Any help or advice appreciated!

[flcoues]

Plan to come out the first week of January to try my luck on a Coues DIY archery hunt. I'm from Florida, so this will be a completely new experience. Have been through AZ on vacation a few times, so I am a little familair with the terrain. I bought and read Duwane's book. Also have been reading info on this great website and at AZ Game and Fish. Done some "Google" scouting too.

 

Think of hunting either Unit 31 or 32. Some questions I have....

 

- Which is better for a chance at any small-to-fair-sized buck, or at least seeing deer?

- Is staying in a hotel in Safford and driving out each morning for the day reasonable?

- Can you do that, make a day hike, and not be too crowded by other hunters?

- Does an overnight camp offer a big improvement in chances of getting into the deer?

- Will an overnight camp get you away from the "crowd", or is there enough access so that doesn't make a big difference?

- Looks like there may be some thicker areas in some places that may be conducive to treestand hunting. Opinions?

- Are the roads and campgrounds in the higher elevations of the Pinaleno's closed in January? (Deer may be lower anyway.)

Snake boots needed? I'm guessing it's cold enough by then that they aren't.

- Do scents work given it's the rut?

 

Getting ready to get maps and such, but I wanted to see if the experienced folks on here could knock holes in any of my thoughts to this point before I did that.

 

Thanks in advance.

[bonecollector]

You shouldnt have a problem with crowds in Jan. I would think. I could be wrong since I never hunted either one of those u its in Jan.

[gotcoues]

Personally, I think your idea of staying in a motel is best. With the sun rising late and setting early, you'll have ample time to get where you want to be and can try many different spots if you run into pressured areas. Crowds won't be much of an issue in my opinion and should be dead out there during the week. You will probably see road hunters, but doubt you will have any problems during a stalk. It does happen, but I wouldn't worry about it. Buy a pig tag and double your opportunity. Javelina can be a tad more difficult to find than a mediocre buck, but very easy to stalk into 40 yards or less for a shot. There eyesight is very poor and if the wind is right you can consistently sneak into close range. If you plan on spot and stalk, I would practice at long ranges and be comfortable out to at least 60 yards. Hunting stands or blinds can be effective if placement is good and depending on wind conditions might provide a closer shot. If you pick a bad spot for your set up, don't expect to see a single deer though.

 

I'm not familiar with the area you are planning on hunting, hopefully someone else can help you on those questions.

 

Snake boots shouldn't be necessary in Jan, however I have heard people say they have seen them out.

 

If you like to call and/or rattle, I would certainly bring those and try them. People have had mixed results with calling coues and rattling.

 

As a rule of thumb, the overlap line for mule deer and coues is about 3000ft in Southern AZ. Your tag is good for either if you end up in a transition type terrain with both coues and muleys. Muleys should be in full swing down South in early January, with the coues being right behind them. The farther South in the state you are, the later the coues rut. In extreme years for late rut, the end of January and even February can be good for the Southern most part of the state.

 

I would recommend glassing to locate and then spot and stalk from there. Location is incredibly critical for stand or blind placement and without inside advice or a few days to decide on a good spot, that seems like it would be tough. Maybe guys will chime in on sitting water in January. That would be a good choice on a hot, dry year for sitting blinds or treestand in January.

[wildwoody]

id give 22 or 23 a try. injoy az

[Coues79]

32 has higher deer numbers but access is an issue. However, 31 access is becoming an issue as well.

 

You will be an hour drive at best from safford to 32 where you can begin hunting....

 

31 is right out the door.

 

Top of the mountain closes to vehicular access during the winter but you can hunt if you walk in; can be productive.

 

Southern half of the unit will be busy with people (31). There's a lot of steep country and the mountain thermals are usually in full swing. It can be extremely difficult to hunt if there is even a slight breeze in the mountain pockets... it'll swirl on you quickly and at the worst moment.

 

Snakes are not likely but also are not guaranteed to be in a hole either.

 

I would get a room and do day hunts if money isn't a concern.

 

Good luck. There's definitely better and more productive units in AZ but these two can be decent.

[Justin Stahl]

I live in Safford, both units have lots of whitetail. 32 has a lot more issues to get on land. I would hunt 31, get a map and do some scouting. There is a lot of coues lower than you would think. You can pm me with any questions and i can help you out and get you started in the right direction.

[huntlines]

The higher elevations are closed to vehicle access in 31 from November 15th through April 15th. Walking in is fine but if we have a decent winter then the deer have moved down anyway. Lots of hunting pressure in both of these units from early October through December so hunting near roads isn't going to get you anywhere. Unit 32 has a lot of private property issues but there are public areas and ones that are good if your willing to hike.

 

Tree stands are a good way to hunt if you can locate a good breeding area or scrape line. Hunting water this time of year usually isn't as effective as the August/September hunts. Spot and stalk, grunting/rattling are great methods this time of year depending on the rut. Last few years I have noticed the rut is over by mid January.

 

Most of the campgrounds in the lower elevations are open year round. Don't bother with the pay sites because there is plenty of camp sites that are free. I would camp which will get you out hiking in the area your going to hunt faster and you can sleep longer. Down side here is you will need good camping gear because it gets really cold at night and snow is not out of the question even in the lowest of elevations.

 

Game and fish just changed the law here and scents can not contain cervid urine. Scents do work well just make sure you use the right kind. Also no baiting is allowed.

 

If you want some areas to start out with PM me and I will get you started.

 

Good luck

[ccran]

I live in Safford, definitely the place to stay for either unit. January is a great time to hunt 31, no serpents on the ground. Within minutes from your hotel you will be flinging arrows. PM me for more info if you like. There is also a great bowshop in town if you need anything.

[flcoues]

Really appreciate the input!

 

ccran: Good to know there's a bow shop there just in case. I may PM you, huntlines, or Justin. I have an idea where I think I want to start, but I won't pass up advice from folks who already know what they're doing.

 

gotcoues: I had read that calling/rattling works (Spot-stalk-call/rattle?). May give that a try. I may pick up a javelina tag too. I thought I remembered that the tag was good for either muleys or coues.

 

huntlines: Glad you mentioned the scent compostion. Hadn't ran across that in my reading. We aren't restricted in Florida, yet. Thought that might be the case for water during that timeframe.

 

Coues79: I'll need to remember the thermals...we don't have that issue in FL. We do have a shift due in winds with the seabreeze in the afternoon near the gulf coast during our archery season.

 

Justin: Sounds like 31 is my best bet, if nothing else due to distance/time to get to Unit 32 as Coues79 said. I guess overnight in 32 might work. Plan to devote probably the whole first day to scouting while hunting.

 

Thanks again to all,

Don

[bhuntin]

camp out, use the money saved and buy the best binos you can afford, then buy the biggest softest butt pad or stool you'll want to carry around and a tripod...a good solid one ,not a cheapo. good luck

[Adam214]

Not super familiar with either units, so can help there. Just an idea is renting a travel trailer? some customers of mine in tucson rent 19-23' travel trailers for Around $75 a night. u could park that thing right next to where your hunting. Just an idea..