Antler shedding

[talltines]

So when do the coues in Arizona shed the velvet off their antlers? I spent about 14 hours the past couple days walking and scouting for places for the late archery season in the Pinal Mountains and didn't manage to come across any trees rubbed anywhere... I was in an area with quite a bit of fresh deer sign too. I'm from Minnesota and you can tell by the shredded trees in the woods where the bucks are spending time.

[elkhunter]

I have been hunting coues for 7 years and been able to harvest many bucks. I have only found I think 1 or 2 rubs out in the desert in all of those years including helping others with hunting as well as javelina hunting and helping others with mule deer hunts. It is hard to find rubs in the desert due to the lack of actual trees to rub on. When I go up north, I find elk and deer rubs everywhere, it is much easier to spot them in the pines/juniper country. You have to remember that coues are very small compared to eastern whiteys and coues rubs are not as large or as evident as elk/mule/eastern whitetails.

 

There are some boys on here that do follow coues rubs for the late archery season, lets hope they chime in.

[talltines]

Thanks elkhunter. I will be hunting and have been doing my scouting in the pines and Junipers and can't find any rubbing at all. I'm new to this coues hunting and can see it is going to be just as, if not more challenging to put a trophy on the wall. Stalking in the desert in my mind seems impossible! I want to lure in a buck with calling and a decoy as I sit in a stand 30' up in the pine tree. Someday I may try the spot and stalk, but for now...stickin' to what I know, stand hunting over active trails and scrape and rub lines if I can find some activity. If the coues act anything like their big northern brothers... the woods should start showing some territorial signage from the dominant bucks that reside in the area.

[bonecollector]

I have seen deer starting to rub off their velvet in late August and early October.

 

Good luck hunting the pinals, you will soon find out its a zoo up there on the weekends of the hunt.

[oz31p]

Also the buck to acre ratio is lower here. It could be too the sign your finding is from does.assuming there are little to no bucks in the area now its not such a bad thing. If there's does using the area come rut time them sneaky sob's will show up out of no where.

[talltines]

I have seen deer starting to rub off their velvet in late August and early October.

 

Good luck hunting the pinals, you will soon find out its a zoo up there on the weekends of the hunt.

 

Thanks bonecollector for the ZOO info. I have scouted a few times and have yet to see any people. I actually thought I would have it all to myself in January. Now I'm concerned that I should'nt have left my trail camera out in the woods! We will see when the archery season kicks off how busy it is. One of the reasons I chose archery hunting over thew rifle season was to escape the ZOO hunting! I will not let that discourage me...I have a GPS and will go deeper in if I must to elude the crowds. I'm such a rookie to AZ hunting. I've only been in AZ for 8 months and was stoked to come across this area on a sight seeing drive.

I'm excited like a little kid to see what I get on the trail camera... By the looks of the trail, there are many deer using this particular area. Prayin' for a nice buck! Lol...

[talltines]

Also the buck to acre ratio is lower here. It could be too the sign your finding is from does.assuming there are little to no bucks in the area now its not such a bad thing. If there's does using the area come rut time them sneaky sob's will show up out of no where.

 

Right on oz31p! I was thinking the same thing... if the girls are present the boys are not too far away.

[BowNut]

I hunted the Pinals for years. If the snow is not to bad up there in Jan. it can be a fun hunt. Not as many hunters there during that hunt it's to cold for them I think. Now August is another story!!! They need street lights on the trees up there!!! And I have never seen but maybe one rub up there.

[talltines]

I hunted the Pinals for years. If the snow is not to bad up there in Jan. it can be a fun hunt. Not as many hunters there during that hunt it's to cold for them I think. Now August is another story!!! They need street lights on the trees up there!!! And I have never seen but maybe one rub up there.

 

 

BowNut, exactly what I was wanting to here. Thanks man... I was hoping to hunt the early hunt as well, but now I will reconsider. I didn't think there would be that much interest in the pint size deer? As for the winter archery hunt...How much snow are we talking about? Snow is very advantageous for isolating deer to trails, also good for locating deer too. In Minnesota snow always helped in the hunt... BTW, how cold are we talking?

[200"mulie]

i only hunt coues in the desert, not many trees to rub on. There are lots of bushes and brush that i think they rub off in, hard to dertermine because of the diversity of things that could have broken twigs and torn up bushes: deer, cats, bears, javelina, raccoons, Coati, ringtail, human.

 

the rut (for me others might disagree) has been up and down. somedays there really hot and some days aren't, so don't get discouraged when your out there.

 

GOOD LUCK !! i'll be out for a 170+ mulie down south