1st Year hunting Arizona.

[Scooter]

Hey CW.commers! I got stationed down here this past spring (moved from Texas) and didn't really get my hunting act together until early fall... so I grabbed a leftover tag for Thanksgiving weekend in my 35A "backyard". Being an experienced deer hunter, I did alot of scouting, but I don't really have any huntin buddies yet so my scouting trips were blind and I didn't venture out very far from the roads. I hunted every day this past weekend, saw a few deer- but no shots. Here are some things I have learned form my first deer hunt in AZ:

 

1. There's alot of deer hunters in Arizona. The folks I met were some really nice people, and most Coues hunters here in this area really seem to know what they're doing!!! Then again... who else would go to the great lengths that people do to pack out 50lbs of meat in 70 degree weather? Pro's!

 

2. I need to find a good, reliable hunting partner. I am not comfortable venturing far off the beaten path and over a few ridges all by myself. I'm a 31 year old military guy and I guarantee I can walk forever- but one slip and fall on a smooth rock this past weekend gave me a nasty bruise on the knee. Could have been alot worse, and even though I told people where I'd be- they are about as familiar as I am with the area which means it would have taken some time and professional help to find me.

 

3. Zero at 200 yards. I am sighted in at 100 yards right now- I am an experienced shooter so I can compensate for drop fairly well... at the range. However, I am not entirely confident I'd be able to "kentucky windage" a buck walking up or down a hillside at 250-300 yards. My 30-06 needs to be dead-on at 200 to mitigate some of the guesswork. All of the deer I saw this weekend were 150-400 yards away.

 

4. Nobody, or hardly anyone wears hunter orange around here... Is that the norm? Are Coues deer that savvy to pick out that particular shade of grey that they see orange as? For me... it's a safety thing. I am not comfy walking/crawling around with folks with rifles looking elusive "grey ghosts" while wearing camo. All it takes is one guy who forgot his glasses/lost his contacts to start flinging rounds at what he/she thinks is a deer to make my day go very bad.

 

5. Never EVER EVER EVER take your eyes off of your binos/spotting scope when you have a moving deer glassed! Every time I do this I cannot relocate the little bugger. I hunt some really brushy mesquite and oak hillsides and I assure you they must live in undergorund caves. How else could they disappear that easily!

 

6. I have a really hard time spotting deer with the naked eye. I'm not talking about 150 yards and closer... I'm talking normal Coues deer (poor man's sheep) hill-to-hill combat style. Even when they're moving, even when they're flagging it's super-tough to spot them without optics.

 

7. I LOVE predator hunting... so much easier than chasing Coues. The only drawback is that they don't eat as good as deer. BUT, even an average coyote pelt (or a few pelts) will fetch enough to buy me a steak dinner, and I don't have to go very far from the truck to get 'em. They come to you!

 

Hope you enjoyed these truths I have learned. I have a few evening hunts left on the tag, so wish me luck!!!

[azslim]

If you don't have tripod mounted optics you need some, even if it is just putting your 8's or 10's on a tripod, you will see more game.

 

I hunt by myself a lot, just start taking the long cut. Plus I'm getting a bit long in the tooth and while I can remember when I could scramble around like a billy goat those days are past. I'll walk a mile out of my way to take an easier route. I give my wife a general area to start looking, if I move I call her and give her the new spot (if I remember, the age thing again).

 

Hunting accidents are very low in Az, as a result blaze orange isn't mandatory.

 

It just takes a little time to get used to hunting in Az. I grew up in Wy and we lived on wild game, but we pretty much just drove around and killed stuff, didn't have to work very hard at it. Here in Az I had to learn how to hunt, Wy mule deer and Az mule deer are completely different in habits, coues habits are closer to Wy mule deer. When you have free time go scout, the more you watch the game the better you will understand it and learning the terrain will only help.

[Elkaddict]

If you don't have tripod mounted optics you need some, even if it is just putting your 8's or 10's on a tripod, you will see more game.

This by far is the number one tip. With your optics on a tripod you can take your eyes off and look at the hillside to get your landmarks. You might as well start saving for some 15x56 swarovskis, expensive but at your age the price per year of use is well worth it. You will be amazed at what your missing.

As for seeing them with your naked eye, I think if you see them that way they have already seen you! Glass,Glass, Glass.

[BirdDog20]

I work with a walking stick. Given the terrain, having that third leg helps to negotiate some tough spots and prevent careless spills (where'd you least expect them). Invaluable to clear trails and for a quick glass. I carry about 35 lbs of gear in my pack enough to survive if I do mess up my knee / leg. Lots of extra water.

 

I use two pairs of binos. Decent 10x when I'm still hunting or moving to another spot. I can get them up quickly to scout a new hillside before i set up for a glassing spot. The hiking stick is super useful to steady binos and eliminate any shaking while glassing on the move. When I set up, I break out the tripod and Swaro's 15x56s. I could probably get away without using those smaller 10s, but they don't weigh a lot, and I'm in pretty good shape.

 

[Pine Donkey]

Quality optics and quality tripod need to be considered as one unit, not seperate items. Niether one is very effective without the other. There are also a number of gunrests that mount on your tripod to make those 400 yard shots much more do-able.

