Dreaded nonresident burned 11 points

[POk3s]

As the title suggests, this is my year for a coues adventure! 
 

I drew the late December hunt in the unit north of Tucson that starts with a three and ends with a three. I had avoided putting in here or thinking about this unit for most of the last decade building points, but after seeing how they cut tags it put it back on the radar and I couldn’t pass up getting to hunt it in late December when time rolled around. It’ll be interesting when the draw odds come out, to see how lucky I got, as it looked like a coin flip with 10 points last year…
 

I really seriously don’t want your spots. There’s enough info on the web thanks to your counterparts and I also just enjoy hunting for myself and not getting the fast track. However, if someone chases a 120” in any of the earlier hunts and wants to send me the coordinates, then maybe I’ll reconsider 😂😂 . 
 

Mostly I’m just jacked and want to chat about the hunt and the unit and ask some potentially different questions as they come to me. 
 

First things first. I currently have an 11 month old at home and this hunt is over Christmas. The plan is for my wife and son to come down for a few days surrounding Christmas, to an Airbnb or something we have rented ahead of time. My wife gets to leave the brutal Wyoming winter weather for a fun time down in the sun and I get to hunt. An odd question definitely but I figured I’d ask this group of anyone owns any of these style of rentals and we can dodge the Airbnb garbage. Fat chance I know…but never hurts to ask. My wife said it has to have a hot tub…

 

The other main question, so far, is camping. When my family isn’t there, I’ll be camping somewhere. Side by side on a trailer and a wall tent, so nothing too extravagant. Is there somewhere that’s “popular” to camp? Easy on equipment to tow in and out but not in a campground or something of the sort? I really like to be off by myself and not within ear shot of others, but having hunted other parts of arizona, I know that the roads can be quite sporty, very quickly! First thought was somehwere off Redington Road. It seems to be centrally located so I can move around if need be. Plan B- for now seems like somewhere around peppersauce would be good to spend more than a few days and I can always relocate if I don’t find what I’m looking for up there. 

Any worries with leaving camp unoccupied for a day or three? Not advised or no big deal?

Again,  these definitely aren’t normal questions but figured I would ask them openly. Just excited about the hunt and getting to plan it is exciting in itself! 

[PRDATR]

Shoot the first thing you see over 105.

There used to be a Campground in Peppersauce. Or you can continue on the road for a mile or two and find some flat ground.  Chances of someone messing with your camp are extremely low. You can expect freezing temps at night.

I don't have to tell you that you have a really good tag. There is probably a BNB or two in Oracle, Catalina isn't too far away either. 30 years ago even with lots of tags there were places that didn't get much pressure. Get in shape and GTF far off the road before sunrise, stay out all day.

Lots of Coati's down there too.

[POk3s]

I don’t want to get too cocky with it, having never shot a coues, but I would like to wait until I see one solidly over 100”. That’s really the only stipulation I have so far. I know I’m only hunting this tag on these dates 1 time barring some real serious luck. I’m just fine if I go home without one. 
 

I did go down and hunt OTC archery coues a handful of years ago, so not a complete rookie but pretty close. 
 

I should mention that if any other members drew the tag, it would be cool to connect throughout the hunt, camp close by etc.

[Titanium700]

Was my backyard for a few years. 
the suggestions above are good. 
twere me like suggested pepper sauce. 
set your main camp there as you don’t wanna go any further with a camper trailer. 
pack a tent for your sxs and go on that if needed. 
Ill be out there for Christmas visiting my in laws, I’d help with a pair of eyes but this year I’d better stay with family as they are getting older. 
Get back as far as possible that SxS can take you many places your truck can’t. 
don’t be afraid to hike like a banshee off roads and don’t let the steep terrain hinder. 
good luck. 

[POk3s]

1 hour ago, Titanium700 said:

Was my backyard for a few years. 
the suggestions above are good. 
twere me like suggested pepper sauce. 
set your main camp there as you don’t wanna go any further with a camper trailer. 
pack a tent for your sxs and go on that if needed. 
Ill be out there for Christmas visiting my in laws, I’d help with a pair of eyes but this year I’d better stay with family as they are getting older. 
Get back as far as possible that SxS can take you many places your truck can’t. 
don’t be afraid to hike like a banshee off roads and don’t let the steep terrain hinder. 
good luck. 

I appreciate it. Thank you. Is that pepper sauce campground an actual campground? Do I have to pay? Or is it just just a few flat spots to use for free?

I won’t go past that until I scout it out unless someone tells me different.

 

As far as getting off the road I’m going to try and pick a spot to backpack into for a few days. I prefer to get way off the beaten path. I just don’t want to backpack in too soon to a pin on the map that’s just really not that good. 
 

I hope to make it down sometime this fall and scout but a scouting mission 13 hours away from home is tough! Currently I have the 21st through 31st off work with one day off for Christmas. Hoping to add the rest of the season to my time off as the hunt draws closer.

[GreyGhost85]

4 hours ago, PRDATR said:

Shoot the first thing you see over 105.

There used to be a Campground in Peppersauce. Or you can continue on the road for a mile or two and find some flat ground.  Chances of someone messing with your camp are extremely low. You can expect freezing temps at night.

