cramerhunts Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Well it seems like it was just yesterday that I was day dreaming of being in Old Mexico chasing rutting bucks and enjoying the good life...before I knew it we were headed south for two weeks of coues hunting! Most of you know that I can be really long winded in these recaps so I'll try and keep this one short on words and long on pictures. Hector, Jim, Keven, Mike, and myself hunted Justo's ranch again this year and were able to take some nice bucks. We seemed to time the rut perfect and got to see some serious action. We passed up bucks bigger then the ones we killed in hopes of a toad but it wasn't meant to be. Keven and Mike both tagged out on a couple of beautiful bucks and I was able to take two nice bucks, Jim and Hector passed up some sweet bucks, and a few are still walking the hills by pure luck. It seemed dryer than previous years and I believe the horn growth suffered because of it. We also saw three lions and had a bunch on trail camera which seems to be contributing to the younger age class of bucks that we've been seeing and taking year after year. The lions got plenty of lead thrown their way and can either thank the howling wind or the fading light for being able to still roam the ranch. Justo and his family cannot be beat when it comes to great hospitality and wonderful food, it is always a pleasure to be with them. Some pictures of some of the great food! We can thank Hector for most of these pics Chef Hector working his magic on heating up one of our many lunches. We took some BIG hikes to get to our desired glassing locations. Spent a ton of time behind the glass looking for that special buck. Saw way too many of these. Saw a few of these.... and a few of these..... and a bunch of these! More to come.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted January 31, 2012 To be continued, same time, same channel...that's just not right. Finish the story! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted January 31, 2012 So on the sixth or seventh day Hector, Jim, and myself glassed up this buck and filmed him for quite a while as he was rutting a doe and beating up every tree near by. I happened to notice that he had an inline extra point on one side and decided that he needed to be ground checked. We were losing light fast so I got set up for the shot as Hector checked the range and angle (640 yards and 550 after angle adjustment). Jim had the camera rolling and I got a good lesson in wind as I missed several shots before it became too dark. We hiked back in the next day and relocated the buck rutting several does. Jim stayed behind the spotter as Hector and I made the stalk. One shot from 182 yards and the buck was lights out. It was a long night and pack out as Justo had ran to town that day and couldn't bring the horses but it was well worth it. Here is the first buck interview. We hunted hard for the next few days covering a lot of country and seeing a lot of deer. Here is a quick 360 degree view from one of our glassing locations. On the last day we decided that any good buck was going to be in trouble and after an action packed morning I was able to connect with this buck at 505 yards. Since we were fairly close to where Jim could drive the ranger to I told Hector that I would just pack the buck out and he said he'd take my pack....he got the short end of the stick on that one! Here is the last day recap video. It was a great time and you just can't beat having good people along with you every step of the way. Thanks for hanging in there on another one of my long winded posts and here's to next year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted January 31, 2012 That first buck is a stud! Thanks for posting the story. Congratulations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucky2hunt Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Great photos!!! Oh my gosh... That food looks incredible!!! Congrats on a very successful hunt!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Great write-up and pics, Phil! Congrats on a great time with friends!! S. PS: I think I enjoyed the pics of that FOOD as much as the scenery! Looks like you all ate well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gotcoues Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Phil, Nice bucks Phil, loved the videos to go along with pics and story. Nice job on two great bucks, scored an Old Mexico double. Can't get much better than that, Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted January 31, 2012 It was a fine time again down there in Mexico this year. Nothing like trying to forget about work and chasing these Coues! Like Phil stated, it was a tough but fun hunt. I can honestly say, we gave it our all, and then some. Not shown are the falls we took while hiking where we shouldn't have, the looks on our faces as we pack out and arrive two hours after night falls, after hiking up the wrong ridge that lead to a bluff several hundred feet high. Or the snake we encountered while putting the stalk on Phils first buck, I thought they weren't out this time of year! Or the day that was lost because Phil and Jimmy had to DRIVE back to Tucson to buy a tire since we got an unrepairable flat tire. Or the TWO days that were lost because of heavy winds...we were still out there glassing! We did give some blood, sweat, and tears but enjoyed the mud, the blood, and the beer! I can say that between us glassing every day while taking video, and the eight trail cams that we set up throughout the ranch, we got a very good look at what the options were. We just kept looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Great group of guys to hunt with. A lot is to be said when a big buck is glassed and we all want the others to take a shot at it. No one is hurrying to drop the biggest buck in the group for bragging rights. Great job on the write up Phil! We were greeted with the full moon for the first several days... TONS of these guys all over! A lot of wide open country, and the deer were everywhere, but were limited to water sources. In one instance, we saw a buck, then Kevin saw him on top of the mountain (long ways off), only to have him re appear on the trail cam on another area of the ranch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted January 31, 2012 ...oh!...and THIS is how a REAL trophy pic is posed! LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRONG Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Way way too cool guys!!! Love all those pics! Ummm, Phil? What in the heck is wrong with you passing on a couple of those bucks in your first post?!?! Jimmy got you passin great bucks doesn't he? Bwahahahaha!! Way to go man, thanks for sharing!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted January 31, 2012 ... And that right there is the essence of what hunting Mexico is all about! Congrats guys on another fantastic Mexico hunt. I love that first buck you killed, he's really got some nice character! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted January 31, 2012 All I can say to all of you that make it down south of the border to hunt is good for you guys and this site or some of us would never get to enjoy your hunts with you. The food, the ranches, the bucks, and the culture all sound so very inticing. Thanks for sharing it all. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scoutm Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Congrats again on a couple of nice bucks. Taking that first buck from the SE corner of the ranch had to be a chore and a half - that is some rough country. A well earned trophy for sure. Too bad the lion situation hasn't improved any. I'm still amazed at how that buck we found in the middle of the road the first year we hunted down there was picked clean by a lion in less than 12 hours. Congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted January 31, 2012 Phil, congrats on a great hunt. It sounds like it was an awesome time as usual. Love all the pictures and videos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernesto C Report post Posted February 1, 2012 Excellent Phil, good story and great bucks!! .......and the food looks delicious too Ernesto C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
