How Would You Hunt This Coues Spot?

[Red Rabbit]

Here is a spot that I looked at a few years ago, but did not hunt. Let's start with the assumption you have the first rifle hunt in October. How would you hunt this drainage? Where would you expect the bucks to bed? feed? Where would set up first thing before dayllight, move to in mid-day, evening? Why are you making these decisions?

 

The photo was taken looking east from about the yellow diamond on the map.

 

[COOSEFAN]

Cool topic Doug!

 

There's a bunch of variables that come into play for me when deciding how to hunt an area. If I was standing right there when you took that picture I may have an entirely different idea than what I've drawn up. The temperature, wind, and hunter pressure are the biggest factors in where to look and by having only a photo to go off of I'll describe the scenario as I see it. The purple shaded areas are where I would focus my attention when looking for bucks in this scenario.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll assume the scenario is hot, swirling winds, full moon and i've seen more hunters near the roads than rabbits!

 

Plan A (red+yellow): This is what I'd do if I felt nobody had been into this spot yet. I would park away from the area 1 1/2 hours before light and walk in without the use of lights (remember it's a full moon). The red path is my trek before light and I would stay in the bottom as much as possible until I reach my first glassing spot. From this spot I'm glassing/facing South and looking directly into the North facing slope and into the West facing part of that bowl. I'm expecting deer to be higher up on the mountain at first light as they make their way coming from the "sunny side up" East and SE facing slope and moving over to these North facing slopes to bed right at first light. I expected they had fed all night on the open East and South face but with the heat of the sun they won't be there long at all at first light. After picking it apart for several hours I would back down out of sight in the ravine and move farther down the finger, this appears to open up a new vantage point looking into the different shaded cuts on the North facing hill. This also appears to put me closer to really dig into the vegetation with my 15's looking for antler tips or eyeballs! Even if it's 200 yards across, I'll use my 15's on these early hunts and I'd be telling myself that a big, smart ol' buck was already bedded there before light! With that in mind I'm constantly telling myself there's a deer watching my every move so as I change vantage points and move over the finger i'm always acting as though I'm stalking a buck. Now it's about midday and with the changing shadows I'm expecting a buck to get up, stretch, feed a little and then bed back down in a new shady spot close by. I'm also aware that if I do find a buck, there probably is another buck with him becuase of this being an early hunt and they usually have buddies nearby. I glass just as hard between 10:00-2:00 as I do at first and last light....especially on this early hunt! Lastly, if I haven't found what i want by the second vantage than I'll move down again because it appears to open up some more of the North facing slope and possibly uncover a buck that has been pushed up from the lower country or one that has been there all along chewing his cud and watching me all day

 

Plan B (red+green): This is what I'd do if there had been hunters already in the area. Same thing, park and hike in the same way at the same time. I'd sit in the same spot as I would in my previous scenario and I would focus on all the same areas. The difference is I would then stay high and I would have already noticed on my topo that there are some small ravine/bowls just over the top of the mountain in front of me and another great South facing vantage point behind to the north. Those areas will have shady pockets which are away from the road and over more difficult terrain. My thinking is that bucks have already been pushed and have already moved into these hidden, less pressured areas. I would make my midday vantage point up there looking into these more secluded bedding/hiding areas. I would do as before and never skyline myself, I would crawl over the finger or at least make sure I'm walking up to a bush or tree to hide my outline as I go over. From here I would stay all day or move along the ridge to open up new country at a different vantage point. I still focus on the shady thick areas and I like to glass at close range with high power binos. You can use the focus ring to pick apart the vegetation and really look into and through it this way and constantly be looking for small peices of a deer. If this plan doesn't work than I would go back to the topo and find more hidden pockets farther away from the roads or in areas where hunters are just walking/driving past and not hunting....sometimes the good spots can be right next to the road!

