My NM burros buck 91 1/8th inches

[TREESTANDMAN]

Tim Maddock and I put in for the NM burro's coues tag however with only 50 tags we knew our chances were slim. We were very excited to find out we drew this coveted tag and we began practicing with our rifles and getting ready for the November hunt. Tim had hunted and become friends with 2 guys from the Silver City area, Tommy Maldonado and Jason Amaro. Both are huge Coues fanatics and knew the burro area very well. Tommy has a guide service where you pay $450 and he will scout the area for you, give you a detailed topo map with many GPS coordinates to water sources, glassing points, road turnoffs, etc. His reputation was 100% positive and we figured it would cost more for gas and our time would be limited to scout so we decided to use his service. We are very very glad we did, as the coues seemed to be in pockets in that area and his options were dead on. Jason Amaro (aka Jamaro) offered to haul his very nice camping trailer to our camping spot. It had nice beds, refrigerator, stove, heater, air conditioner, couches, table, etc. Tim and I had never hunted this way and man did we feel spoiled!!! The first day was really windy and the morning produced no coues deer. We had a quick lunch at camp and then drove to Tommy's most recommended area. We were able to find a batchelor group of 3 bucks and a lone spike. The batchelor group had 2 bucks that we guessed to be in the mid 80's and one that would gross over 100" if his G2 had not been busted. As he was he was a massive, wide, mid 90ish buck. One of the bucks was very tall and narrow and was difficult to judge. After studying him for some time we both decided he may go 90" or better. The 3rd buck had a split G2 and no G3 on one side and looked very similar to the tall buck. Even though it was mid Nov, we witnessed these buck doing some light sparring and watch the mid 90ish buck chasing a doe. The bucks were around 850 yds and we were running out of light so we decided to come back the next morning. Day 2 found us on top of a rocky knob glassing for this batchelor herd again. Tim found the group and we waited for them to bed down. They bed down about 30 yds from where he first found them and we devised our plan. Since Tim spotted them this day he would hike to a slope about 400 yds across the canyon and hopefully have a 450 yd shot. He had spent a lot of time at the range and felt he could make up to a 600 yd shot with no wind. Unfortunately his windometer said 15 mph. When he got to his spot he radio'd me that he had found the bucks and was very excited about the biggest buck. He decided since it was only the second day, the wind was blowing, and the buck's g2 was busted, that he would pass at this time. I was not as picky as he and decided to hike over and see if I could get a shot. I made it to the bottom of the canyon and some cows pushed them over the ridge. We decided to come back in the evening or perhaps the following morning. We hunted another area in the evening and saw several does but no bucks. The 3rd day found us on top of that same rocky knob glassing for the batchelor herd. I glassed up the tall buck and we watched them bed again. I made the hike to about 450 yds and finally found them again. They were all in thick brush and did not offer any shot. I set up my bipod with my Tikka .270 wsm. About an hour later watching them through my 15*56's swarov's I watched as the split G2 buck started heading down the mountain probably going to the spring to get a drink. I ranged him at 350 yds and coming closer. I looked through my scope and could not find him. I had it set at 16 power! I turned it to 5 power but was too late.... he had disappeard in the thick brush. All of a sudden I heard Tim radio me that the tall buck was walking toward the top of the ridge. I looked through the scope and found him quartering away at about 475 yds. I was afraid he was going to go over the ridge so I put my cross hairs on the top of his back and fired. Immediately I realized I had held way too low as dirt kicked up in front of the deer and he high tailed it over the ridge. I climbed the mountain in major pain in my back just to make sure I hadn't hit him. ( As a side note, I had fallen out of a treestand 2 yrs ago and compression fractured 3 vertabrae. My back still has severe problems and even with the pain medication will hurt when under physical exertion) To my relief, I found no blood and hiked back to Tim. As we drove back to camp for lunch Jason Amaro called and invited us to dinner for the following evening. We had beef stew, corn on the cob, the best tacos I've ever had, and Pumkin pie with whip cream for desert!! That really lifted Tim and I's spirits as we drove back to camp. We tried a few more areas the next day and spotted quite a few does, but no good bucks. The last day of the hunt, Tim and I decided to go back to the rocky knob to see if those bucks had come back. The day before we had not been able to find them. We sat there for several hours glassing and were unsuccessful in finding them. For some reason I decided to look down at the flats behind us. Right as I turned around I found myself staring at a good buck not 150 yds straight down from me in a small opening in some thick oaks!!! It almost seemed as if it were a dream. I quickly said, "Tim, get your gun!! There's a nice buck down here!!" He quickly came over as I grabbed my gun, flipped out my bipod and quickly found the deer. Since he did not know exactly where to look, he found the buck just as I pulled the trigger. We both watched as this nice buck struggled for a moment and then fell back and lay motionless. Another coues buck appeared trotting to our left and Tim decided not to shoot as it was a small forkie. As we started hiking down, a small 3*3 with eyeguards shot out of the brush again running to the left. Tim hesitated as it was a smaller buck and that was not really what he had come for. He decided to let it go. As we looked at my buck at about 100 yds we could only see his G2's and they looked really good. When we got to the buck I was very happy but was guessing the buck to be mid to low 80's. Tim guessed low 80's as well. He is quite symetrical with a 12" spread, 14 1/2 main beams, 7" g2's, but only 3" g3's. Eyeguards are nice at 3 1/2 inches. We rough scored him at 93 inches to our suprise and when I got home I measured him at 91 1/8th. Tim and I had a great time on the hunt and will be putting in for it every year from now on. We saw lots of mule deer and 2 bears and had many enjoyable times. The evening hunt only produced a muley spike however Tim was completely happy with the hunt. He had taken a 150ish muley buck, a 90ish mexico coues, and a 81" NM antelope. We both feel that taking a buck is the icing on the cake as the pre-hunt and actual hunt is what really makes for a great time. Special thanks go to Jason Amaro and Tommy Maldonado as we would not have seen near the numbers of coues deer we did nor have such an excellent hunt. Now I get to look forward to January!!!

