andyk_14 Report post Posted August 10, 2014 I recently moved here from Tennessee last year and am looking for a little help/guidance on Coues hunting. I am very familiar with the strategies of Eastern whitetail and somewhat familiar with strategies for Coues thanks to this forum. I hunted 34A last year (and will be again this year with the late NOV hunt) with no luck seeing bucks but saw a few doe hunting the Box Canyon area but found that to be very overcrowded with hunters. I have a few new areas picked out for this year but will only be able to do limited scouting due to currently deployed overseas till early-mid Nov. I am looking on any info/tips to make my hunt a little more successful such as what gear is recommended for AZ, simple strategies, what is the best way to pack a deer out (assuming I can get my first Coues kill this year). Back east its as simple as gutting and dragging it out to hang and debone but I know the temperature difference here changes things a lot. Any information or help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted August 10, 2014 Welcome to the site, the state and the highly addictive sport of hunting the gray ghost.- Gear; A pair of good tall in-insulated, gore-tex, leather boots will be your best friend. The very best bino's, spotting scope and rangefinder you can afford. High power optics are the standard in coues hunting and 15x bino's are standard issue. In my mind an effective coues two man team of coues hunters consists of one guy with 15's and one guy with a high power spotting scope. Coues hunters always mount their optics to a tripod. When it comes to tripods I like one with some weight to it so it can maintain itself in windy conditions and be less likely to topple over and damage your bino's. I also like mine to be tall enough to stand behind if necessary. This translates into a lot of weight, but that's nothing a good pre-season workout routine can't solve. You will want a pack with some type of frame. Badlands and eberlestock are probably the two most popular. I run a badlands 2200. The key is to have enough pack to carry a boned out coues complete (roughly 60 lbs). For breaking down deer you will want good sharp knives, the Havalon replaceable blade knives have become very popular in recent years. For a rifle, anything works but be sure you are comfortable with shots in excess of 300 yds. My limit is 500 and I am on the conservative side when it comes to coues hunting. Having a BDC type scope and angle compensating rangefinder are a very good idea.As far as strategy goes, there is really only one strategy for hunting coues with a rifle. Get up high and glass, glass, glass. After a few hours go to another high point and glass some more. Try to stay out all day of possible and keep your eyes in the bino's as much as you can. Coues are somewhat ADD and will get up to shake their heads or change beds, see what's going on, etc all day long so it's not uncommon to glass them up on the middle of the day. They love scrub oak and can be found at altitudes from 2500 ft on up but their densities are probably most hunt able in the 3500' to 5000' range. During the day glass in the shade of every tree on a hillside to pick out bedded deer.As far as pack out goes coues are pretty easy; break them down with the gutless method and then debone the meat. Stuff it in game bags in your pack and head for home. Game meat in AZ doesn't usually get to hang due to temps.Here is a video on how to do the gutless method that a sponsor put together.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WZsO4tsrKPwGood luck and thank you for your service. I wouldn't be surprised if you got some offers of help by some of the good folks on this site. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyk_14 Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Thanks for the in depth response Flatlander, That is definitely some great and very helpful information. Coues hunting is a lot more difficult than eastern whitetail and im excited to get out there and see what I can do. I just ordered a spotting scope that will be waiting at the house for when I get back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Good luck and feel free to ask all the questions you like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
100%DIYazCOUES Report post Posted August 11, 2014 I agree with flatlander,the most important gear you can have for coues is a good pair of binos and the best butt pad you can find Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Kills Me with all the hunting shows I watch , how many guides ,outfitters and so called professional hunters glass in Montana ,Wyoming ,New Mexico and even when they come to AZ. that don't use tripods or 15's. They are glassing a 3-4 mile long and wide bowl and say, GEE, I am not seeing much today. They are using their 10 power Leupold or Nikon off hand (cause thats their sponsor) and no tripod. I preach it to folks up north here, and most are clueless. ? ,How come others around the country havn't picked up our style of glassing? Especially in the West.....................?...................BOB! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
