azrcks Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Part 1 - The Backpack trip Well, we had an interesting week. In our group this year was two new hunters, never been out before. Our plan is to backpack into the remote country to bag some good bucks. Our family celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday so I did not make opening day. My buddy Lalo took the newbies to some local honey holes where he hiked them to death, I still think it was some sort of hazing or welcoming to coues hunting. On saturday we were to backpack in to our scouted spot but the guys decided they were not up to it so they were going to hunt from the truck for a few days until we return. So my two buddies and I start our hike to base camp when one of us decides he may not be able to make it and decides to turn back, he said he would take the other guys out and show them a thing or two. We figure that this was a good idea and we keep hiking. At the end of the day after camp is set up we get on some fingers to glass, in the far distance I can see camp and through the spotter I can see my buddy who packed back leaving and this is where I realized that they all went home. This bummed me out I I realized that this was a bit extreme for introducing some guys to hunting. I told Lalo that we would hunt til 11am the next morning and then pack back to try to reorganize everyone or else I just would not have fun. The next morning we glassed up three deer at 1400 yards, one was a buck, a 3x3. My goal was to better my buck from last year which was 76". From 1400 yards he looked to be about that size except his G2 where longer than his G3 so I told Lalo that he was as big as last years and to salvage the hard pack in I would try to take him then we will pack out. We moved to the next finger over and ranged them at 611, I am comfortable up to 600 so we moved down a bit until I ranged them at 580 yards, we stacked some rocks for a bipod rest and dialed the turret into 580 yards, took a few breaths and waited for Lalo to say he was on him then BOOM! Lalo said he saw the vapor trail the entire way as the bullet hit its mark, the deer sprang up out of his bed went 6 feet and piled up. It was awesome and the farthest shot I have ever made, the 1 shot after inspection drilled him thru the lungs!!! We hike back to camp and packed it up and then quatered the deer on our way out. When we got to the buck I realized I have to work on my trophy judging skills as he was smaller than my buck last year but under the circumstances I was happy and could focus on getting my other buddies deer. Part 2 - getting the newbs a deer So now we are hunting local honey holes and the first day goes by with tons of does and then at 4 we see three deer and one is a spike but they are mule deer. Day two we glass up a forky and spike at 300 yards, I get them both on the deer and after 5 shots I think the deer ran all the way to Sonora, they said I grew devil horns and started to breath fire because I got on them a bit (OK alot) for them missing at their first deer as I told them that it did not get better than that. Day three we glassed up two more forkys so we moved into a shooting position, the deer must have bed so I started to try to pick them up again as Lalo took one of the guys further down the ridge, they ended up kicking a buck out of its bed and it was a nice 3x and Lalo whistled as it stopped at 96 yards, BOOM he missed again and yet another deer fleeing towards Sonora! Last day of the hunt and pick up another small buck as we move in we see tow really nice bucks moving up a ridge one of the guys take the shot at 140 yards and hits him. We wait about 45 minutes and then get on the blood trail. The blood trail was the faintest I had ever seen and took us all day to go .67 miles. We were seeing specs of blood at times every 10 feet which ended in a wash. We found the next blood drop 30 feet up the wash so we continued to walk the wash checking every escape route but completely lost sight of any blood, we decided to just take the wash back to where we had started the day when after a quarter mile we picked up blood again, it was crazy. the blood looked good again for only 30 feet then it was lost again. We came back at night with a blood light and could not find anything. Went out today to see if we could see crows or vultures but nothing. I am hoping that it was a flesh wound and that he will end up making it. We definitely gave these guys a great hunt with plenty of opertunities to get their first deer. They learned alot and will definitely practice shooting more often. Sorry for the long drawn out story, here are some pics from the hunt. our backpack camp where I shot from 580 yards my little guy Lalo and I Backpack all loaded up crazy terrain and a 60 pound pack Lalo with most the gear since I had the deer all of us glassing newbies glassing the sky the hunt ends Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Awesome... One problem... Your shot was 9 yards farther than mine! Dang it! Congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunterdan Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Nice story and Pics! