The Journey Into Mexico! (start to finish)

[COOSEFAN]

Alright, I finally got my computer back and running and here's my story, I'll try to make it short

 

This all started last year when I hunted with Howell Wildlife Outfitters and Chihuahua Rough Country Outfitters in Mexico. I made fast friends with them and signed on to be a guide/booking agent for them and the past month was my first time guiding there! We started with two clients on a ranch in the lower country and had good weather on the first day. My client was from CA. and had hopes of a 110" class buck or better for the first few days. Opening day we found this buck.....

 

 

 

My client, Steve, decided he would pass this buck holding to his 110" or better goal! Unfortunately, the next 3 days were nonstop rain, wind, fog and snow! With the devastating weather change we realized it probably wasn't a good idea to pass the 105"class buck up, so we hunted hard for him during those 3 days. This is Steve right after we just had a low 90's buck at 70 yrds chasing a doe in the fog and rain on the 4th day.

 

 

The 5th day started the same as we hiked to our spot but cleared up late in the morning and we only had a light wind to contend with. I have never rattled or grunted for deer but I had a call and a rattle bag in my pack and decided to give it a try as we ate our lunches at our glassing spot. I rattled one series and threw in a few grunts when I noticed Steve raising his rifle. I looked ahead through the grass and there was a beautiful buck staring right at me at less than 60 yrds! "BOOM", Steve's rifle spoke and the buck was down! He was ecstatic to harvest this buck as was I, we had endured 3 full days of being soaked to the bone and a 22 mile round trip Rhino ride every day! Steve's buck grossed 97" and has a small kicker on it's left G2.

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued...........

[COOSEFAN]

OK.......Now with Steve done and one day left to hunt, Gary Howell and his client, Norm, went with me to see if we could find the buck that Steve and I had been looking for. This 6th day was clear but very windy and cold. We made the familiar hike back up into the same bowl Steve had killed and where the big buck lived. We glassed and called but to no avail, so we packed up and snuck up through the bedding area to glass the opposite side. I was in the lead with Norm in the middle as we crested a small rise and I noticed a big frame in the grass staring at me at around 50 yrds! I leaned over to the side and covered my ears whispering to shoot....shoot..... Norm acquired the buck in his scope just as it stood up staring at us. The safety was on and buck fever was appearant as the trigger was being bent back! Finally, just as the buck bolted the gun went off and with an amazing shot, the buck fell! I didn't realize this was the same buck I had been trying to kill with Steve until we picked it up out of the grass. This was a fantastic deer, again, especially due to the circumstances we had been dealing with during this hunt! Norms buck grossed right around 104" and Steve was delighted later to actually put his hands on this buck, thinking about all the hours we both had put into trying to harvest it, but without a doubt, he was still proud of his!

 

 

 

 

The night of the 6th day, the snow started to fall and didn't let up for several days. We were stranded in town for 2 days waiting for the roads to open back up to get our clients back to the states and pick up the next crew.

 

 

 

 

to be continued.........

[shortpants]

very nice, now where's the rest?

[azcouesandelk]

Man now I cant wait to see the 2 bigger bucks. I cant believe Steve would pass up a 105 class buck on the first day. That took some guts but he still got a very nice buck.

[COUESAZ]

I like the smaller buck anyways. They are both great bucks. I just like the shape of the first buck more. Yes man bring it on or i will send a computer eating virus to your puter and you will be done with.

 

Any ways welcome back George.

[COOSEFAN]

I think I'm gonna blow up my Photobucket account with all these pics ............

 

OK.....The first clients made it safely back to the U.S. finally and the next crew arrived. The next crew consisted of my Dad (Pops) and his buddies Gary, Barry, and was supposed to include Manny who had an unfortunate family emergency but he will make it next year. We all headed back into Mexico and tried to make it up to our new ranch which is on top of the highest mountain around. We made it 1/4 of the way when we soon realized after I slid downhill 20 yrds backwards with a trialer, that we couldn't safely make it! We were then stuck in town for 2 days of their hunt, making chains for my truck and reorganizing our gear. On the evening of the 2nd day of their hunt we finally made it to the ranch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guides all took off on quads and me on the Rhino to cut roads in the 1-2ft of snow so we would know at first light on the 3rd day where exactly we could hunt. I had a spot in mind from last year and was able to make it there in the Rhino so the next day, my dad and I would start there. I got to choose to guide my dad, which was an easy decision, but to tell you the truth, it's not guiding when it's the person who has taught you all you know! I just knew the area more and with both of our knowledge about hunting Coues.........this was gonna be good! The 3rd day, which was actually our first, was to be our best weather day of the whole hunt and we made the most of it! We had several smaller bucks in the draw and several does, the rut was on and our excitement was high! Soon we had a 105"class 4x4 trailing a doe and dad passed mainly because of no great shot opportunity. This buck dissapeared over the ridge and I then located a huge bobcat that we watched for a while and as I decided to try and get pic's dad noticed some deer to our right. I glanced over with the binos and saw a big framed deer go behind a tree and up the ridge. We never saw him go over, but the vegetation was really thick, so we pounded the area with the optics. Soon we found the 105"class buck making his way back over the ridge right to where we last saw the big buck. Dad was getting set up to possibly take this 4x4 when all of a sudden I saw the rack of the big buck stand up out of the brush! I told dad to follow the 4x4 but DON"T SHOOT IT! I told him he's gonna kill this new buck! I also told dad that when he shoots this buck, hand me the rifle and I will shoot the smaller buck, because once dad fills his tag, I get to hunt! After about 15 minutes of the two bucks posturing and showing off, the bigger buck finally came out of the brush and "BOOM! Dad hit him and then with one more shot, put him down for good. The smaller buck grabbed up the doe that was with dads buck and started trailing her. I got the rifle and had the crosshairs on the buck at 330 yrds and applied pressure to send the bullet on it's way and nothing happened! I pulled away to see if the safety was on and it wasn't! I got back on the buck that was now head low and moving fast after the doe. Dad was yelling at him to stop him, but he never gave me another solid shot and he dissapeared over the ridge again! I now believe it was devine intervention as the reason for the gun not firing, because I ended up later sharing another amazing day with Pops! Oh well.......it would have been cool to get a double but I didn't care, dad had just killed his biggest buck and it grossed 109 7/8"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to go to a horse show.......will finish later...........Thanks, JIM>

[shortpants]

Horse show??? What the heck kind of excuse is that for telling a half -ss story like that???