 

That's definitely a very huntable area and looks awesome! There's tons of ways to hunt that, but it comes down to just effectively covering as much of the country as possible and hopefully before any of the deer know you are there. There's my $.02 JIM>

[Red Rabbit]

For opening day and having the area to one's self (ya, one can hope that the ATVs don't blast to the end of the road and alarm/spook the draw), hike up the road from a mile below and would glass from the lower hill with the red arrows. Glass the open slopes for feeding deer. The glassing hill should be low enough below the horizon that the rising sun won't be in the eyes for a while. Keep and eye on that upper saddle for deer heading off the sunlit slopes on the other side of the far ridge.(sorry, put a blue arrow to there, not red).

 

Midday, nove up to the next hilltop and glass from the ridge with the blue arrows into the bedding areas of that thick stuff. Think keeping below and glassing uphill will let one spot the deer bedded under the trees better.

 

Evening, back to the first hill with the setting sun behind.

 

The top hill may have bucks moving around the top from right to left in the morning to get to the trees on the north side of the top knob, and one could glass into the head of the adjoining basin. This could be a morning spot if the easy stuff the first day did not pan out.

[June]

Mr. RR ,

 

I'm lazy . so, I headed up the east slope before light and will sit at the saddle. That way you can push the deer to me. 34a no help to ya!!. Maybe 35a . But there are no deer there only jaguarundi. (look that up). Just having some fun here. . I wish i could be as detailed as Mr. Coosefan with all the green arrows and purple. But right now I have only two brain cells left and one is currently giving CPR to the other . I'll go away now.

[missedagain]

I would sit down and glass from right there, then I would turn to my left and walk up that ridge to get a better view into those north facing slopes. Sorry I dont know how to do all that fancy shading

[COOSEFAN]

Heck guys, I was bored and it's been a while since I played around with photoshop.

 

Please add in wiriting what you would do at least, doesn't have to be detailed and there's enough colored lines now on the pic's to use as referrence points.

 

I think it's neat to hear how people would hunt the same country differently. RR makes a good point about staying low to add more time to your glassing before the sun crests over and also being able to look up under the trees for bedded deer. I personally would still want to be higher up in this situation as it appears to give me more options for moving locations covering more country after daylight without disturbing much area. I also play the odds game, I know there can be deer anywhere, but I'll focus my attention on the areas with the greater odds of holding the deer I want, with all the variables of the given situation taken into consideration. I'll cover the low odds areas quickly, but spend most of my time glassing areas like the purple shaded ones in my pic. I always try to position myself to give me the best veiw into the high odds area and the best position to quickly shoot or stalk into the high odds area.

 

Everyone has different thoughts, experiences and talents, there really isn't a right or wrong plan of attack here!

[COOSEFAN]

Coosefan, Don't get bent ,you took some time there. I was a little awkward there. But then again I've never been able to follow someone's drum. On the other hand you all are friend's and this is your site. And I can hold my own. Been a Arizona native and will kick when needed. If you can't relax. please go back to where you came from. Quit pretending.

 

 

???

 

Aint my site and not quite sure what this is about! PM being sent.

[TLH]

I like the spot where Doug would spot from but as the temps start to rise so will your scent--i think my plan of attack would be to go behind the mountain and work my way into a draw where i could get the sun to my back and hopefully the wind in my face. I wouldn't cross in front of the mountain where the road is at if i planned on hunting anywhere near that big draw--it will alert too many deer and if there are hunters hunting from that side i should be able to get a few looks at bucks as they retreat to the top and over the side of the mountain i decided to go up.

 

Like Jim said this is all IF the wind and the pressure were the way i though they would be and that doesn't always happen.

[Red Rabbit]

Terry,

In the morning, the thermals will be going down hill for the first moments while the deer will be out feeding. In the afternooon, I think the wind would be out of the southwest, so the scent from the second hill shouls get carried up and left, so deer in the thick stuff on the long ridge to the south should be safe fom scent contamination. Wind and carried scent may be one thing may do not consider in choosing the glassing spot or their approach.

 

The map indicates a dam in the draw below the glassing hill, so one might catch a midday buck sneaking down the ridge to water.

 

Jim,

many thanks for your detailed response.

 

Hey, this year the full moon is October 4, dark on the 18th, and first quarter on the 26th and full again on Sept. 2. Full moon for those of us lucky to draw a December tag is Dec 31.

