COOSEFAN

Pops and I saw a lion die after trying to eat a Javelina. We watched the stalk, the fight, and then watched as the pigs kicked the lions butt and pushed him right up to 7 yards in front of us! After the smoke cleared from the .50 caliber smokepole the lion was ours The pigs were woofing and the baby was squealing like crazy as they followed the lion up out of the canyon and into our lap. JIM>

Hey guys, I'm home for a couple days and head back down on Thursday. The last couple of weeks have been crazy and I lost track of time and dates right from the start.......I even forgot my birthday! I first headed to the Muley hunt and to say it was incredible would be an understatement! I saw some of the biggest Muley's of my life, I videotaped one that will blow any hardcore Muley hunter away and also videotaped my hunter missing another one that was almost as big! I saw and filmed quite a few bucks that were around the 30" class and many more that I would shoot in a heartbeat here in AZ! We killed 5 Muleys before I had to head out to the Coues hunts and they finished out with a couple more after I left. The ranches are huge and loaded with big bucks! The best part was that I aquired another Coues ranch while on the Muley hunt and with an hour ride on the Rhino from the Muley ranch, we were in Coues country! We had several hunters who filled their Muley tag and bought Coues tags so we jumped in the Rhino and Ranger and headed out to hunt Coues for a day. Within the first hour of light we had a gorgeous 105" buck down and later missed a huge buck that made our 105" look small! We topped that day off with two Javi's and saw a total of 14 bucks with 4 of those being at least 100" and quite a few in the 85-95" class! I'm excited about hunting that ranch next year to say the least! We did a little varmint calling one day and called in dogs almost everytime. My hunter was gracious enough to hand me his rifle on one and I dumped em' with one shot at 150 yards! I then headed out and picked up Pops and the rest of the crew to go hunt a ranch way south near Obregon. We've been there before and knew it would be tough hunting but they have some huge sheds from the ranch so we knew the genetics were there. The ranch is very thick, but there are great vantage points and with clear cutting shooting lanes and glassing points we dertermined that it can be hunted fairly easily. Casey was with us and his job was to scout other areas while we helped my dad and good friend, Gary, fill their tags. Pops missed a tough shot on day two at a super heavy 100" class buck and Gary passed on a buck that later he realized he shouldn't have 'cause it probably was in that 100" class as well! The second to last day Casey got to take out his rifle and I headed out with him and that's when his "combo" opportunity presented itself and for him it was too good to pass up! I had seen a huge buck with Pops during the hunt and we took Gary there on the last day and couldn't find em' again, but a gorgeous 90" buck made a mistake and stepped out at 200 yards. We hunted ducks and doves for a day and had a blast, and even though we didn't have a dog to retrieve the ducks, Casey did a great job as the retriever! I don't have all the pic's yet, there were a couple bigger Muley's killed, the biggest was 205" I believe so far. As soon as I get back with all the pic's in a couple of weeks Amanda will help me get the link to our new website up with all the contact info and pic's. Instead of more typing, I'll just slap on here some of the better pic's I've got.........Thanks, JIM>

Wow! Those Quail are gorgeous! I don't think I saw any males, but that female looks exactly like the birds I saw up close! The grass is alot taller right now then it was back in August so I think I didn't see as many last week because of that. The ones that I did see acted like Mearns and really held tight and didn't want to fly. I'm going to print out those pictures and take them with me to ask around next week and see what the cowboys and ranchers say. I'll let ya know Scottyboy. JIM>

Hey guys, I finally got all 287 pic's downloaded and cropped and here are a few of Casey's monster last day Obregon Coues deer.....and kitty. p.s..............Notice the smile.....that's what it's all about

Way to go Richie! I wish I had a tag.......first time in like 14 years I won't be out flingin' an arrow in January Congrats to ya. JIM>

That ram is a beast!!! Congrats to you! I've known Ron since I was a little kid and he was actually on my first big game hunt when I was 10 yrs old! You obviously made the right choice in using his service, he's a great guy JIM>

"Oh the picture in my mind of him spread out on the tail gate with a big smile on his face as he gets a smell of the baby wipes " That is hilarious! Thanks for the wishes guys, I appreciate it! I actually woke up on my birthday and drove a client to a new ranch I've got and within the first 1/2 hour of being on the ranch for the first time we dumped an amazing 105" Coues buck! We found 14 bucks by noon and missed another buck that was easily much bigger than the one laying in back of my Rhino! We killed two Javi's and then headed back to the Muley ranch for an amazing Mexican meal with tortillas cooked over an open fire and topped it off with a few Crown n Cokes................. and I never realized that was my birthday until a day later!! I felt sad that I completely missed my birthday, but a few days later I had Pops with me and everyone sang happy birthday to me so it was all good. Thanks again guys! JIM>

WOW!!!! I got the pic's on email and just knew that I knew you from somewhere but couldn't figure it out till now! Holy cow, that is a buck of a lifetime....and to kill it with a bow is even better! Fantastic deer, congrats to you!! JIM>

