best coues hunt

[ultramag]

2003 was my best coues hunt ever. i had a dec tag for unit 23. and hunted hard saw lots of deer and lot of bucks. on the last day of my first weekend i shot my first coues buck a nice 3x3 got it mounted. to this day i am still proud of it. on the second weekend we went back up and saw lots more deer my partner had a chance at a buck twice the size as mine it was awsome.lets here your best coues hunt story.

[wklman]

my 2nd deer shot in 91' was my favorite hunt.it was a late dec hunt down south that had it all. the first weekend i saw and shot at 4 different bucks with one being a monster(missed em all,being a young pup outta high school).The next weekend it had rained hard and was foggy in the mornings.my brother had shot a decent 3x4 earlier in the week so i was hunting alone that saturday. walked about a mile in and sat down to get a drink. i looked up and saw a face looking at me from under a tree. slowly i put down my water and picked up my bino's.yup, it was a buck but couldn't tell how big he was because his antlers were hidden behind a branch.I picked up my rifle,took the safety off and put the crosshairs on his chest. At the shot he took off running and my heart sank as the biggest deer I had ever seen was getting out of dodge. I reloaded and shot twice more as he ran up the cut he was in until he hit some trees. dejected i decided to wait and see if he would top out. after about 5 minutes of not seeing any movement I went up the cut to see if i had hit him. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when i walked about 80 yards and found the buck of my dreams laying dead underneath an oak tree. even though i've shot bigger deer,this one will always be my favorite memory. he's the one on the avatar to the left.

[az4life]

2 years ago, my hunting partner and I were able to take 2 bucks at the same time. We were next to each other, shooting across the canyon and dropped 2 bucks within seconds of each other.

 

Another year, about 12 years ago, I was hunting on the last day of the year. I was sick but could not pass up the last day hunt. Alone, I hiked for about 3 miles over very rugged terrain, planted myself and waited. Fog rolled in and it was nearly 11:00 before it cleared. As that happened I spotted a deer across the canyon, 250 yds. It was a nice 3x3 buck. I moved closer and took a shot, dropping him. He rolled down the canyon.

 

I had to hike pull him out from 100 ft almost straight downhill, field dress him and get back to the truck. I was so sick, and he was too big for me to pack with my gear. I hung him in a small tree.

 

I halved him and began the hike out. Left part of my gear including my gun. (STOOPID) I Ran out of water but made it over the mountain, back to the truck at 3pm. Tried a short cut over the mountain, but that was very wrong. Took way too long and was way too hard. 2.5 hours later I made it out. Felt like I would die on that hill for a while! Not enough time to go back and no water! so I headed home.

 

I called GF hotline and asked about going back to get the other part and my gun the next day. they flipped out when I said I left my gun, but said they would note my story and to have any officer call in if I was stopped. I told them I was so far off the trails that I had never seen anyone in that canyon during scouting or hunting. It was a Long way back over rugged country!

 

I drugged up on cold meds and coffee. Hoofed it in another way and my fast pace made it in to the spot in 45 minutes. I was moving! Loaded up and made it back to the truck in 1hr 15 mins.

 

I was stupid and Lucky! Leaving my gun and part of my deer in a tree, left me open to lion attack or who knows what. Turned out it was the best deer in our group that year. Helped 3 others get thiers before I got mine an no one was around to help me when I needed it.

 

Learned a lot that year, and I am more cogniscent of my limits now.

 

Hope you all get a good laugh on me.

[BASS]

I too shot my first coues in 2003. Ever since I can't get enough of these desert ghosts

 

My dad and Ihad just gotten off of the quads after riding up a trail on a mountain. After three days of hard hunting, and not seeing signn of life anywhere I wasn't too worried about throwing my last day of hunting away (not normal for me at all!) We looked around, noted the beautiful sunset, and headed back to the quads. That's when I heard rocks falling. We walked to the edge of the road and started looking. We saw nothing, unitl we looked 200 yards below us. There stood one lone Buck and four doe feeding in a small opening. I ran back to the quad, which was up hill. Then back down. I was laying on slate, and couldn't move to get relaxed with out making noise. I finnaly just stood up, and moved over five foot or so. I then relaxed, and squeezed. When the gun went off, I raised my head, released my breathe, cycled the bolt, and went to look for a possible follow up shot. I didn't realize that I had fogged my scope to the point I could see nothing. When I looked up, I saw the buck thrash, one last time, then jump behind a rock. After we got to him, we learned that he only ran 15 yards, with a hole through the heart ( ) I love that 3x2. Then last year in the exact same spot I shot a 2x2 that is just a bit wider than the one from '03. As we were gutting last years, we caught a glimpse of a very nice 4x4 that made my heart flutter. I hope he made it through the season.

[Dodger2]

My best coues hunt was in 2002. The first weekend I was able to take a 2x2, it was 2nd coues. I was trying to get my brother one. We found a really quiet canyon and I sat down to start glassing. My brother continued around the hill to another vantage point. As he walked he kicked up some deer. He said they were does, however, I checked them again when they got to the bottom and saw the little 2x2. I tried to get my brother's attention but he kept walking until he heard my shot. He said he jumped about 10ft. in the air. He yells at me "What are you doing?!!" "You just shot a doe!" Of course I knew what I was shooting at and he never saw the buck. At first he was happy for me, but then he got kinda upset that he missed seeing that buck.