I don't have to tell you that you have a really good tag. There is probably a BNB or two in Oracle, Catalina isn't too far away either. 30 years ago even with lots of tags there were places that didn't get much pressure. Get in shape and GTF far off the road before sunrise, stay out all day.

Lots of Coati's down there too.

Shoot the first buck you see over 105”? How many have you killed over that? Basically telling an out-of-stater who has probably never hunted coues to hold out for a booner? Lol. 33 is a good unit, but has been decimated by fires and tag numbers for years. I don’t know much about it but it will be a pretty good hunt. Have a good time, take your time and shoot whatever TF you want to shoot. 

[TrackerG]

2 hours ago, GreyGhost85 said:

Shoot the first buck you see over 105”? How many have you killed over that? Basically telling an out-of-stater who has probably never hunted coues to hold out for a booner? Lol. 33 is a good unit, but has been decimated by fires and tag numbers for years. I don’t know much about it but it will be a pretty good hunt. Have a good time, take your time and shoot whatever TF you want to shoot. 

Man, a lot of people hunt many many years to kill a 105. I'm with you, the odds of that happening are not in your favor. 

 

I would hunt hard, glass north facing slopes with intention. And go from there, you'll know when the time is right to pull the trigger. Personally I feel like the entire area around the North end of the unit gets pounded pretty hard. 

[POk3s]

Don’t get too caught up in the 105 number. I’m sure that was a quickly typed out number just to tell me that although I have a good tag, don’t think giants are behind every tree. I hunt as much as I can and usually with subpar tags just to go hunting but have had a couple “good” tags in my life and I don’t have my sites set too high with this tag either. I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hunt the unit and from an outsider, it seemed like the best place to burn my points.
 

Residents seem to scoff at the unit while having their favorite unit in their back pocket. I understand not giving that info up, but hopefully the years of lower tag numbers the last few years and the December time frame gives me a good hunt. That’s all I care about and a unit with this much history and a high amount of points to hunt it, is attractive to a guy like me before moving onto other units and other places.

 

. As I sit here, I don’t care to kill one. By December 31st maybe I’ll be curious what that coues meat taste like. Hard to see. Regardless, I’ll enjoy myself! 

[Chef]

40 minutes ago, POk3s said:

. As I sit here, I don’t care to kill one. By December 31st maybe I’ll be curious what that coues meat taste like. Hard to see. Regardless, I’ll enjoy myself! 

In my opinion, it's the best (non corn fed) venison you can have.

[jdown]

I've killed a fair number of Iowa, Mo, Wi and Co deer on top of our Az deer and our desert deer (both coues and md) eat much better than any corn fed deer I've ever had.  Edge to coues over md but both out eat midwest deer by a long shot. Our Antelope eat better than Co goats too (can't speak to wy goats but hope to be able to get up there soon).  These jojoba, acorns and whatever else these deer find make for better flavor than soybean and corn imo. 

[Chef]

1 hour ago, jdown said:

...our Az deer and our desert deer (both coues and md) eat much better than any corn fed deer I've ever had.  Edge to coues over md but both out eat midwest deer by a long shot...

I agree with you the majority of the time, but two seasons ago in sheep camp, our hunter brought some Kansas corn-fed venison, and it was the best I've had.  It was just unbelievable.

[thegunsmith2506]

11 minutes ago, Chef said:

I agree with you the majority of the time, but two seasons ago in sheep camp, our hunter brought some Kansas corn-fed venison, and it was the best I've had.  It was just unbelievable.

When I use to hunt in MO every year we would cut up our own deer at my uncles farm. One deer we took to the butcher and I was shocked at the number of un gutted deer in the back of trucks. Lots of un gutted deer at the local coffee shops in the beds of trucks. I think that has a lot to do with it because most of those guys batch cut. I prefer coues, but the corn fed deer were good too. 

[jdown]

27 minutes ago, thegunsmith2506 said:

When I use to hunt in MO every year we would cut up our own deer at my uncles farm. One deer we took to the butcher and I was shocked at the number of un gutted deer in the back of trucks. Lots of un gutted deer at the local coffee shops in the beds of trucks. I think that has a lot to do with it because most of those guys batch cut. I prefer coues, but the corn fed deer were good too. 

100% agree however I'm comparing to deer I've killed and taken care of the same way I do with game here.  Those folks always give me crap for gutting and field dressing within the first few minutes regardless of what the temp is vs hanging from a basketball pole for 1 month.... and I would still say these desert deer taste better.  

 

[U.T.A.H. Camp]

POk3s

Congratulations on drawing a great tag. Ouch on 11 points, but that's the direction most tags are taking.  Enjoy the best time of year in the desert. 

[POk3s]

8 minutes ago, U.T.A.H. Camp said:

POk3s

Congratulations on drawing a great tag. Ouch on 11 points, but that's the direction most tags are taking.  Enjoy the best time of year in the desert. 

Thank you. Yea the 11 points hurt and some have asked me why I’d burn them on coues and not mule deer. I think most on this forum understand why, but having lived in Wyoming and hunting mule deer in other states, is much rather burn the points on coues adventure.

For what it’s worth, I think Wyoming pronghorn antelope are great. I cooked some up for my wife who is down to try anything (😃) and I thought the antelope was delicious and she hated it. So I really believe that sometimes it’s all in a person’s pallet.