coocoo4coues

Haha....Only wear it in the field. I removed it for the pic! Thanks

Good stuff. Thanks for the writeup. What is your setup? I'm looking to put together a budget long range rig.

After many years, I finally acquired a much coveted Fort Huachuca post permit for late season whitetail. My prayers were answered with an opening day kill, this last Friday (11 DEC). I spotted this little guy around 9:30 AM, high on the ridge of a mountain across from where I had set up to spend the day glassing and picking-apart the countryside. With my trusty binocuars on a tripod, I sat back to watch him. As he turned, I saw his antlers glisten with the sun. He was a nice 3x3. I ranged him at 540 yards; a distance about 200 yards beyond my comfort zone. Despite the range, I seriously debated taking the shot, as he stood there, broadside, for what seemed like an eternity. Then, just up and over the ridge from where I sat, I heard a loud laugh and chatter of some careless hunters. Though I couldn't see them, I knew they were nearby, as I could hear every word they were saying. Needless to say, the deer's attention gravitated towards the noise these thoughtless hunters (and I use the term loosely) were making. Not taking my eyes off him, I watched him carefully sneak away into a nearby cluster of scrub oaks. I continued to watch for nearly two hours. "He must've bedded down", I thought to myself. With a canyon between us, I began to devise a plan to close the distance, and get in close enough for a shot. A neighboring mountain would provide the perfect vantage point, I just needed to make my way there slowly, keeping the wind in my favor. By this time it was 11:30, and I figured I would take my time. I came down off the mountain, walked back to my jeep, and met up with my brother-in-law who had been unable to join me for the morning hunt due to his work schedule. After telling him what I had seen, we laid out the plan for the afternoon, and headed up the adjacent mountain with high hopes. Making our way slowly, we made it to our destination around 2:00 PM, and concealed ourselves as best we could under a big oak. As we glassed the area that I had last seen the deer, all hope started to fade as time progressed. Finally, around 3:00 PM, I saw the flicker of a tail...It was him! As he stood up from his bed, I positioned myself for a shot. We ranged him at 330 yards. It was literally impossible to get any closer due to the lay of the land. Sun in my face, and wind gusts blowing over 20 MPH, I struggled to find him in my scope. The glare was horrible, and I could not see a dang thing. "He's standing broadside at 330 yards; take the shot", my brother-in-law said. I began to lose my composure. "I can't see him", I said. As I continued to struggle with the glare, we lost sight of him again. For the next 15 minutes, the silence was deafening, as we desperately combed the area to catch another glimpse of him. We decided to reposition ourselves to get a better angle. Bingo! He was bedded down again, but this time, all we could see where his antlers sticking out of the grass. Suddenly, some clouds rolled-in, providing the much needed shade to see clearly out of my scope, and the wind died down momentarily. "It's now or never", my brother-in-law said. We tried blowing on a doe bleat to get him on his feet again, but he was not moving. I decided to take the shot. Unable to get into a prone position, I used my steady-stix in a sitting position...elbows firmly planted on my inner thighs. The crosshairs bounced with every heartbeat. I needed to calm down. As I caught my breath, and gained my composure, I was ready to shoot. As the crosshairs rested on his body, at the end of a long exhale, the blast of my 30-06 echoed through the canyon. It was closely followed by the reasurring "whap" sound that is made when bullet meets flesh. "You got him. He's down". Were the next words out of my brother-in-law's mouth. Still in shock, I started to tremble with excitement. At that moment, all was right with the world, as we celebrated the kill. Within an hour, we had field dressed him and made the drag back to the truck. I will never forget this hunt for as long as I live, and will be telling the story for years to come. I'm glad I was able to share it with all of you!

Selling an original (no longer manufactured) T.Z. Case International Ironite Archery Toughmate Double Mid Size case. This case is built tough, and securely holds 2 compound bows and up to 14 arrows. Padded with straps, this case has latches that lock shut and wheels to make moving it around a breeze. Asking $200. This is a steal at this price. Would make a great Christmas gift!

I've been hunting out of a pop-up blind for several years now, and have noticed that it's always best to set up a few weeks prior to the hunt to give the deer a chance to get accustomed to it. That's not to say that I haven't had deer walk right up to the blind the same day I set it up. I think it's a game of hit and miss, but for the most part, it's best to set up early, and brush-in well. All the rest is obvious (i.e. scent cover, etc).

I usually pack some good canned soups and the makings for sandwiches. After a day of hard hunting, this simple combo will taste like a gourmet dinner. Down it with a few cold beers, and you're set

They'll be chasing those does in January. I've even had luck calling/rattling 'em in. Find a good hot spot to call from, and get ready! Good luck.

I'll be heading out tomorrow morning. Didn't have much time to scout this season, but I know my area well. I may even try a spot and stalk on some mulies this year! Good luck to everyone & be safe! Most of all, have fun.

Same here. I saw plenty of mule deer, but no coues. In fact, I would've bagged a pretty nice 4x4 toad within 150 yards! I can hear the fat lady singing at this point.

Well, CouesArcher and I headed out to the Babocomari Ranch Saturday morning for what we thought was going to be a memorable hunt. We made our way in to our vantage point, and started to glass. Within 20 minutes, we saw a herd of deer; two of which were nice 4 point bucks. Buck fever set in momentarily, until we glassed them up, and noticed that they were mulies! The rest of the morning was more and more of the same. We could not find a whitetail if our life depended on it. I'm sure if we had enough time, we would've eventually seen one come down to water, but time was ticking. If I would've been hunting mule deer, we both would've tagged out within an hour of getting off the truck! So we decided to move out to the west huachucas instead. We spent the next two days in and out of Manila Canyon, only to compete with the multitude of hunters coming in and shooting from every direction. Needless to say, I didn't have any luck. Still have a few days to tag out, but with my work schedule, I may have to end up eating tag soup again. I wish I would've scouted more alternative areas. Poor planning I guess.

Wishing all of you hunters the best of luck on opening day of the first hunt!

Yup

So this logic also implies that perhaps we should go jogging at night in an all black suit too. Chances of getting hit by a car are actually higher if we wear something reflective, right? "Hey Jeb, what's that shiny thing in the bike lane? Let me try and hit it."

I completely disagree with the "orange is stupid comment". Anyone with enough common sense, and has been educated in hunter safety, knows the importance of wearing blaze orange. There are a LOT of careless and inexperienced hunters out there (many of which are drinking, drunk, or hungover). Many of these idiots will shoot at the first sign of movement. Wearing full camo, you're possible to look like a deer at 300+ yards! Blaze orange can be seen for miles, and will help other hunters know you're there, and aid them in making shot decisions (as well as respect boundaries). Good hunters respect each other, and won't cross paths with you, or shoot in your direction. Camo is ok to wear, so long as you're wearing a vest, hat or some sort of orange flagging. Sorry to come down so hard on some of you, but if you're gonna give advice to someone, especially a newbie, don't spread ignorance. Safety for yourself and your fellow hunter should be of primary concern.

Sounds good. I heard from a few other people that there's some good quality deer in there. If we don't have any luck, I already mapped out a few areas in the west huachucas that we could try. So you available Sat & Sun?