Heinz57 Report post Posted June 5, 2012 Hi everyone, I'm a brand new member to the site, and joined because I have a passion for hunting big game, but know absolutely nothing about hunting in Arizona, nor do I know anyone that hunts here. I live in Hereford, near Ft. Huachuca, and am able to hunt on post. Is this a good place to start? Any advice on this area, or other recommended areas would be great. Didn't draw a bull tag this year, so now I'm considering going for a coues; archery or rifle. Thanks for any help and advice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted June 6, 2012 Hi everyone, I'm a brand new member to the site, and joined because I have a passion for hunting big game, but know absolutely nothing about hunting in Arizona, nor do I know anyone that hunts here. I live in Hereford, near Ft. Huachuca, and am able to hunt on post. Is this a good place to start? Any advice on this area, or other recommended areas would be great. Didn't draw a bull tag this year, so now I'm considering going for a coues; archery or rifle. Thanks for any help and advice! Welcome to CWT. You have a good opportunity in Ft. Huachuca and the surrounding area of unit 35A. I have always wanted to hunt on Ft Huachuca but my ties to the military was not strong enough. I would talk to the military contacts on open areas on the Ft. before you put in for the rifle tag. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted June 6, 2012 Fort Huachuca is the ultimate place to hunt Coues white-tailed deer. Years ago, there was a military wildlife management department with several employees. If that still is true, I would stop by their office and get to know those people well. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
200"mulie Report post Posted June 6, 2012 Welcome !!! Bill and elkhunter have great advise.Good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heinz57 Report post Posted June 6, 2012 Appreciate the replies guys. I contacted the Sportsman's Club on post and received some good information from the guys up there. My fiance and I both put in for a general season coues tag for the Fort Huachuca unit today. Nothing like waiting til the last minute! After getting more information on the unit, it sounds like a decent area that provides for some good hunting. This will be my fiance's first time deer hunting, and she's almost more excited about it than I am. Took her turkey hunting (her first hunting experience) in Pennsylvania last year and she had a blast, even though we didn't get a chance to take any shots. Plan on buying a non-permit archery tag also in August. She bought me a Diamond bow last year which I feel pretty comfortable with out to 60 yards, but I haven't had a chance to get out and hunt with it yet. Really looking forward to it. This will be my first archery hunt, should be interesting as I know I've got a lot to learn about archery tactics. Atleast it'll give me a good chance to learn the country and the habits of the coues deer population. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzVTR Report post Posted June 7, 2012 Welcome to the area. Ft Huachuca is an awesome place to start. Both Ft Huchuca and 35A have a lot of great Trophy Coues in the area. The hardest part is getting in after them. I live in Sierra Vista and have hunted 35A for the past few years. One thing I would highly suggest is getting into great hiking shape if your not already. Some areas are easily accessable but those areas are also the heaviest hunted. Hiking up in the steeper and harder to get areas is a good bet. Ft Huachuca's terrain is pretty much either hiking steep terrain or straight up. Not a lot of forgiveness from the trails. You'll have a blast for sure and maybe I'll bump into ya out there if you end up in 35A and not on post. Either way, good luck to you and remember to glass untill your eyes bleed. If I'm not tied up in my hunt at the time you can always shoot me a PM and I can probably come out and help ya glass and spot if needed, just let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted June 7, 2012 Welcome to the Coues club. You will be an addict shortly....I am biased. There is nothing like taking down a grey ghost. Just as was previously mentioned take your time to scout and glass and be prep yourself for long shots. I am jealous, the Fort Huachuca area has some amazing hunting opportunities for CWT and Mule deer alike. Make sure you post up any pictures! Good luck to you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azslim Report post Posted June 7, 2012 buy some good bino's and mount them on a tripod, most of us like 15x56's, climb on top of a mountain and use your glass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heinz57 Report post Posted June 8, 2012 What brand of optics would you recommend for a beginner coues hunter. I've hunted all my life, but rarely have I used glass. Typically we still hunt for mulies in Oregon, and do lots of