Best coues buck to date.

[cmc]

You can find more about the hunt and all the photos that are posted here - http://www.azsj.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17843

 

So opening day finally arrived and after much/little to do my wife and I found ourselves at sun up on the mountain glassing over a huge remote basin that I love to find solace in. I have yet to ever see anyone hunting in there and after Sunday my wife informed me she knows exactly why I’ve never seen anyone in there. Something about her husband seems to be the only insane crazy nitwit that will dive down into that bowl and enjoy packing something out of it. Uh, ok. Whatever.

 

We glassed up bucks each day and good ones too boot. Friday I glassed up two bucks just after sun up. They were both over 80” and oblivious to our presence up on our lookout point. The two bucks were joined by a big bobcat that stalked to within 20yds of them and kept playing with them for the better part of an hour. After the bucks ran off the bobcat they finally made their way down into the shade of some scrub oaks and bedded up. We made our way down to just above them and all of the sudden the wind shifted. The huge 2 point (yes he was a 80”+ 2 point) stepped out at 60yds and I was pinned in the open and my wife behind a bush. She got her gun around but the two bucks bolted out and across the canyon in a heart beat. I got my wife positioned with my tripod setup to rest her .243 on to where the bucks were coming out. I tried to stop them with my best ‘muunnt’, which they would but always in the dark shade of the trees. My wife kept fighting her contacts all weekend, having left her eye drops at home, and it was showing as she struggled locating deer in the scope. Needless to say they made it over the hill without a shot being sent.

 

 

 

So the rest of the day was spent glassing for more bucks and avoiding the scorching heat. We retreated to our trailer come dark and rehydrated with some Wilderness Athlete Hydromax and a night cap of Advil and crown royal on the rocks.

 

Morning came way to quick on Saturday and it found my wife and I hiking once again in the dark to another glassing point. It wasn’t long and I glassed up a 90” bedded buck watching a doe feed nearby. My wife wasn’t all that happy with the route I described that we needed to take to try and get a crack at the buck but after some coaxing she was game. The route was a nasty drop off into a canyon and a near vertical hike out up to the opposing ridge to a peak so we could be looking down on the canyon the buck was in. It was brutal hike up out of that canyon and my wife was none to pleased with my choice of route questioning why she even listens to me in the first place. Once on top we were sneaking up on the draw I had seen the buck. Sure enough he pokes his head out from behind a tree. I put the range finder on him at 260yds.

 

I should have prefaced that I had imposed a 200yd limit to shots for my wife and anything beyond that I’d take. Looking back that was a dumb limit but that too is behind us isn’t it. I started to try and find a spot to shoot from and dropped my pack. I laid down into the prone position as the buck started to come out. It was then that I realized the grass was much taller than I had anticipated and could not rest my rifle on my pack. Instead I found myself stretching my arms out to just clear the grass to gain sight of the buck. Once the buck got clear of the bush I felt the wind shift and hit me in the back. A second later the bucks head snapped around and I figured the gig was up and I better start to put 3.5lbs on that rifle trigger.

 

This is where I started to deposit copper back into the mountain questioning my ability to hit the broad side of a barn. When the dust cleared and an hour later after my wife and I were able to trace the bucks tracks from each of my shots to the next not a drop of blood was to be found. Which any of you that have done such it only makes for a long grueling, hot, and sorrowful hike out to the truck. Later that day another great buck busted out below us as we were taking a rest break before packing up from a glassing point and moving closer to the truck. Didn’t find much else that afternoon with the heat everything wanted to just sit tight in the shade till well after sun down.

 

Sunday found us opting to go to another canyon to show my wife some new country. This was going to be a bit easier to get to and wasn’t going to involving much hiking. In fact I think from the jeep to our glassing seats it was 20yds. A hike my wife loved after to solid days of nasty hills and canyon crossings. From our little knob that we were perched on I was glassing up deer after deer after deer. It was a great morning. We had two bucks dropping down to get water out of tank we were near. Things really looked up until a quad pulled up behinds us and the two bucks busted out before they were close enough for a shot. I ended up leaving my 15x swaros in the trailer in hopes to help make up with my wife by not glassing up a buck in yonder mountains. Well that didn’t seem to work out in her favor as I glassed up another great 3x buck two ridges over with my 10x Leupolds. Whoops. I actually hesitated telling her that I found a buck but a buck was spotted so I opted to side on the fact maybe she’d be happy to know there are bucks out there to shoot. Needless to say she wasn’t impressed by my spotting ability. I opted to jump in the jeep and try to take off some travel time but by the time we got over to the draw some other guys on quads had made it there and shots were fired so I can only guess that they missed that buck or ran him off with whatever they were shooting at.

 

Ok so that pretty much ended my wife’s hunt as we now had to head back to town to relieve the babysitters, Grandma and Grandpa. I was still miffed about my misses the other day and pondering if I go out or call it a hunt myself. I still needed to venture out and pick up the 5th wheel. My mind was made up with the learning of Aaron’s monster deer they took as inspiration to get out there and try to fill my tag.

