em' and share em' with us here