[Scooter]

I use a trigger stick monopod to steady the bino's... I have pretty decent Bausch and Lomb 10X42's and a 20-60x60 spotting scope for the detail work. Need to get some of those Swaro 15's, huh? Well- got a baby on the way so those will have to wait until later in life. I did see deer through my optics, so I'm getting alot better with it. Originally from western New York, so not used to rifles. We used bows and slug-guns in the thick pine and hardwoods- and the only thing you needed bino's for was checking out the hot tub behind that house up the mountain from our cabin

 

Still got a lot to learn, but at least I've SEEN deer so far... must be doing something right!

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for your post...I am sure some other guys new to AZ hunting will appreciate your tips.

 

One suggestion I have if you are hunting alone a lot is to get a SPOT unit. These are sattelite messenger units that you can carry that have a button on them that will send emergency personnel to your location if you ever need serious help. Check with Santana Outdoors (CW sponsor and where I got my spot unit) for prices and such. They are a bit of money, but I used them quite a bit last summer during fieldwork to simply do daily checkins with the USFS people I was doing the work for.

http://www.santanaoutdoors.com/servlet/StoreFront?affiliate_no=1

 

 

Also, do you have a good GPS unit? That can help you navigate and get more comfortable venturing away from the truck.

 

Hopefully you will find a great hunting partner. Another good idea is to get to know the wildlife manager in the unit you hunt so you can get advice on hunting areas and safety. You could also volunteer on some wildlife habitat improvement projects in your unit...that's a great way to meet other dedicated hunters.

[billrquimby]

In this age of high-quality optics, it's easy to believe that the only way to hunt a Coues deer is to sit and glass. It may be the most effective way most days in suitable country, but it is not the only way.

 

On certain days, especially very windy days, our little deer stay in sheltered places where you cannot see them no matter the sticker price of your optics. On those days, the best way to find a buck is to kick them out of where they are hiding.

 

Move slowly and toss small rocks into brushy pockets below you as you go ... and be prepared to shoot quickly. A Coues whitetail buck sometimes will jump out of brush and stop and stare at you, but more often than not it will run over the next ridge.

 

Pay a lot of attention to the wind. Whitetails have great noses, and will do one of three things when it gets your scent: 1) sneak away without your seeing it, or 2) freeze on the spot, or 3) run off long before you reach it.

 

Another tip, don't walk the ridgetops. Stay thirty or forty yards below the ridge, "working" the heads of each draw. Try to position yourself so you can cover every escape route. You typically will hear a deer rattling rocks below you and won't see it until it starts up the other side of the canyon.

 

I've always compared the habits of Arizona's deer to rabbits. Our whitetails are like cottontails. They prefer to hold tight until they are almost stepped on, while mule deer are like jackrabbits that lope away at the first sight of you, then stop to get one last look.

 

Bill Quimby

[June]

Great tips! Sounds like you are ahead of the Game. This buck was in your backyard this past weekend and if you took your eyes off him he would quickly disappear.

Keep at it. I think the next few days of your hunt will improve. The bucks are moving around some and I did see one buck already with several doe. Best of luck in the remaining few days.

[ruffcountry]

In this age of high-quality optics, it's easy to believe that the only way to hunt a Coues deer is to sit and glass. It may be the most effective way most days in suitable country, but it is not the only way.

 

On certain days, especially very windy days, our little deer stay in sheltered places where you cannot see them no matter the sticker price of your optics. On those days, the best way to find a buck is to kick them out of where they are hiding.

 

Move slowly and toss small rocks into brushy pockets below you as you go ... and be prepared to shoot quickly. A Coues whitetail buck sometimes will jump out of brush and stop and stare at you, but more often than not it will run over the next ridge.

 

Pay a lot of attention to the wind. Whitetails have great noses, and will do one of three things when it gets your scent: 1) sneak away without your seeing it, or 2) freeze on the spot, or 3) run off long before you reach it.

 

Another tip, don't walk the ridgetops. Stay thirty or forty yards below the ridge, "working" the heads of each draw. Try to position yourself so you can cover every escape route. You typically will hear a deer rattling rocks below you and won't see it until it starts up the other side of the canyon.

 

I've always compared the habits of Arizona's deer to rabbits. Our whitetails are like cottontails. They prefer to hold tight until they are almost stepped on, while mule deer are like jackrabbits that lope away at the first sight of you, then stop to get one last look.

 

Bill Quimby

 

This is my favorite way to hunt them . I know its not the way most on this site do it , but its the way I like it .

[billrquimby]

In this age of high-quality optics, it's easy to believe that the only way to hunt a Coues deer is to sit and glass. It may be the most effective way most days in suitable country, but it is not the only way.

 

On certain days, especially very windy days, our little deer stay in sheltered places where you cannot see them no matter the sticker price of your optics. On those days, the best way to find a buck is to kick them out of where they are hiding.

 

Move slowly and toss small rocks into brushy pockets below you as you go ... and be prepared to shoot quickly. A Coues whitetail buck sometimes will jump out of brush and stop and stare at you, but more often than not it will run over the next ridge.

