casualcasey Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Hello. My friend and I are Southwestern Whitetail rookies and are headed to Sonoita to hunt Coues for the first time. Any Advise on Glassing techniques or tricks to the trade would be greatly appreciated. I have always hunted in the Midwest wearing orange. Is that the case here in the Southwest? Are there prime hours... or dead time to aware of this time of year? Thanks for you time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Bring something to sit on! Be comfortable Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAM Report post Posted October 15, 2009 No hunter orange needed, but make sure you bring some good optics. Find a spot that looks good to you and glass, glass and glass. Good luck on your hunt. -Ryan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Howdy sir and welcome to the best site on the web, you came to the right place! First off, prepare yourself for the addiction you are about to be inflicted with! Coues deer can be the most rewarding, addicting and even the most frustrating critter to hunt! The unit your hunting is one of those that can be very frustrating, especially if you have one of the early hunts. There will be quite a bit of hunting pressure in the areas that you'll be told to hunt, just remember that there are deer there and even some good bucks! I hunt this unit every year and have learned that just because you saw a group of hunters walk down a ridge doesn't mean there weren't any deer there or that they were busted out. Pay attention to the pockets that are surrounded by this pressure, most hunters don't walk through these thick pockets or even glass into them. These pockets are either thick oaks, deep cuts in a grassy hillside, or thick catclaw holes surrounded by long ridgelines. You'll find more of these catclaw pockets in the northern part of the unit and thick tree and grass pockets in the southern part of the unit. I like the northern part becuase of the glassability and tend to stay away from thick tree country....but there are more of the bigger, older age class bucks in the thicker tree covered country, I personally just don't have the patience for that stuff We find big enough bucks in the easier to glass country so that's where I tend to stay basically because it's more enjoyable for me with my style of hunting. Locate these hidden pockets, which will most likely be north facing for the most part and provide shade all day. I like to sneek into veiw of these pockets and glass hard into them looking for peices of a deer. Very rarely will they be in the wide open in these spots as they probably were spooked into these spots by another hunter earlier on. I've seen bucks in these pockets actually lay their head on the ground or crawl under the vegetation when they see a hunter, so it definitely helps to sneek into your vantage point and never skyline yourself. I'll glass lots of country at first and last light making note of the pockets that deer dissappear into and then midday I'll do "detail" glassing into those pressure pockets at closer range. I'll even use my 15x binos at close range in order to pick out a nose, antler tip, or eyeball, you'll be surprised at how productive this is for these little ghosts! Like has been said and will be said again, glass, glass and then glass some more! Use a tripod and like Casey said get comfortable so you can glass some more! Best of luck and be sure to share your story and pics with us! JIM> Here's a couple bucks we've taken on the early hunt in your unit by hunting the pressure pockets mid-day..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JACK Report post Posted October 16, 2009 There is a reason there are so many left over tags in this unit...its not easy...However there are great bucks to be found where ever you go in the unit...I too hunt this unit at least once every year...COOSEFAN nailed it couldn't have said it better...so be patient and hunt your butt off...here are a few more bucks...Good luck on your hunt And there is ALOT of this crap going on down there this time of the year so BE CAREFULL!! and dont mess around with the guys packin dope... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeybari Report post Posted October 16, 2009 I put in for that unit every year bcs like every one pointed out it a very hard hunt but it can be very rewarding I have gotten a buck 5 out of the 6 hunts but just like you my first time I had no idea what to do bcs of the some what different landscape but glass with a good high powered binos and lots of patience tripod and hang out a little by the water holes there full bcs of the rain in the mountains this year Good luck done be discouraged Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
casualcasey Report post Posted October 29, 2009 Thanks to all that responded. We got a 3 by 3 the third day of the hunt. What an experience! They are the ghost's of the desert for good reason. After days of glassing, We spotted three bucks in distance and we stalked them while they were on the move. We lost them and waited for them to appear out of the thickets. Sure enough, the three bucks re-appeared doubling back and started to move away from us... Finding the bucks in the scope after the binos is not as easy as it sounds! 325yrds while the buck was walking away from us. I saw it drop! It felt like I was on versus! LOL. The 762 by 54r round hit the shoulder and bounced into the spine. Dead on impact. Two rookies gutted it, humped it out, skinned it, quartered it, and then processed it ourselves. ( With a little help on the skinnig/quartering...thanks Jerry) Couldn't be happier with the experience, the area and the result. We made spicy sausage, maple sausage and ate the loins/back straps the first night back! HOOKED FOR LIFE!!! I'll be back in December to nab one with my Bow. Thanks again everyone! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HUNTMUP Report post Posted October 29, 2009 To be on the safe side I would recommend waiting until January to sling the arrows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
izquik72 Report post Posted October 30, 2009 As the poster said before me. Wait till Jan. The Deer populations in AZ can not survive hunters taking more than one deer per Calender Year. And thats the LAW Congrats on your first coues hunt! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shylopolito Report post Posted October 30, 2009 As the poster said before me. Wait till Jan. The Deer populations in AZ can not survive hunters taking more than one deer per Calender Year. And thats the LAW Congrats on your first coues hunt! +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