HOLY COW Josh!!! That is an awesome buck! That first picture you posted is gorgeous and made me think that buck was at least 115"! I'm jealous as heck dude, that is a dream of mine that hopefully comes true one day.......100" Coues, spot n stalk with a bow, has got to be one of the greatest trophies! Huge congrats to you! JIM>

Great archery buck Jason, HUGE congrats to you!!!! JIM>

Good story Casey! I have been goin' through all 157 emails I was greeted with this morning and havent had time to get the photos up. This ranch we hunted has never been hunted for sport and only a few deer have been killed in recent years for the BBQ pit at the ranch owner's family getherings. My partners and I have spent a ton of money and effort in developing this ranch with shooting lanes ( senderos ), water catch tanks, feeders and salt and minerals. The first couple of days had me very worried with the lack of deer seen, but by the end of the hunt, i had a whole new outlook. These are definitely a different type of Coues deer. Like Casey said, they are very brown in color and have very small hooves. Part of the reason I was so worried was that I couldn't find any good buck tracks.........we later found out why...small hooves! With new glassing spots cleared and a better knowledge of the deer, we feel alot more confident in this ranch in particular. I did see one 110" plus type buck and Pops missed a fast shot at a super heavy 100" buck, and from the same spot we killed a 90" buck on the last day with Gary. I have another hunt down there next week and I'll get pictures of my hands on that 110" bad boy! Casey and I had an agreement that he had to help me with the hunt, scouting and whatever else I needed before he could hunt for himself. It was fun to sit and watch him get a whole hunts' worth of lead-slingin' in on the last day! Hey Scottyboy, I have seen several coveys of birds that I've never seen before, they acted just like quail but didn't look like any quail i've ever seen before....maybe they were what you are talking about? Thanks, I'll get pic's up shortly, JIM>

Alright, here is a quick little video showing how it went down on my hunt........I did this in less than 20 minutes and wasn't picky about the music, so feel free to poke fun The quality took a hit when converting it to an mpeg, but you can still see how it all went down! Thanks, enjoy. JIM> http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c365/jkm...mbos07Coues.flv

Hey guys, I've ran through the past weeks topics and posts as much as I could and was excited to see some guys were lucky enough to kill some great critters.......congrats to all of ya! Mexico was an incredible adventure and the weather was terrible! The humidity and heat combined made it very bad to be in the outdoors! We sat around in our underwears in the middle of the day and just had sweat pouring off us. OH.......and there are TARANTULAS EVERYWHERE!!!!! I bet I saw 40 or more of them 8-legged freaks.....and they were usually on or around the ranch houses! My buddies had a TON of fun at my expense due to my "screaming like a girl" everytime I bumped into yet ANOTHER Tarantula!!! Oh well...it was all good I will do a little write up later, but I wanted to share this buck with ya first as it was my favorite! This buck was killed on one of our ranches 2 years ago by the owner and he didn't realize how special it was at least not until he saw my reaction to it! He unfortunately just cut the antlers off instead of skull capping it, but it's still a dandy! I was low on my initial score guess because he has very long beams, but I gave him a 13" inside spread and scored him at --------" gross Just for the fun of it, what would be your guess?

Here's a short clip of the video and the last shot......... http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c365/jkm...quickySheep.flv

WE GO NEXT FRIDAY!!!! CANT WAIT!!!! Calm down dude........You gotta remember, a couple bucks need to tip over before we get to hunt Shouldn't be too hard though, these bucks have never seen a pair of Swaro's or even a pair of Likas before

WHAAAA.......I didn't kill a 4th record book buck with my bow........WHAAAAAAAA.........I feel so sorry for myself...........WHAAAAA ya big ol' baby.......listen to yerself! At this point I can only dream about what it's like to walk up on a 90"+ buck that I just arrowed.......and here I have to listen to you complain about not whackin' a 4th one and you are passin' up 85"ers..........on the third to last day!??!?!?!???? Just givin' ya a hard time buddy..... I do hope you whack a toad this year Best of luck to ya, JIM>

That's an awesome buck! Congrats, JIM>

Great write-up Johnnie! For me this whole hunt started when I "invited myself" to go along with John and our good buddy Bret. John had been telling me about this "Club Buck" and a few others and said he would find them agian so I told him I had to go with! John didn't let me down, he put us right in a spot where we could sit all day and watch some incredible bucks ruttin' does all day long! After the "shoot-out at the Coues corral" on Friday, John took us on Saturday to show us the "Club Buck" and again he didn't let us down. Club wasn't in his usual spot but John still glassed em' up several canyons away and you know the rest of the story. It was an amazing "two-day" hunt that I have to thank John for letting me experience with him Ya know what is funny, is knowing "how many" people consider this area their "secret honey hole" Matter of fact, we had a camp not even 100 yards from ours and didn't know it until the day we left that it was yet another couple buddies of mine that were camped there the whole time and consider it their spot too! So the point is.......if a bunch of people consider it their secret spot, it's not really a secret spot! Great job on that buck Johnnie.......he's a keeper JIM>