 

The second weekend was the best part, IMO. The very last day, I was with my brother trying to get him out of his sleeping bag. We really hadn't seen a deer since I shot mine and he was really frustrated. I finally got him going about 10am. We walked down this canyon that we had never been to when he told me that he had to stop. He grabbed his TP out of his pack and headed into the trees. I asked him what he wanted me to do if I saw a buck. He said shoot me (kidding of course). I sat down and look at the ridge above us and saw...a really nice buck! I went back the trail whispering for him trying not to spoke the deer. My brother comes out of the trees yelling at me trying to zip up his pants. I am trying to convince him about the buck, he's like "Ya right". He sat down and rested his gun on the top wire of a barbwired fence at a post. I sat back watching the shot, and then BOOM, he drops it with one shot at about 400yds. I couldn't believe it. Then we argued about where the deer was the whole way up the hill. I was awesome, I don't think I'll ever forget that hunting memory!

 

Sorry for being so long winded.

Matt

[az4life]

Okay, I don't want to monopolize the trhead, but I want to remind everyone that there are some good stories on the Hunt Stories page.

 

 

Here is another one from one of my first times hunting these deer. First Timers Tale - Amazing Coues

[couesdiehard]

I thought the best coues hunt is always the one you are on or the next one you are waiting for. Maybe that's just me. December 2005 in unit 31. Details to follow....

couesdiehard

[az4life]

GREAT perspective Couesdiehard!

[CB1]

I like it couesdiehard, I put in for that hunt as well.

[azpackhorse]

I have never had a bad Coues hunt but I do have one that is special to me.

It was in 1994 and it was one of my first Coues hunts as well as my stepson's first deer hunt. We were hunting in the Chiricahua mountains and had endured a sleepless night of being soaking wet and being concerned about Rock Creek rising so much that we were going to be stranded.

In the morning we headed out to hunt greeted by sunny skies and the wonderfull smell of fresh, wet desert in the air.

About 2 hours into our hunt I spotted 3 bucks across the canyon from us so we moved in for a shot. We got to within 250 yards of the bucks and my stepson was a little nervous so he wanted me to shoot first. Evidently I had knocked my scope off somewhere along the way and after expending all of my ammo he handed me his .308 and I tipped one of them over, racked another round into the rifle, set the safety and handed the rifle to him and he made an awesome 300 yard shot right through the heart.

We shared a wonderful hunt having harvested our first Coues bucks together within seconds of each other.

 

The Lord called my stepson home 5 1/2 years ago and every time I hunt Coues he is with me in spirit, he was a special young man that never had a chance to grow old and I miss him very much.

[az4life]

Brian

 

That is a great story. Stories like yours just go to prove that "The family who hunts together, stays together". I would venture a guess that you never will have a bad coues hunt with that special experience to build on.

 

Even though you are seperated now, That experience will always help keep you young, and always looking forward to the next hunt... with your stepson. I for one hope you get drawn every year.

 

Thanks for Sharing your story. God Bless

[More D]

That is a beautiful story AZPACK, thank you for sharing so important to you with all of us........ and may God bless you!

 

 

 

[MattMan]

I'm fortunate enough to have had lots of good coues hunts with good people... sweated, bled, cried, picked cactus needles out of various parts of my own and other's bodies (including from my own tongue... that was a first... ha ha ha), ran from a herd of javelina I spooked from their bed on my way to glass right at dawn once, wondered in midair (like Wily Coyote) if I was going to break anything when I slipped and fell down a rocky slope slope once, stepped on rattlesnakes, shot nice bucks, shot little bucks, shot no bucks, been outsmarted repeatedly by one really good buck, been on the verge of my wife divorcing me while convincing her that there was a huge buck at the end of a "heck hike", missed out on a good buck with my wife cause one of the kids had to pee, and have always found a way to laugh and have a good time while doing it.

 

But the best two will be my son's and daughter's first tags... four more years and he can put in... five more for her...

[firstcoueswas80]

mine would be my first coues for sure.

Azpackhorse, really sorry to hear that, no one should loose a hunting partner.

[Dodger2]

Couesdiehard,

 

You are so right. Last year, we saw a total of 11 deer in 5 days. I wasn't a "great" hunt in terms of deer, but I spent all 5 of those days with my dad whose has always been my deer hunting partner. The other story involved my brother. These two guys are the two that I have always put in with. Any hunt with my dad and my brother is a great hunt no matter what the species is.

 

Azpack,

 

That's the beautiful thing about hunting with family, the memories will always be there. I can remember hunting with my grandfather when I was 6, I'll be 31 in July. It was raining and cold. I had my first cup of coffee and ate cornbeef hash sandwiches for lunch. We didn't see a single deer. That was the only hunt I got to share with my grandfather, but I always smile when I think of it.

 

MattMan,

 

I'll second your statement about son's and daughter's hunts...Mine are 3 years old (son) and 3 weeks old (daughter).