walking in thicker country, so I'm not very familiar with optics. I'd like something that's quality, but not too over-the-top expensive. Zeiss and Swarovski are obviously a price range I would hold off on until I've had some more experience with coues. Would Nikon or Leupold provide suitable quality for spotting these coues at a distance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted June 8, 2012 I really like Nikon products and you can get a pretty good pair for a decent price however if you are really considering glassing/shooting long distances it would be best for you to invest in high quality. I found it really hard to glass long distances with my Nikon however I used my buddy's Swaro's while scouting recently and it was a night and day difference. Only perfect practice makes perfect so I am going to coin a phrase that some ones else here uses...... Buy right or Buy twice.....its good advice....especially if you are planning on staying here for a while. You really can't go wrong with a Leupold scope either...you get what you pay for and they are high quality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azslim Report post Posted June 8, 2012 Vortex Viper 15x50's will run you $650 to $700 depending on where you get them. They are great glass for the money. I prefer the Outdoorsman's bayonet stud mount over the the Vortex, but it costs over twice as much. Their 15x56 Kaibab's are great also, they'll give Swaro's and the like a run for their money at half the cost, $1300ish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sjvcon Report post Posted June 9, 2012 Welcome to the site, and good luck on your hunts this year. As far as glass goes, a guy had a pair of 15x58ED Minox on the Classifieds for about $550 or so. Good glass for the money. I have a pair, and they are very good. If you research them on this site, most guys who have them have been happy with everything but the weight ... they are a bit on the heavy sides. I'd try to get a little closer than 60yds on a Coues Deer for Archery ... that is just a personal thing. They are really small deer with a small vital zone, and shooting a bow in the field is a lot different than shooting at the range. I've shot successfully on a range to over 100 yards with my compound, but I won't take a shot in the field unless I can get to around 40 or 45yds, and even then if I can get closer I'd prefer it. Again, it is a personal preference, but I'm really big on high percentage shots when you can get them. Again ... welcome, and good luck. Hunting in AZ is a tough endeavor, but rewarding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heinz57 Report post Posted June 9, 2012 Welcome to the site, and good luck on your hunts this year. As far as glass goes, a guy had a pair of 15x58ED Minox on the Classifieds for about $550 or so. Good glass for the money. I have a pair, and they are very good. If you research them on this site, most guys who have them have been happy with everything but the weight ... they are a bit on the heavy sides. I'd try to get a little closer than 60yds on a Coues Deer for Archery ... that is just a personal thing. They are really small deer with a small vital zone, and shooting a bow in the field is a lot different than shooting at the range. I've shot successfully on a range to over 100 yards with my compound, but I won't take a shot in the field unless I can get to around 40 or 45yds, and even then if I can get closer I'd prefer it. Again, it is a personal preference, but I'm really big on high percentage shots when you can get them. Again ... welcome, and good luck. Hunting in AZ is a tough endeavor, but rewarding. I agree with your stance on high percentage kill shots. The last thing I want to do is wound a coues deer in that country. A solid range for me would probably be 30-40 yards, depending on the position of the deer and the surroundings. I'll look into the Minox, thanks for the advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heinz57 Report post Posted June 9, 2012 Vortex Viper 15x50's will run you $650 to $700 depending on where you get them. They are great glass for the money. I prefer the Outdoorsman's bayonet stud mount over the the Vortex, but it costs over twice as much. Their 15x56 Kaibab's are great also, they'll give Swaro's and the like a run for their money at half the cost, $1300ish. Found a pair of Vortex Viper 15x50's on Craigslist for $500 with tripod adapter. Seems like a decent price, just not sure if I want to spend that much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzVTR Report post Posted June 9, 2012 Can't go wrong with Vortex. I use the Viper HD 15x50 bino's. While the Swaro's, Zeiss, etc. are probably better glass, to my amatuer untrained eye the Vipers are all I think I'll ever need. They are INCREDIBLY clear and very comfortable to pack around in my experiences. They hurt the wallet a lot less also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