Way to go Bobbyo! That's a pig of a buck right there! Congrats! JIM>

Gorgeous buck and great story! I agree with most of the other guesses, I would put him just under 109". He's got exceptional beams and width and extra length on all his tines which I think puts him about 9 inches over the 100" mark! Fantastic buck, congrats! JIM>

Welcome to the site! I have dreamed of taking a nice Coues with a bow for alot of years and I've spent quite a bit of time trying. I've killed a bunch of em but not a single one with a bow! I have never really hunted them in the pines and I've never hunted from a treestand or blind. Spot n' stalk has been the only way thus far and in the open country I hunt it's one of the toughest things I've done! I beleive it's one of those things you just keep at it and eventually you will succeed. The harder you pursue it, the faster you will get results! I just need to focus on that one goal and it will happen....maybe this next year Best of luck to ya......and remember, if there's coues bucks, there's big coues bucks too........just find their tunnels and smoke em' out! Hike farther, look deeper, and be patient.....they are there. JIM>

Yeah, there was a huge low 180's ram killed in that unit and have the pic but can't post it 'cause I don't know the hunter. I believe it was killed within the first week of the hunt though. That's an awesome critter and a beautiful mount Mike

Thanks to Bownut for the idea! Funny stuff! Merry Christmas to all of ya! JIM> http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/SG6qK...eYSka3PFRwYIPkx

Hey guys, here is a little story about the hunt I just helped on last week. A good friend of mine from CA came out to hunt Coues with me. This is his 4th Late Coues tag in 7 years! Appearantly not alot of non-residents apply for this unit! The adventure started when we were about 1/2 mile from my camping spot and the rain/snow storm kicked in and my 4-wheel drive "kicked-out"! I had it at the mechanics after the archery elk hunts to fix it and appearantly they didn't! I was stuck, had to unload the Rhino, use the ramps to pry the jumpin' jack trailer off the hitch and pull both the truck and the trailer out of the mud with the Rhino! It was freezing, I was covered in mud, the inside of my truck has mud clods stuck to the dash, and we had to sit inside my truck till daylight! I was a "little" upset to say the least 'cause we would have had no problem if my 4-wheel drive worked! We finally get camp setup the next day around noon and then finally slept until the following day. Still covered in mud but finally rested we started our scouting and found tons of deer and good bucks after the storm had passed. Opening morning had us passing up a 90" buck and 6 other smaller bucks. Opening evening we found 3 bucks with the smallest chasing and trying to rut a doe. The biggest was high 90's and was close enough to our goal to take him. My buddy set up for the 424 yard shot, I had the video camera rolling..........well,.....just click on the link and watch it for yourself, but remember, this is the "Bionic Deer" and all things are not as they appear! http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c365/jkm...nt=Lostbuck.flv Yep.....that buck regained his feet and took off! I sat watching the buck through the scope for several minutes to make sure he wasn't getting up. We were losing light so we then headed up there to only find a few drops of blood, and some small chunks of meat and fat! I reviewed the video that night and realized how high the hit was and assumed the buck crawled downhill farther than we thought. The next day we scoured the area with a fine tooth comb and then went to plan B. I've seen it before with a Muley buck where he was temporarily paralyzed and then jumped up and ran off, so we thought that was a possibility. About 2 hours later and 1/2 a mile farther I jumped the buck which stood for about a minute staring at me. I could see the chunk out of the top of his back and then watched as he bounced and trotted "up-hill" and run over.....seemingly un-hurt! I couldn't believe it and we thoroughly picked the area apart for the next two days and never relocated that buck! Finally, with time running out on the 4th day we decided we couldn't do anything more and just hoped for the best for the buck. We headed to a spot where we've killed a buck everytime we've been there.......this would be the third time there and the third buck shot from this spot this year. We glassed up a pretty buck and my buddy said it'll work for him. We watched him bed down in some thick cat-claw with his body/shoulder exposed and with a perfect shot at 380 yards the buck just put his head down. It was a relief to finally see it happen the way it's supposed to and even though it's a small buck, it's a very pretty one and my buddy is getting it mounted because of the memories from our adventure! I do have to give my buddy credit though, you guys read me talking about taking long shots. He practices with is rifle 3 days a week, has thousands of dollars in his rifle, spends a crazy amount of time working up loads and can punch a 4" group at 900 yards! He proved his skills in camp at 600 yards hitting a 12" rock everytime, and he just wanted to make sure the elevation change didn't have an effect on his zero! I would never advocate anyone taking far shots unless you've spent the time to make sure you can do it. The buck we lost was hit way too high and was a result of us not calculating the angle and rushing the shot........so there's another lesson learned Here's Steve's buck...... and here's some camp pic's and pic's of Steve's rifle set-up.......notice his "hand-made" shooting sticks and adapters for the Outdoorsmans tripod....

It is refreshing to see him smiling! Casey, don't get me wrong, that is a great buck! You have to look at what it is lacking.......G1's and mass. Do you know what it scores? I can definitely be wrong, but I can only come up with 89". Maybe it has 8 inch ears.......then I'm way off! Also I have a hard time with judging beams so that could get me too. What is it?