100%DIYazCOUES Report post Posted August 11, 2014 And a tripod for sure,good call Bob! I use 12x tho,I just find them more versatile then 15x. Allows the option to use them more effectively offhand when hiking between glassing setups.bit that's just my opinion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted August 11, 2014 I carry 10's and pack 15's in the pack. I find 15's are just too unstable off hand. I would prefer to either have 8's for off hand glassing and 15's in the pack or have 10's and a spotting scope but For a lot of years I had only 10's to use so they had to be the everything glass. Then I inherited my 15's, so I've got what I've got. When I lived in ID nobody had tripods. It was totally unheard of. I could see hundreds of animals in a day there, and everyone just looked at you like you were from Mars as they rode by on horses 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Thats what I mean. They think We are from Mars Sums it up. In Montana I let all the locals drive the roads ,I get 1 mile back in and let them push the deer. Most the time You don't have to walk a mile either.(or for a Camel) Years ago I even put My 10 power Nikons on a tripod and it made a huge difference. Then I got 15's. And I only have had Minox and Doctors before that and they do great. Me and My huntin partners all use 10's or 8's walking and 15's glassing from the tripod. See more game than can ever imagine once I started the tripod thing. Up north here in Montana their game #'s are way down and the folks think it is bad. It's way better than anything in Az. except the BAB , I think the huntin is great. Going to Wyoming in 7 weeks for Lope for the first time and was warnd theres too many . Hopefully one too many big ones.................BOB! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest oneshot Report post Posted August 11, 2014 PM sent... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyk_14 Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Awesome advice guys, I already feel way more prepared than last years failed attempt at my first Coues!I cant wait for the season to get here and get back out in the woods (or i guess desert in this case).I will say hunting deer in AZ is a lot more challenging and I assume more rewarding than hunting back East. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GJMauro12 Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Glass is the biggest key like everyone has already said and second would be getting comfortable with longer shots in my opinion. Get some good glass and get comfortable glassing and you will start seeing deer. I remember showing up the day before my first coues hunt started in 24a. I wasn't able to scout before the hunt at all with all the hunts that year and had never been to globe to hunt. My dad grew up in globe but didn't hunt much. He took me to the top of the pinals and as soon as we got to the back side I said "we need better glass." Turned around and went to walmart and bought a cheap pair of Nikon 12x. (Best they had). I actually glassed up 2 bucks in the first 20 minutes of light off hand with the cheap glass. Still took me 4 years before I took my first coues but I have slowly upgraded my gear every year and am much more patient sitting in the glass. Keep reading everything you can about coues and keep hunting. Eventually what you've read and what you experience in the field will come together and you'll be wrapping a tag around your first coues. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest oneshot Report post Posted August 12, 2014 Combining the woodmanship skills from "back home" with a few western tactics can speed up the learning curve... While using high powered bino's and tri-pods glassing is a time honored western method and it realy makes sense to " let your eyes do the walking first ", it isnt the only way to be a successful Coues deer hunter. Alot of new-to-Coues hunters are from the east/south where compact bino's are the norm or even no bino's because the veg. is so thick. They may be very successful hunters of that kind of terrain by finding prime deer areas and setting-up along trails, funnels that lead to bedding/food/excape routes etc. In Arizona, scouting the thicker growth terrain for choke points that can be seen from a distance, finding high use areas in smaller canyons/cuts, openings near terrain features, etc where I can set-up 100-300yards away. Knowing that deer are using the area by scouting on foot is kinda like 'back-east hunting", posting-up but from a longer distance to cover more terrain. I have ditched the 15's and tri-pods, in favor of 10x50 Nikons to watch the areas I have ID'ed through scouting on foot. This, I feel, gives me a few advantages, if I see a deer with the lower powered bino's, I can shoot from there without moving, in smaller canyon/cuts with thicker growth/terrain less hunters visit and if hunters do enter a smaller canyons/cuts they may drive deer that are un-seen to them into those openings I have ID'ed. Kinda strange, but I combine 'eastern' hunting skills when hunting in AZ, and use 'western" glassing skills when hunting in NY, the best of both Worlds when combined and more enjoyable and successful for me... Looking foward to meeting you Andrew and sharing some areas and tactics... Your Service and Sacrifice are Honored, Stay Safe, God Speed and Get Some... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted August 12, 2014 With the "being deployed until mid-Nov" statement, a huge THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE is thrown your way. I cannot agree more with the quality glass and tripod statement. Best of luck. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mocha1545 Report post Posted August 12, 2014 As everyone already said, Good glass and a butt pad. I only want to add that when you think you've glassed the whole area. Glass it again. Also good glass can still give some people a head ache. Depends on the person. Thank you for your service. Stay safe and get back here to fill your tag! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