 

Pay a lot of attention to the wind. Whitetails have great noses, and will do one of three things when it gets your scent: 1) sneak away without your seeing it, or 2) freeze on the spot, or 3) run off long before you reach it.

 

Another tip, don't walk the ridgetops. Stay thirty or forty yards below the ridge, "working" the heads of each draw. Try to position yourself so you can cover every escape route. You typically will hear a deer rattling rocks below you and won't see it until it starts up the other side of the canyon.

 

I've always compared the habits of Arizona's deer to rabbits. Our whitetails are like cottontails. They prefer to hold tight until they are almost stepped on, while mule deer are like jackrabbits that lope away at the first sight of you, then stop to get one last look.

 

Bill Quimby

 

This is my favorite way to hunt them . I know its not the way most on this site do it , but its the way I like it .

 

 

Some days bumping deer out of their hidey holes is the only way that works. I also used to like to ride my mule slowly along the ridges and enjoy the scenery while waiting for Jenny to spot a deer or javelina for me.

 

If you have three or four friends, you also can kill deer by working drives down canyons. Line up across the head of a canyon, with a guy on each ridge and the others 50-75 yards apart, and slowly move downcanyon together. You will be amazed at how many whitetails some canyons will hold. Funny thing, the guys on the ridges usually get the most opportunities to shoot.

 

When all is said and done, though, glassing game from a long way off early and late in the day usually is the most successful technique.

 

Bill Quimby

[June]

In this age of high-quality optics, it's easy to believe that the only way to hunt a Coues deer is to sit and glass. It may be the most effective way most days in suitable country, but it is not the only way.

 

On certain days, especially very windy days, our little deer stay in sheltered places where you cannot see them no matter the sticker price of your optics. On those days, the best way to find a buck is to kick them out of where they are hiding.

 

Move slowly and toss small rocks into brushy pockets below you as you go ... and be prepared to shoot quickly. A Coues whitetail buck sometimes will jump out of brush and stop and stare at you, but more often than not it will run over the next ridge.

 

Pay a lot of attention to the wind. Whitetails have great noses, and will do one of three things when it gets your scent: 1) sneak away without your seeing it, or 2) freeze on the spot, or 3) run off long before you reach it.

 

Another tip, don't walk the ridgetops. Stay thirty or forty yards below the ridge, "working" the heads of each draw. Try to position yourself so you can cover every escape route. You typically will hear a deer rattling rocks below you and won't see it until it starts up the other side of the canyon.

 

I've always compared the habits of Arizona's deer to rabbits. Our whitetails are like cottontails. They prefer to hold tight until they are almost stepped on, while mule deer are like jackrabbits that lope away at the first sight of you, then stop to get one last look.

 

Bill Quimby

 

I think my elders must have read your newspaper/magazine articles. I like to think I was a proficient rock thrower and brush beater growing up. When I got older I learned how to use my 30-30 very quickly.Sometimes sitting on a ridge can get boring don't ya know. I think scooter is on his way.

[azslim]

With a "new baby" budget look at Vortex Vipers 15x50's, they are great glass for the money - around $600 depending on where you get them, saw them on sale a while back for around $400 but don't remember where.

[Flatlander]

Scooter, I am not sure whereabouts you live, but if you would like to team up for some coues hunting drop me a line, any excuse is a good excuse to be sitting behind my 15's. I usually hunt alone and I even have a spare tripod. Once whitetail season is over, I wouldn't mind going out after a few varmint pelts.

[BirdDog20]

I actually like to use a combination of strategies as well. We get out (leave camp at 4:30a and are sitting a half hour before the sun comes up in our spot). Love to glass at daybreak especially when the sun lights up the hillside with the glow. Come 10am, we've worked the area over pretty well glassing. If anything is in the area, they've either moved through or have bedded down. If I haven't seen much move through or any other hunters in the area, I'll leave my pack and tripod with my dad and work a huge circle to Birddog something up for him.

 

Couple of other tips that my dad instilled at an early age.

 

1. Don't skyline yourself. Goes along with what Bill said. When you cross the ridge, go on over so that you're not so easy to see.

2. I try to take a quick look before I cross over with my glasses (w/o skylining)

3. Before you move though, make sure you've caught your breath just in case you jump something.

 

I'm a little leary about kicking rocks. Had a bad experience when I got my first deer way back in '85. I was a freshman in H.S. at the time. We were hunting a steep front canyon in Guajalote Flat / Patagonia Mtns. I had just shot my buck and took the packs back to the truck. My dad and a family friend went to go get the deer and started working it up the mountain (instead of around). Some idiot started a rock slide with boulders that nealy killed my dad and friend. Boulders the size of a printer came raining down and one caught Daniel square in the leg. I yelled at the guys that there's people down there and they walked off over the ridge. Daniel limped out of the canyon and got himself to a hospital as my dad and I finished working the deer out and back to where camp used to be. No truck, no sleeping bags / shelter, we set about getting a ton of firewood just in case no one came for us that night. I'm always very careful about what kind of rock i throw where and I'm very greatful that no one was injured worse that what happened. Could have ended very badly.