coues wilderness jan hunt

[runningfool]

sup guys great website here been seriously browsing for info. im an out of stater currently stationed in pendleton, so with the long drive hoping to make it a good hunt. i was hoping to get some advice on a jan wilderness bowhunt, where to look at and such. backpacking is no issue. planning on a 5-7 day trip. pm please. thanks gentlemen.

[muledeerarea33?]

27, 33, any unit south of I-10, 28, 31, all good units. I'm sure there are more. Without time invested its hard to say exactly where to go but if you pick good country in January you'll have a shot.

[az_shooter]

First off, welcome to the site. Second, if your not from here I would use the h3ll out of Google Earth. Start finding roads and access points. Call around to forest service ranger districts and ask questions about closures and start collecting maps. Pick one area and study the crap out of it.

[runningfool]

Thanks gents. I certainly will. Also been poaching info off this fantastic forum. 32 looks interesting.

[muledeerarea33?]

32 is nice but wouldn't be my first choice.

[ready2hunt]

Superstition wilderness 24b.....just don't go searching for the lost dutchmans gold....you might not make it back

[Flatlander]

If I was doing this hunt it would be in 24B, but that's because I know the unit well. There are quite a few good wilderness opportunities in this state.

 

Take a sweater, January can be a tit bit nipply out there.

[runningfool]

Awesome. 24b looks like a fantastic place to twear out a pair of boots.thanks for the direction. Is it a decent glassing location?

[ready2hunt]

Awesome. 24b looks like a fantastic place to twear out a pair of boots.thanks for the direction. Is it a decent glassing location?

It has everything you want. Desert lows to some pines depending on where you want to venture. I personally think this holds some of the best backpack get-away-from-it-all hunting because it can take awhile just to get to an area to drop the truck off. Especially on the south side. If you have the time and can locate a good water source you'll be in the animals. I wish I had the time to do some serious hunting in there.

[Zeke-BE]

For a unit to just show up 24 b is not the choice for you. It has a lot of deer and it's a great unit if you know the spots to hit. Stay away from queen valley and peralta trail. It's full of weekend warriors quad and target shooters. If you do do that unit and want to head to a ( spot ) that doesn't need much scouting and just show up back pack into the wilderness. If you head south of Tucson most of those units you can pick a area and do ok. If you don't care if it's couse or mule hang out at the base of the mountains you will get a mix of mule and couse deer. Find a ridge and glass the flats and turn around and glass the slops. Stay away from 37b. That is a unit only for hunters who put the time into scouting. Good luck

[Flatlander]

For a unit to just show up 24 b is not the choice for you. It has a lot of deer and it's a great unit if you know the spots to hit. Stay away from queen valley and peralta trail. It's full of weekend warriors quad and target shooters. If you do do that unit and want to head to a ( spot ) that doesn't need much scouting and just show up back pack into the wilderness. If you head south of Tucson most of those units you can pick a area and do ok. If you don't care if it's couse or mule hang out at the base of the mountains you will get a mix of mule and couse deer. Find a ridge and glass the flats and turn around and glass the slops. Stay away from 37b. That is a unit only for hunters who put the time into scouting. Good luck

He said he is going into the wilderness. Queen valley and peralta aren't in the wilderness. If he was to hike in to the wilderness from there, he would be in deer country. South of Tucson brings a new set of considerations to the table for somebody who is not familiar with the border.

 

No one even mentioned 37b, and since he specifically mentioned coues in the wilderness I don't think you have anything to worry about. No need to try and protect your spots from this non-scouter.

[Zeke-BE]

 

For a unit to just show up 24 b is not the choice for you. It has a lot of deer and it's a great unit if you know the spots to hit. Stay away from queen valley and peralta trail. It's full of weekend warriors quad and target shooters. If you do do that unit and want to head to a ( spot ) that doesn't need much scouting and just show up back pack into the wilderness. If you head south of Tucson most of those units you can pick a area and do ok. If you don't care if it's couse or mule hang out at the base of the mountains you will get a mix of mule and couse deer. Find a ridge and glass the flats and turn around and glass the slops. Stay away from 37b. That is a unit only for hunters who put the time into scouting. Good luck

He said he is going into the wilderness. Queen valley and peralta aren't in the wilderness. If he was to hike in to the wilderness from there, he would be in deer country. South of Tucson brings a new set of considerations to the table for somebody who is not familiar with the border.

No one even mentioned 37b, and since he specifically mentioned coues in the wilderness I don't think you have anything to worry about. No need to try and protect your spots from this non-scouter.

Flatlander it sounds like I stuck a nerve with your 24 b unit if you got to point out all my flaws. I was just pointing out other options if his wilderness adventure doesn't work out and have to hunt closer to towns. If I was going out of town I would at least have a plan B. The only wilderness I've hunt is 24b. But if we can't make it in for whatever reason he can still hunt other parts of the units that doesn't involve a bunch a quads which is right next to the wilderness ( Queens valley area). I'll try to be a little more specific next time.

[mattys281]

I'd give another nod to 24b. I've nailed a couple coues and a nice muley in there with my bow. There's plenty of deer in the Superstitions and plenty of good glassing country, not to mention some good areas to set-up ambushes for the evening. I mostly sit ambushes now, but used to mix it up with glassing in the morning, then holing up in a saddle for an ambush if I wasn't on to something by 2-3 in the afternoon.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

In your post you said that backpacking was not a problem, to me that sounds like you want to do a wilderness hunt if it means being more successful. Well this is my .02 worth. In January it is extremely easy to find bucks, just harder to kill with archery equipment, so unless you want to have the experience of backpacking in, I would spend that time and energy making stalk after stalk etc...I like backpack hunts, but usually I do it to get away from people and give myself a better opportunity to harvest a good buck. During January I would spend time in a unit with greater deer densities and camp more comfortably than do a back pack hunt. But that is my opinion.

[Edge]

I pack into 24B, and the Eagletail Wilderness areas most Januarys. But am familiar with Hells Gate, Hummingbird and Harquahala Wilderness areas too. Bring a rifle and lion tag, too. Be happy to pack in a camp and show you these spots. Some of these Wilderness areas are only a couple hours drive from Pendleton.

 

PS many of these wilderness units I mentioned .have no Coues but do have mulies, there are plenty of wilderness areas in the state that do have Coues, not a problem.