 

Pictures below

 

 

 

Here is my 90" archery buck to compare.

 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Great buck! Love how he carries his mass!

[jamaro]

Great Job.... and your welcome.... I am sooo glad you guys had a great time...

 

You guys left the trailer in cleaner than when we took it out there... If I knew you guys were going to clean I would have let you stay at my house... :)

 

Jason...

[crazyaboutcoues]

Great story MIke...Glad to hear you guys had a great hunt.

 

Take Care

 

T

[cramerhunts]

Great job guys on what sounds like a great time had by all. New friends, good food, nice country, and a pretty darn nice buck! Congrats.

 

Phil

[AZP&Y]

Great buck Mike... Really enjoyed the Story... That's awesome that CWT members helped during the whole hunt experience. Thanks for sharing.. and January is coming quick!

 

AzP&Y

Doug

[jamaro]

wow.. that archery buck is nice... Great Job..

J

[SunDevil]

that is a nice buck for sure. congrats! what the heck is all that white stuff on the ground?

[TREESTANDMAN]

Thanks for the compliments.

 

SunDevil, That white stuff is from a northern Arizona unit in January. I love hunting in the stuff!!! You get to see fresh tracks, blood, and the drag is so much easier!!

[WFGinNM]

Very good buck, congrats.

--Bill

[couestaxi]

Mike - That is an awesome buck! Great job! I don't know very many folks that go from bow to rifle......thats bass akwards, cool.

 

Congrats again

Greg

[TAM]

Congratulations on another nice coues deer Mike! I believe this was the first coues buck that Mike has ever shot with a rifle and even though the shot was close by most coues hunting standards it was a rushed shot which in my opinion makes it a difficult shot. Mike anchored the buck with one bullet, not to mention it was only about a hundred yard down hill drag to the road and a 150 yard side hill march back to the truck.

 

Jason I'll be over to clean any time as long as Stella is cooking! That was an awesome dinner - please make sure she knows how much we appreciate it!!! Thanks again for everything.

 

Tommy, I keep meaning to email you and thank you for your help as well, but I'll just say it here instead. Your maps were dead on! I figure we would have paid upwards of $400 gas money per trip to come and scout the area and still not know as much as you shared with us through your mapping service. It was money well spent!!! The maps are large, in color, and the GPS waypoints are clearly marked and easy to use. Sorry I screwed up your success rate, but for me it was plenty succussful! I would highly recomend your map service to anyone! Thanks again.

[crazyaboutcoues]

Tim

 

You are very much welcome, You guys had a couple of bad days where the wind was blowing, just like today, I glassed up two does in eight hours. But you made the most of it.

 

Take care and good luck in Mexico.

 

PS. I agree my girlfriend Stella is a great cook. OOHHH

 

[fatfootdoc]

Sweet Buck, Congrats!!

 

Tommys maps are awesome and it sure paid off for you guys!! ag

[hunter4life]

Congrats on a nice NM buck!!