Coues 'n' Sheep

My Lapua likes H1000

No Sir... We are empty nesters...and loving it!!

Thanks all... was a Great way to turn 40.... I was planning on spending the week in Rocky Point with my Bride, however, good lord had a different plan... He made me a Grandpa on Monday... a gorgeous and healthy baby girl that makes my eyes fill up every time I look at her face! And I ended up doing a job in Havasu yesterday which led to a night in Laughlin and me on a Heater at the Craps table... walked away ahead and with a fee hangover courtesy of the Aquarius Hotel and Casino!

Casey, as you know I have had EXCELLENT success with Bergers, however I only shoot .30 cal or larger.... I think that certain calibers like certain bullets... Just my opinion... but I think speed and kinetic energy have everything to do with how each and every bulle performs I have used bullets in a .300 Wby and Hated them, while buddies are shooting the same bullet in a .257 Wby and Loving them... so I would say testing is key...

I like your Point and that is what I love about AZ is that the Law allows for us to choose. Not that I like Tom Miranda... but do you know his story? Guy was a very successful trapper when I was a kid. I read about him and his articles and he was an Icon in that world, at that time... he dropped off my radar when Trapping came under fire, got banned and fur prices crashed. And years later I he showed up in the TV Hunting world... I am pretty sure he was involved in a TON of hunting in Northern NM (Chama, etc) during my teen years... But, my point is, anybody who has hunted abroad will tell you that if you have limited time you can't do it all DYI... knowledge of the country is priceless to any good hunter. Not to mention many place require that you hire help... It should never be insinuated that a good hunter could possibly know the best spots in every place they have hunted, nor does it discount their ability if they get help. Good hunters may not always get the biggest prize, whether they hunt alone or with help, but their kill percentage on every hunt will be very high. Is see both, and there are guys that can't get it done even with help... some guys will choke, miss, freeze, and squander opportunity after opportunity, regardless of how much help they have finding the critters, I guess is my point.... Oh and Camera Etiquette? Put up as many as you like, and feel free to put them on the same water as the next guy(s) cams... or mine... Moon them, flip them off, hide from them, just don't touch them. be kind to your fellow outdoor enthusiast! TC's are my Wife and I's favorite outdoor thing to do together... No pressure, no schedule, see lots of country, picnic, spend time with our dogs, Ice cold beverages, and "Us" time.... while getting to look at critters too.... and if your reason for running (or not running) cams is different than mine, well that is cool to, just get out there and live it! Cheers and good Hunting!!

Great info Thank You! Nope, just bring yours from home... We didn't spend much time in Christchurch, too big for us and they were still getting back on their feet from devastating earthquakes. Along with the places I mentioned, we really enjoyed the Kaikoura area as well. With such little time I suggest picking a place you really want to visit and take off! If it is further south an air charter is an easy way to get around the country. Tripadvisor.com is a great place to help you get some ideas, go to their forums, there a lot of itinerary ideas... That is how I did most of my planning. Good Luck! http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g255116-i729-South_Island.html

Questions: What was your path of travel? What things did you do right and what things would you do different? Did you did you do other things besides Hunt? What things were Awesome? What things were not? Who did you hunt with? What did you take along? How did you pack? What time of year did you go? Thank you in advance for any input!

One more question from the input above... You have to get a special "International" drivers license? Our plan is this.... so far...about a 2 week trip... 2 days travel.... 4 days hunting... 6 days vacation... 3 days home...?? Not enough time I am sure... but probably all I can swing... Still would like to hear more about how you did your travel plans if you have been. Thanks All!!

Targeting one buck in January can be very tough (Impossible), due to the distances they can cover... They can go for miles chasing does and not return till February sometimes. Good Hunting!

Boom! Congrats guys!

Cody and his guys are topshelf! I do business with them, send my clients to them, and recommend them all the time because you can count on them! Glad to see at least a little bit of joy in a really bad deal, Danny!

Wish you were closer... I'd have some interest...

Oh come on, now... no bashing guys? Just cuz the land owner and the outfitter didn't water mark it? Best Jonnie and Str8 can do is make sideways comments??? Buncha Bandwagon Beeeotches??? Come on Throw some stones at yet another amazing animal..... Hahaha Frickin' Stud Bull!!! Congrats to All involved!!! What a great day for NM hunting too!

I know... lets get on our Neanderthal outfits, knap some flint, and chase a herd off a bluff so we can meet the "Fair" chase expectations of our Ethics Drum Beaters... :lol: Because anything less than that is Progress and we are dirty, sorry, lazy, SOB's for using ANY Progress to our advantage. I am sure that it is not any matter whether you have 2 cams or a 100... but it is YOUR Choice. And for the record, the finders of the last Auction buck had a couple cams and used them to confirm patterns of the buck AFTER they found his sheds! So I think methodology is also a choice of the individual. I don't think your dumb if you don't use cameras, or scopes, or compound bows, or binos... I think it is your choice, in a free country. and if you happen to take a Giant with less then it is awesome and if you get it on TC, spot it at 2 miles, and run to 650 yds and tip it over it is just as awesome! Envy is great and sometimes productive... but Jealousy is poison and we see it every day on here and out there.... GWB sorry I didn't like your post... if it makes you happy I will try harder to see wisdom in your words and like your posts?? I'll take the comment as a compliment, as I always do. Cheers, and Good Hunting!

