coocoo4coues

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

Has anyone ever tried hunting the Babocomari Ranch (35A)? I'm debating whether to try this area or not. I scouted it, and didn't see much. I'd like to hear from you guys.

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.

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?

Well, I hope I'm not wasting my time looking for coues in there. I'm undecided on whether to hunt there or west of the huachucas (outside of the fort's west gate).

I created a Google map of the area I'm planning to hunt on the Babocomari. You guys are welcome to take a look. I'm open to any tips/suggestions based on the terrain, etc. My Map of the Babocomari

Actually, yes, I did get permission. They were actually very nice about it. It took about a month before I got a reply, but once they got in touch with me, it was just a matter of scanning my tag, and sending them a copy. It definitely looks like nice country, but I have yet to see any deer there. I was just wondering if anyone else had any experience there.

That's an amazing deer! Congratulations! That is a once in a lifetime trophy that I'm sure you and your brother will never forget!

I shoot the PSE Bow Madness and love it! Quiet, fast, and accurate!

By the way, did you notice that there is someone else by the name of "couesarcher" in the forum?

I sighted my bow in at my house, which is in the city on a pretty level lot. I set my pins dead on out to 60 yards. I then went out to my brother's house to sight in my 70 yard pin, as he has more property, out in the burbs. After my first 3 shots, I was out 1 arrow, and spent 30 minutes looking for another. I was WAY off, at the same ranges! I was using my range finder to set my marks. Now, I know for a fact that my brother's property has a slope to it, but could it make that much of a difference? I was hitting about 8 inches low. So, being the dumbass that I am, I moved all my pins, and got them dead on (at his house...out to 70 yds). Came back home, and decided to take a few shots in the afternoon. I was shooting about 8 inches high. AAAAGH!!!! :angry: :angry: Now I'm trying to get back to where I was originally. Very frustrating. Any advice? Explanations as to why this happened? Now, the rangefinder I have does not compensate for angles, could this be a factor? Help!

Nope. Anchoring point is exactly the same every time, because I always rest my knuckle on the same nerve behind my ear. Here's what I think happened. When I was ranging the target, I was having trouble getting a good reading. I think I may have got a false reading off some tall grass that was in front of the target. This actually happened to me a few weeks ago when trying to range a deer in the field. My friend mistakenly ranged a bush that was approximately 10 yards in front of the deer, resulting in a clean miss. This the only thing I can think of that may have caused it. The fact that the rangefinder is old and on it's last leg could be another factor

Guess the terrain should not have made a difference. If anything, you're right...I would be shooting high, not low. I was alone, so nobody was distracting me. I was sure I was anchoring the same as always. I sighted in at my house in the afternoon/evening...shot at my bros in the early morning. Could temp make a difference?