 

So the alarm was set for 3am., which is not fun at all and I’m a morning person. I found myself chugging burning hot Circle K coffee and stuffing down a strawberry poptart as I sped down the highway. I did a quick check on the trailer that everything was intact and then I was off to my parking spot in the pitch dark. It was the coolest morning of all the morning out which was nice for a change. This trip out I had my trusty headlamp, sure needed batteries, but it held for the hike in to my glassing spot well before sun up. I only spotted does for the fist few hours so I opted to jump over to the canyon that I ended up missing the buck in on Saturday. I found myself working down the ridge to the next draw beyond where I missed the buck. Just as I started to set my pack down under a shade tree I see a buck standing under a deer across the draw. I pulled up my Leupolds and see horns. I told myself the first buck I see I’m going after and if I miss, I’m going home. I pulled out my range finder and the buck read 199yds.

 

I crept behind the trunk of the scrub oak I was under and laid down to get a solid rest. This time I took my time, calmed down and took a solid rest. BOOM. Buck didn’t move. Well lets just say that most of you already know my nickname “lucky”. I’m here to say that luck was in full swing as I quickly discovered that my gun was not sighted in as I sent copper over to the deer at well… warp speed. Having seen where my shots hit without the buck moving I could see where I should be holding. Sure enough as soon as I moved up and over… the last shot hit the buck and he bolted.

 

I waited for 20min to give him time then packed up my stuff and hiked around to the spot where I hit him. I found blood. Then I realized that he bailed off one very nasty ridge into the depths of the canyon. Considering the angle it was pretty easy to follow him for multiple reasons. First it was the blood he had spewing all over the grass but easier to follow was the destruction he left as he slid all the way down the mountain disturbing the leaves and rocks along the way. I slid down that mountain right behind him leaving my own path of destruction as I went in pursuit.

 

Once I was at the bottom the buck bolted out of the wash trying to make it up the hillside. A final shot rang out, and shooting a 7mm in the bottom of a tight canyon will have it ring out for hours in case you wanted to know. The buck was down for good.

 

 

 

I will say that this was one of the mixed emotion times I’ve had standing over an animal I killed. I was elated to have filled my tag but quite saddened that my wife was not there to live the experience with me. I was frustrated that my prep work almost cost me filling my tag and thankful that the good Lord was watching out for me on this one. Luck had nothing to do with it.

 

I took some photos then pulled the buck over to the nearest shade tree and began to process him for the pack out. A quick gutless method had the meat hanging in the tree to cool in the mid morning heat. After a short bite to eat, some water and let my socks air I loaded everything into my pack for the trek out. My pack weighed in around 65lbs without the 80oz of water I had it in when I started but for some reason I could barley tell it was there. 2.5 hours later and just shy of 3 miles with 4/5th of them being uphill out of that bowl I was at the truck.

 

The A/C in the truck couldn’t have blown cold enough while I drove back to the trailer to get the meat on ice and hitch up for the long drive home. A stop off at the taxidermist and a quick gathering around the table as he measured my first ever 4 x 4 coues deer taped out at 97 4/8’s and ends up as my biggest buck to date.

 

 

I still wish my wife could have been there to enjoy putting some closure to the hunt but having spent the three quick days with here we built up a life time of memories that we’ll get to share with our kids and others in the years to come.

 

 

I can’t wait till next year!

[bonecollector]

Congrats on a great buck and to overcome some obstacles and still getting it done.

[bobbyo]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations.

Bob

[couesdiehard]

cmc,

How do rifles and scopes tend to get out of alignment in coues country? It has happened to me more than once and it will make you prematurely grey. Nice recovery and great buck.

Lee

[Packer]

Congrats again on a great buck. I am sure there will be more of them in the future.

 

Aaron

[THOR]

Great buck and great story....way to overcome obsticles and get the job done. Congrats!

[willhunt4coues]

Great buck and great story congrats.

[June]

Congratulations!! Looks like some fine coues country.. Can you really tell the difference using that hydrate and recovery mix? Looks like something to give a try...

 

 

[Coues Archer]

Wow. Way to go that is a tremendous buck. Great job. And a wonderful story. Congrats.

[cmc]

Congratulations!! Looks like some fine coues country.. Can you really tell the difference using that hydrate and recovery mix? Looks like something to give a try...

 

Yes! IMO... I started using the mix on my last archery antelope hunt when I was hunting in 90deg temps and doing when building my garage during the summer. My recovery time to get up and hit it hard the next day was much better than any other items I've tried. That and the taste is great. My brother has been a personal trainer for over 15 years so I asked him his professional opinion of the mix. He's also a hunter that's had some early season deer hunts so he knows what I'm looking for to aid in getting out there each day and giving it my all. He gave the mix two big thumbs up for use on hunting trips in the heat or not. If you hike hard each day one of these a day at minimum sure aids keeping your internal furnace running on high.

 

I now use the stuff anytime I end up exerting some serious toll on my body in the heat or not. I can't say I use get a lot of cramps but having started to use the mix I have never had a cramp nor do I feel near the dehydrated feeling like I use to no matter how much water I'd pound down during and after a days hunt.

 

I will add that the mix alone is not the answer. You need to eat right all hunt long. Drop the beer, add in proper energy bars, snacks and meals... oh and tons of water. Once I switched up my diet on my hunts a 7 day coues hunt, a 9 day elk hunt or 5 day pack in bear hunt isn't near the toll as two days of deer when I was 15 years younger and in better shape.

 

cmc

[josh]

Well done!

These stories are what I love about the deer we hunt. There is nothing I would rather do than chase coues whitetail deer in October.

[June]

Hey, thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to give it a test run before my hunt..Thanks again and Congrats again.. Peace

[shortpants]

Awesome story and awesome buck but your real trophy is that great wife of yours.

Hopefully next time she can be there with you and maybe even pull the trigger herself!