 

We want answers and we want them now!!!!!!!

[COUESAZ]

WOW now that is a buck Jim. Congrats to your POPS and you for a great Father and Son hunt for the books. Yes i agree Horse show my you know what. You are probably setting at your new computer getting a good kick out of us waiting around to see more.

 

I'm out i hope you crash your chute plane.

[COOSEFAN]

Alright....I'm back. I was actually at a horse show.........no suspense mumbo-jumbo goin' on....I promise! My mother-in-law was competing in a Dressage show down the road and I had to go watch.

 

ANYWAYS.......

 

The day that Pops killed, actually 10 minutes before Pops killed, another client from CO. took a super heavy 106" 3x3 just a couple canyons away. I don't have any good pic's of that buck yet, but it is super massive and wide with incredible eyeguards! Pops and I spent the rest of the day takin' pics and doing a little glassing. The next day I went out with Gary and his client and tried to video tape him killing a 105"+ 4x4. The buck was hit but not good enough and those boys covered close to a mile in 2 days, mostly on hands and knees tracking that buck and it unfortunately got away. The 2nd to last day when they were looking for that buck, my dad and I headed out with what would have been my one and only day to hunt for myself. The day started out OK but when the sun tried to come up, the weather took a turn for the worse. It was very windy and would snow hard then it would rain off and on. We started hiking up a long slope hoping to find some glassing windows through the thick pine trees to the opposite side of the canyon, but later realized we would end up plowing snow uphill for probably 1/2 mile or better before finding a decent window. On the way up, in more than a foot of snow, we ran into a huge flock of Goulds gobblers! We had at least 5 gobblers in full strut at less than 60 yrds at one time and had probably 10 or more gobble all at the same time! It was incredible and only made the day that this would turn out to be, that much better! Shortly after the Turkey run-in, we found our glassing spot. There was one small depression on the opposite side that wasn't gettin' pounded by the wind or snow, and I concentrated on it. Soon after, while munchin' on lunch, I caught movement. I saw the rack on the buck but quickly saw it had an extra point on the inside of the frame and instantly told Pops, "it's got an extra.......i'm killing it!" My window was small, the shot would be 360 yrds and the buck was trailing a doe. I slid down, waist deep in the snow, and set up my tripod and shooting sticks. Pops was over my shoulder to watch the shot and I leveled my 300 yrd line just over his back just as he stopped for a second and....."BOOM"! At the second I got my scope back on em' I heard the "whop" of the impact and saw him fall out of sight! The doe just stood there watching where he fell and I waited. About a minute later i found him trying to get up, I held the same and fired and nothing changed, I re-ranged him and realized he was about 30 yrds closer and I then compensated and dropped em'! I didn't think much about how big he was, I just knew he was big enough for my one day hunt and that he had an extra point on heavy beams! Dad and I plowed our way down the mountain and up to him, and when I lifted his head up out of the snow I was overwhelmed! This was a dream buck for me and to have Pops there to share the experience made it that much better! We both harvested our best bucks on this trip and with a gross score of 109 3/8", our bucks were only 1/2" apart, and just as I believe it should be........Pops buck was bigger!

 

 

 

 

 

The last day was spent trying to at least hunt! The weather got even worse, actually it was a downright blizzard most of the time and when it wasn't.....it was so clouded up, you couldn't even glass!

 

 

We tried as hard as we could to fill our remaining 2 tags but it was miserable! The two guys left to kill were, Gary and Barry, and they will be back next year. They got to see some great bucks and will kill big next year! It was a blast and we all can't wait to go back.

 

 

 

 

If anyone is interested in a hunt with us, contact Jim at "Mullins Outfitters" or Gary at "Howell Wildlife Outfitters" and we'll get you set up. Just remember the best dates go fast. Thanks, JIM>

[COOSEFAN]

Here's a couple more of my buck. Both bucks are the type you need to have in your hand to fully appreciate how cool they are! Pops buck has 4 inch bases and 5 inch mass above the G1! Both bucks have 17 inch beams and mine has bladed beams out to the tips with a very cool extra point! Thanks again for readin' this, JIM>

 

 

[KGAINES]

Congrats to you all, great pics, thanks for a great read.

God Bless

[Hunterdan]

Congrats Jim and Pops on awesome bucks. Great story.

[firstcoueswas80]

Dang Jim those bucks are nice! i really like your hes unique! and ur right, ur dads buck is tall! awesome!i cant wait to go with you next year!

[GTT]

Great job you guys, those bucks are incredible!!!! Awesome story & pic's as usual...Bret

[COUESAZ]

Oh my gosh Jim it was worth the wait for the horse show to get over. You have got to be proud of your year this year. What a blast it has been watching it all come together for you bunch. That country looks like a coues deer hunters dream country. You got some good Ranches to hunt over the border. Like i said befor i will let people know hwo to call this coming year for some good coues hunting.