Need Help!!

[Corkin]

Anyone out there willing to give a guy some direction on a coues spot. I am going through withdraws lately. im origanily from AZ and hunted those little guys for years. I havnt hunted them in11 years now since im in NM. i have been putting in for the unit 27 hunt but no luck yet. Any other options out there. i am a glasser and not afraid to hike for my game. Any help would be great. thanks

[Arizona Griz]

If you are talking about Arizona then you are probably already aware that Coues deer are found from central to southern Arizona. You might want to get a copy of the Arizona Game Statistics book to check for odds for drawings. Any of the southern units (29 to 36) will work with most of them, if not all, having an early, middle and late season.

 

Sorry I can't help you with New Mexico.

 

Arizona Griz.

Edited January 1, 1970 by Arizona Griz

[Guest jeff in NM]

Let me know if you are needing help in NM. Where do you live? Almost all of the Gila Nat'l Forest has pockets of Coues deer with some areas really untapped. Unit 27 down in the bootheel was a real coues deer treasure, but the hunt down there now is jacked. Are you looking for a rifle hunt or a bowhunt?

[Corkin]

Jeff,

I am in Las Cruces. I have backpacked the Gila quite a bit years ago and never thought to check for Coues. Any help would be great. Cant wait to get back at it. They are the most beautiful deer and smart as can be. I generally hunt with a recurve but years of chasing them in Az without success put me into a rifle. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on a hilltop glassing the country for those guys.

[Red Rabbit]

Corkin,

Instead of waiting forever for the tag in 27, consider an over the counter tag for unit 23, the Gilas, or Black range. Rocky Mountain Game & Fish magazine has a yearly article on New Mexico deer, which includes Coues. In the "where to hunt" section of this website, there is also a listing of NM units with coues and an e-mail address for the NM biologist. I went to unit 23 last fall and saw a few coues and some muleys in 2 windy days.

 

Red Rabbit/Doug

[Guest jeff in NM]

Corkin, I hope you have been recieving some helpful information on Coues deer hunting in NM. I would take the advice of the previous message and try the Gila NF. I don't know what the NMDGF has in store for the Burro Mountains, but the little mountain range is loaded with Coues. The Burros has been closed to hunting the last couple of years, but I here it may be open again. I just haven't checked the regs to see what is up there. The mountains north of Silver City hold good numbers of Coues deer also. You won't find many opportunities to glass this country however, it is heavily vegetated with p-j, ponderosa, and mixed mountain brush (mostly Mtn. mohagany). The Black Range is also a good bet, but don't bother carrying your spotting scope. Well the south end of the Black Range is a little more open and a spotting scope can come in handy. I hunt the Gila NF for

Coues deer, and concentrate mainly on the upper 1/3 of the mountains as far as elevation. Don't hesitate to venture into the mixed conifer veg type (spruce and fir zone) to find these "desert deer". If you are interested, next time I am in Las Cruces, we can get together and pour over some maps. Or better yet, go down to the NMDGF office on Telshor, and speak to Kevin or Ray. Both of them can get you pointed in the right direction.

[Corkin]

Jeff,

Thanks for the information. Ill give them a call. As far as looking over maps that would be great. I really am looking to find a place I can glass. i guess its the experiences I had in Arizona. Any other way to hunt them would seem foreign to me. Drop me a line when your coming into town and well talk. jweisenbmkz@yahoo.com

 

Thanks again to all the replies!

[Guest Jeff in NM]

Corkin, As far as glassing, I would concentrate on the very south end of the Black Range around Tierra Blanca Mountain, Macho Canyon, Berenda Creek, etc. These areas can be accessed by Forest Roads 888 and 522. If you run into access problems on the National Forest, give me a call at the Ranger Station in TorC (894-6677). I receive several complaints about illegal road closures in that area during the hunting season. Ray with the NMDGF in Las Cruces, knows that country better than anybody. Good luck!, Jeff

[Corkin]

Sounds great. you will probably hear from me this summer when Im going to scout the area. Thanks again, Jake

[Red Rabbit]

Jeff,

 

I sent in my NM apps yesterday with the Burros as #1 choice. With only 25 permits, and 10% going to unguided NR, my chance is slim. OTC in unit 23 is most probable. Do you recall why the Burros were originally closed? Good luck to everyone else in the draw!

 

Red Rabbit/Doug

[Guest Jeff in NM]

Good luck on you draw. The Burro Moutnains were closed to hunting a few years ago due to low deer numbers. The Forest Service and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish have concentrated their efforts for habitat improvement in the Burros and the deer have responded well. I don't think the coues deer were ever hurint as much as the mule deer in the Burros. If you get drawn, you should have a good hunt with very low hunting pressure. I know of several good bucks taken from the Burros by Silver City hunters.

[crazyaboutcoues]

NM has alot of untouched country for coues. Our terrain for coues is different than AZ though. It suits the bowhunter more than the rifle hunter. There are some areas where you can use 15x nocks. I personally hunt out of a tree stand or carry a small chair and sit next to rubs and scrapes. My buddy took a nice three point using the chair method this year. Most of the coues deer are in higher elevations during the rut, so 9 times out of 10 there is snow on the ground and you can hear them coming. The trick is scent control. There are other methods to get them closer, grunting and some light rattling works. I used a doe bleep this year and had very good response. I had seven bucks within bow range but couldn't get a clear shot. I'm looking foward to this year.

 

Tommy