 

Doug~RR

[tjhunt2]

I enjoyed listening to everyone's plan of attack and with each scenario brings a different approach that could work. I really liked Jim's planning and details he put in to this. From where the picture was taken, I think I would try and get a little more around to the left more so I could flop my fat butt down next to any shade and glass more head-on into the purple shaded area and continue to watch all the other tree shaded areas as well. I have always liked the 10am thru 2pm time for glassing because the sun is changing the shaded areas and the deer will be moving accordingly. Yes, watch for a deer heading for the water in the bottom during this time of day. If I could get comfortable and knew this area held deer I would stay put with my 15x56's. When other hunters enter the picture I'm never to happy but I do get excited that they could push out a buck and being seated in my spot would give me a better picture of the situation and my next plan of attack.

 

Great subject Doug. It kind of got my blood pumping sitting here.

 

TJ

[COUESAZ]

First I would fly over it with my ultra lite and spot all the deer. then i would make a second pass and pick out the bucks. On the third pass i would pick out the big one i wanted to shoot. Then I would land and start the stalk. You know just the basic spot and stalk hunting. Seems to work every time.

 

I have had good luck doing as TLH said also. I seem to find deer feeding out into the open hill sides in the early morning to enjoy a little heat with breakfast. Then they turn back to the shady side to rest it off. Also no sun in the eyes this way.

[Guest 300ultramag.]

Coosefan, Don't get bent ,you took some time there. I was a little awkward there. But then again I've never been able to follow someone's drum. On the other hand you all are friend's and this is your site. And I can hold my own. Been a Arizona native and will kick when needed. If you can't relax. please go back to where you came from. Quit pretending.

 

 

???

 

Aint my site and not quite sure what this is about! PM being sent.

 

 

That was pretty awkward! go back to where you came from?

 

CooseFan I was delighted at the time you put in. Im not all that good at hunting strategies I just get lucky every once and a while. The way you built the scenario was text book on where I shot a decent buck 2 years ago. There was some folks pounding an area pretty hard but they didnt commit to one area. We watched the hunters leave and we picked up where they left off, the first untouched draw we came accross a good 3x3 popped out at 280 yds. and that was that! Thanks again. Say hello to Crissy for me...

 

 

Beau

[TAM]

Not to stir the pot, but it sure sounds like a lot of you like to sit right in the deer's living room when you are glassing for them. I think the two knobs that RR pointed out are where I'd like to end up shooting from, but not glassing from. I think I'd like to glass from same ridge the yellow dot is on just a little higher elevation (north). Perhaps I'd make my initial hike in on the west side of the yellow dot so my noise wouldn't spook anything. Once I was high enough I'd come over the edge to glass all the country to the east.

 

I like to keep a little distance between me and the deer, at least 500-600 yards on out to a mile or so to start with, then work my way in for the shot.

 

 

 

 

[Red Rabbit]

Tim,

I wouldn't consider it stirring the pot. The goal of this post is to get different strategies and reasoning so we all can learn from each other. If everyone throws in their 2 cents worth, eventually we'll get a buck (pun intended).

 

From the first glassing hill to the saddle on the horizon is about 1200 yards, according to the map scale. I think that if one can get to the first hill by walking quietly up the rad before dawn, I would not consider it being too close.

 

The problem with the road in that draw is that some will say, "let's drive up there instead of walking".

I was helping a friend and his son on an elk hunt several years ago. He had located a point above a water hole on a cedar flat. Opening morning, we drove there. I wanted to walk the last ways, but he decided it was OK to drive out (not my hunt to argue) Anyways, we rattled the truck out to the point and spooked the 3 bulls away from below. By the time the hunter/son could get set up, the bulls had made haste.

 

Doug

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Great input and thread! I'd have to say that most of you ahve very good points and plans!! Here is my $.02....

 

I'd do my glassing from the West ridge from one of the 3 yellow glassing spots.... which ever one gave me the best look at the water sources as well as a view into those brushy cuts.... I would sit that one best glassing spot (of the three on the West ridge) all day..... if I liked what I saw I might even do it for two days.... and then a third. If I did not like what was happening or what I saw.... or after 3 days.... I might consider the blue line and yellow glassing points.... for a day, IF I was sure that the area held big deer...