WampusCat Report post Posted August 16, 2013 I have lurked long enough and figure it's time to contribute. With the season closing in on us and tags in hand, I thought I would share last season's hunt to help pass the time. I have been stationed in Arizona for the past couple years. I much prefer the western hunting to the tree stands of eastern Kansas where I grew up. Last season was my first attempt at hunting Coues Deer. Myself and a good buddy drew tags in a rough unit and we put in a couple long trips across the state to scout. We are both avid hunters and can be found hunting whatever is in season. We also agree that hiking in a few miles to escape the crowds is the only way to fully enjoy the wild country. Late October. The eve of the opener found us hiking a steep ridge that we hoped would give us a high vantage to glass from in the morning. The "easy" route on the topo map was anything but and we didn't make the crest till dark. As the sun rose and the jetboil fired up to brew some coffee we began picking apart the large bowl that opened up in front of us. Great looking country but no luck. Mid morning we relocated down the ridge a half mile and my buddy spotted a bedded deer. A glint of sun light off his antler gave away his position next to a juniper. That deer ended up turning into three bucks. First glimpse of bedded buck There was a distinctly bigger buck in the group. He spotted it so I assured him he had first dibs. We went back and forth for an hour about it being the first day and whether or not to shoot. I informed him that if he chose not to shoot I certainly would! While watching the biggest buck stand to move back into the shade as the sun peaked he said "I'll take him". The rangefinder said 653 yds as we set up for the shot. Buck when we decided to take him. Notice the smaller buck behind and left of him. "grey ghost" Doped the scope and settled in with a couple dry fires. I turned on the video camera and told him let it fly. Boom. At the shot the buck jumped out of his bed and tipped over just outside the shady reach of the juniper he came from. Lots of high fives and shouting followed. We had done it on the first day. We rushed around the rim of that bowl to get hands on the buck. There was no ground shrinkage and we realized it was an old deer. Likely past his prime and never saw a human in this far away canyon. It looked as though he wore a grey hair piece between his antlers and down his forehead. We thought it weird that his right main beam was broken off at the tip this early in the season . Too early for sparring matches but living in this rough country surely takes a toll. Broken tine or not, he was a trophy in our books and we were grateful! Hands on! Broken main beam We quartered the deer and got started on our way out hoping to beat the sun down the ridge. We lost that race. The mile and a half as the crow flies on the gps turned into five and a half hours back down the unforgiving ridge we ascended the previous day. It felt great to drop the packs next to the truck and get a fire going. Fresh backstrap wrapped in bacon immediately went on the fire. We concluded our long day listening to the bacon sizzle and reliving the shot. We were hooked! It was two days later and we were on a ridge miles away from where we found the first buck. As the sun crested the horizon I was still in my sleeping bag sitting behind binos. The good thing about October is the bucks are still in bachelor groups. When you find one, he usually has company. I caught movement on the shadowy side of a hill and watched two small bucks feed across the hillside. I found a third deer nearby but it's head was in a tree . That deer eventually moved around the front of the tree and my mouth hung open. I remember getting out of the binos and wiping the crud out of my eyes so I could be sure of what I just saw. I told my partner that it was shooter as I tried to keep my composure by avoiding horn/eye contact. I assured myself he was a shooter and I didn't need to keep looking at his antlers. I tried to focus on the shot and not my out of control heart rate. Mr. Leica informed us the buck was 522 yds so I checked the wind and spun the turrets. The shot broke clean and the buck crumpled. Just then, I realized I just shot my first Coues Deer and I forgot to turn on my camera! I was bummed but my excited returned instantly. I think I set a land speed record as I ran to my buck. Boone and Crockett might not want him in their book but I'm not asking them. He was a hard earned trophy that I'll remember forever. Hands on! Aldo Leopold said "The value of any trophy from the field depends not on its size, but on the magnitude of the effort expended in its pursuit". I could not agree more! Hot October afternoons, long hikes, heavy packs, and rough country make you earn these little deer. I am thankful not only for the opportunity at these two deer but, the entire experience. I look forward to a new adventure this season! I'm not much of a church going man, but if you want to get close to something higher... I think you can find it in the mountains hunting Coues as the sun rises on a fall morning. These were our first Coues Deer, but certainly not our last. I only have time to scout one time this year so we may have to put in a few extra miles this year. We are hooked for life! 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhuntaz1 Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Great post. Welcome to the site, and thank you for your service. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Great post. Welcome to the site, and thank you for your service. +1 on all counts. Great first post! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
palivs2hnt Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Enjoyed the post! Great read and good luck this year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Great post. Welcome to the site, and thank you for your service. +1 on all counts. Great first post! +1 to his +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jim Report post Posted August 16, 2013 That was well written. Congrats on doing it that way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
200"mulie Report post Posted August 16, 2013 great first post and thank you for your service 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Nice first post. Looking forward to another one for this year, welcome to the site. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kennyazman Report post Posted August 16, 2013 I really enjoyed that write up. Thanks and congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted August 16, 2013 Welcome to the best site on the Internet. Great write up, im looking forward to your next. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WampusCat Report post Posted August 17, 2013 Thanks for the kind words. Lots of good folks hanging around here. I'm excited to hit the hills and see what they have to offer this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted August 17, 2013 Great write-up. Not many guys score like that on their first coues hunt. Those are both great bucks. Congrats and good luck this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkhunter1 Report post Posted August 17, 2013 Great post. Welcome to the site, and thank you for your service. +1 on all counts. Great first post! +1 to his +1 +10 to the +1 to his +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted August 17, 2013 Great story and great looking bucks! Welcome to the site. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bisbee Report post Posted August 17, 2013 That was a well done write up. Thank you for sharing your experience with us! Congratulations on great hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