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ultramag Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Awesome... One problem... Your shot was 9 yards farther than mine! Dang it! Congrats! and his buck is 9 inches bigger as well good job way to go guys you earned that one big time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azyota Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Well, I new you had to be around somewhere! What's up Rich? Did you sell your crawler? I sold mine. Got tired of busting parts and spending money. To be honest, it was getting boring anyway. Got a pretty decent runner I'm building up for a hunting rig. Nice job one the deer! I'm sure I'll see you around. Later, Pat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azrcks Report post Posted December 6, 2008 Well, I new you had to be around somewhere! What's up Rich? Did you sell your crawler? I sold mine. Got tired of busting parts and spending money. To be honest, it was getting boring anyway. Got a pretty decent runner I'm building up for a hunting rig. Nice job one the deer! I'm sure I'll see you around. Later, Pat Hey, man! Doin good. Same as you but have not sold my crawler but going to modify for hunting. Went to WY and got a nice speed goat back in Sept. Funny thing actually, we passed you on Monday, I was in the big tan GMC by the time I realized it was you we were passing each other on the switch backs!!! Good to hear from you, I still owe you some fuses Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Archer Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Great buck good job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azyota Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Hey, man! Doin good. Same as you but have not sold my crawler but going to modify for hunting. Went to WY and got a nice speed goat back in Sept. Funny thing actually, we passed you on Monday, I was in the big tan GMC by the time I realized it was you we were passing each other on the switch backs!!! Good to hear from you, I still owe you some fuses That one pic looks like your scouting a new trail! I thought that was you on the road. I got up there Wednesday night and set up camp in the rain Thursday I drove out in my 4-runner for T-day dinner, and drove back up. I was hunting with a good friend since high school and my dad. My dad aint getting around so good in Coues country anymore, so we stuck pretty close to the roads. Actually, we were glassing right off the roads. That being said we didn't see many bucks. Quite a few does and a couple spikes. I'm doing my best to keep my dad going, but he's trying to quit on me. He just can't walk that country much anymore. I think next year we are going to put him in for Mule Deer, and me for Whitetail. I think that will work out pretty well, and make for a longer deer season too. So dang, 580yds, wow! What are you shooting? I'm shooting a Weatherby Vanguard 30-06, but I don't practice enough to feel confident in the long shots like that. My last two Coues were at 270 and 240. -Pat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernesto C Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Excellent story, excellet pictures and excellent Job! Man with all those binoculars I bet you could see everything, you guys were missing nothing. Ernesto C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azrcks Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Hey, man! Doin good. Same as you but have not sold my crawler but going to modify for hunting. Went to WY and got a nice speed goat back in Sept. Funny thing actually, we passed you on Monday, I was in the big tan GMC by the time I realized it was you we were passing each other on the switch backs!!! Good to hear from you, I still owe you some fuses That one pic looks like your scouting a new trail! I thought that was you on the road. I got up there Wednesday night and set up camp in the rain Thursday I drove out in my 4-runner for T-day dinner, and drove back up. I was hunting with a good friend since high school and my dad. My dad aint getting around so good in Coues country anymore, so we stuck pretty close to the roads. Actually, we were glassing right off the roads. That being said we didn't see many bucks. Quite a few does and a couple spikes. I'm doing my best to keep my dad going, but he's trying to quit on me. He just can't walk that country much anymore. I think next year we are going to put him in for Mule Deer, and me for Whitetail. I think that will work out pretty well, and make for a longer deer season too. So dang, 580yds, wow! What are you shooting? I'm shooting a Weatherby Vanguard 30-06, but I don't practice enough to feel confident in the long shots like that. My last two Coues were at 270 and 240. -Pat No joke on the new trail!!! I am shooting a Rem 700 30-06 Nosler BST 150gr with a Nikon Monarch 4-16, I have it mapped to 600 (energy limits) I hit my coues last year at 400 and I thought that was far. I have a 300RUM now that I am setting up, going to shoot 185gr Berger VDLs for next year still need a scope, love my Nikon so I think I will get the Monarch 5-20 for this gun so that the .06 will be available for a good backup rifle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azrcks Report post Posted December 7, 2008 Excellent story, excellet pictures and excellent Job! Man with all those binoculars I bet you could see everything, you guys were missing nothing. Ernesto C THANKS!, we picked up more bedded deer for sure than ever before. I have the Nikon 12x56 which I let Lalo use because I borrowed some Swaro 15x56 for the week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azyota Report post Posted December 7, 2008 How do you like the Nikon's? I borrowed some 10x42 swaros for one day last weekend and loved them. Bottom line is I just can't come up with that kind dough anytime soon, and the binos I have now are terrible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azrcks Report post Posted December 7, 2008 How do you like the Nikon's? I borrowed some 10x42 swaros for one day last weekend and loved them. Bottom line is I just can't come up with that kind dough anytime soon, and the binos I have now are terrible. put it this way, I used the swaro 15s all week and they are awesome no doubt, but for $400 I will stick to my Nikon 12x56 ATBs for a while, they are clear and wilI can comfortably glass behind them all day, they will suite me well til I can someday afford the swaros Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