To the original poster... I have several times thought that it was For Sure someone that has stolen or messed with my cameras... but truth is that those guys may have never even seen your camera and it is possible that someone else did... Water holes and drinkers are visited by more people than you will ever get pics of. Most guys I know will go out of their way not to get on a camera and you can always count on some folks not ever even seeing you camera unless they are looking for them... especially up in a tree like that... Either way it sucks to find that. and it is Douche Baggery, Period.

I once walked up to on of my cameras that was on an old salt hole and noticed another camera strapped to a tree that I had not noticed before. I didn't know if it was always there or not cuz I never had walked up to the hole... but what caught my eye that day was that it was pointed the opposite direction that it should have been. It was just strapped on the tree so I assumed a bear or a nosey cow elk had turned it cuz I had no human pics what so ever. So I went to the camera, was gunna turn it around, in doing so I opened it to see if it was still working and a note written to ME was in it! It read, "I know who you are and my buddy told me you have a camera here, if you Touch my camera I will hunt you down." There were explicative words included ...So I put the note back, closed the camera and left it pointed the wrong direction! Hahaha... He said don't touch it... so I already went to far by reaching the note but honored his wished from there... :lol:

I been a Kenetrek guy for about 5-6 years... LOVE them have owned 3-4 pairs and still own my first pair but it is has seen its last day afield this year... Man has the price gone up!! I am fixing to order a new pair but thought I'd see if anyone could talk me into trying something else out there... if comparable???

Photoshopped?

Lance... does Lowa or Crispi make a taller boot? Say... 9." or 10"?? I have found that the Kenetreks come out of the box ready to hunt in... they fit my feet like no other. Had a chronic ankle issue and that was why I bought my first pair and my ankle actually healed while I was busting the hills in them, there is that much support while still some ability to feel the ground under your feet... The first set of soles where out in a year the way I use them but now you can get a better sole for when you sent them up there and then they are bullet proof! I am 99% sure I will stay with Kenetrek but I am liking the input guys. Thank You!

Congrats John!!

Best of wishes...

Wait so who found it? Who is mike and brandon? It sounds like they weren't the only ones hunting that buck so I'm not sure why you'd say that. "Brandon" had the sheds and is affiliated with Cuernos Outfitters and "Mike" is affiliated with us at A3 Trophy Hunts and he had all the TC pics... They found this buck together as a team. Maybe there were others that had been trying to kill this buck but they hadn't got it done? Mike had the Buck at 40 yds with a bow and didn't shoot because of brush, maybe he wasn't the only guy that had such a chance? I don't know, and it really doesn't matter now. I do know that I was one of the first guys to see Mike's live pics of this buck and there was no question he was what Coues D was looking for! The bucks that Brandon (Coues D) had already been passing up would gag most guys and was a testament to his desire to find "The One"... and he didn't just walk out and shoot him... in fact he wouldn't shoot until he was sure he was happy with the buck. He didn't get lead out to shoot the buck... they hunted, they passed when they could have shot, but waited for "the shot"... just like every good hunt. He had some of the best guys in the deer woods with him on that hill. What an awesomely nerve racking couple of days they had! And I'll bet money that that time spent on the hill will be shared around many of Brandon's (Coues D) camp fires for years to come! What an AMAZING BUCK! What an AMAZING BUCK!!!

It just blows my mind that some can't just be happy for a guy wrapping his hard earned tag around this buck and/or happy for the guys that found him, or the rest of the guys that helped to put this deer in Brandon's (Coues D) trophy room where he will be in good company with the rest of the giants in there! For some it seems the story of "How" ways on the quality of the animal?? This buck is off the charts, taken on public land, where Anyone could have found him, but only the two Licensed Guides who found him were hunting him. Cudos to Mike and Brandon finding this buck! The rest of the story is just like any other hunt, where hard work, team effort, and a little bit of luck, put a giant in the salt! Congrats again Brandon! ...and to the Photo Shop D-Bag... that is pretty sad... pathetic in fact...

Congrats to Brandon on shattering the record of the Largest Coues buck ever taken with a Commissioner's Tag!! Just an Amazing Deer!! Effort, Team Work, and Banner Antler Growth will make 2015 a Legendary year for A3 Trophy Hunts and their Clients!

Just an amazing and Sexy coues buck! A well earned trophy! Congrats!! Now you are a hated man! :lol: :lol: