Shiras Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Just a theoretical question to all you seasoned coues hunters out there. I am from Oklahoma and have no more seen a coues deer than a man in the moon. My friend and I are attempting the NM rifle season Nov. 10-14 and realize that it is a generic tag. Would any of you that had your heart set on a coues, "settle" for a muley? After reader Dwane Adams book, and talking to him twice on the telephone-, it sounds like i will be lucky to even SEE a coues deer of any kind, much less a nice buck (due to not being used to glassing wide open country and rarely seeing deer over 100 yards and shooting over 50). I was on a bear trip in unit 23, and 16 in '99 and saw 1000's of elk and 100's of muleys in 5 full days of hunting, -no bear,lol. We actually had to stop in the middle of the road going into Reserve waiting for a herd of elk to cross. Talk about culture shock! -Anyways back on the subject, I am kind of looking at our up coming "hunting trip" as more of a "camping trip" and if we bag anything, looking at it as a bonus. My friend is not oriented in the "journey" aspect of the hunt, but more focused on the destination (bagging the animal). I am hoping his perspective will change, but I am not sure he will have the patience to sit and glass and wait it out. I'm not a great hunter by any means, but am practicing glassing every weekend and trying to get the mental part of the game down. Oh well , any information or input would be appreciated.-Shiras Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coues addict Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Shiras I don`t know what kind of optics you have but I think after a few days of concentrated glassing you will start to figure things out. Have you ever taken mule deer before? If not , than why limit yourself to only a Coues Deer. A nice mulie is a great trophy. IMHO a kill is not the most important thing. The most important thing to me is to enjoy your time out in the field and learn different things about the game that your hunting. I say if you have a chance at a nice Coues buck then great!!, If all you can find is a Mule deer buck and he gets you excited then why not. Try to talk to some other hunters and see if they are seeing any Coues, talk to the ranchers and try to get some info, but the main thing is be safe and have fun. Good luck on your hunt Coues Addict Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiras Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Coues addict, No, I never have taken a muley. and I would be thrilled with either. But I am EXTREMELY partial to the whitetail, be it eastern or coues. That little guy, among ALL big game animals is what I would like to take the most. I've had 2 very successful years of hunting easterns here and the whitetail bug has just bitten me very hard (where before it didn't matter what animal I was hunting,...like the bear). I like mule deer (and heck I might love them if I actually harvested one) but the whitetail mystique has me firmly in it's grasp. lol The question was just to see if all yall were "whitetail" or nothing at all. Everyone is different, so I was just wanting to see the mass consenses on the topic. Thanks for your reply.-Shiras (Ronnie) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyaboutcoues Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Shiras, I sent you a PM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Shiras, I've hunted in New Mexio's unit 23 for the last 3 years straight and only seen a handful of coues. In fact I've only seen a handful of deer period. The first year I went I ended up shooting a fat 3x3 carp in the bottom of a nasty canyon about a half hour before dark. It sure made for a fun hike bringing him out in the dark, especially after my only flashlight broke. Unit 23 has been mis managed and over hunted for many years and the deer population is hurting pretty bad. The good news is that NM is finally going to start managing the deer a little better and will be going to a draw in 2005. I also believe they will be managing for coues and carp seperatly. There are some good genetics there and hopefully after a few years of management the deer herds will rebound. The coues deer there will usually live in small pockets and it generally takes some scouting to figure out which canyon they're in or which ridgeline they're on. This can take time, so don't hesitate to shoot a carp if you get the chance! It might be the only chance you get. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Manamal Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Im from Arizona and this will be my third year hunting unit 23. Originally I was looking for pockets of coues, that is untill I saw how big unit 23 grew the carps. We usually find at least one decent buck/ day of hard glassing. Last year I took a good 4x3 w/ eyegaurds lots of mass and a 22" spread. The biggest buck we have seen there was while scouting was a 4x4 with probably 24-26". Hunt the canyons others dont Shiras to get your trophy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullwidgeon Report post Posted August 3, 2004 Alot like these guys you should shoot the carp and forget about the coues. There are no coues in 23. We killed the only one left last year. I hear 24,26 and 27 all have lots of coues though. You may want to check them out. Bret M. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BRYCE CANYON Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Shiras, why would you want to shoot a diaper deer? Hunting whitetails is a religious experience, stay with the Coues! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiras Report post Posted August 4, 2004 I guess I'm not hip on the western slang. "Carp" meaning muley? I've also read about "toads". ---------------------------- (Shiras)"Alex, I'll take deer names for 800". (Alex) The name frequently used to a big mule deer out west". (Shiras) "What is a TOAD CARP?" lol- Shiras By the way, Are any of you all going to be in 23 this year (Nov. 10- 14)? I've talked to a ranger up there and am just trying to find out if around the pueblo park area is a good place too camp, or are there a lot of road hunters coming thru there? I'd love to talk to some of yall if we ran into each other. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyaboutcoues Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Shiras, Did you get my e-mail? Havn't heard from you, just wondering. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted August 4, 2004 if ya run into this wierd lookin' guy crawlin' around under rocks and stuff and sayin' "precious, my prehhhhcious", that'll be bullwidgeon. i say shoot whatever ya see. except bullwidgeon that is. poor feller can't help it. i'm of the opinion, that any place ya have a tag for, is a good place. 23 is a good area. while i don't neccasarily agree that the "experience" is what i'm after. if i have a tag, i dang sure wanna use it. i like all the stuff that goes with hunting, but success makes it better. if you're going into a place new to you, the first time you go there is quite a learning experience. use it and think about it for the whole year and the next year you'll have a lot better handle on it. as far as coues and mulies go, if it's a good buck, it's a good buck. i saw 4x4 muley in 23 some years back that had to be close to 200". anybody that'd turn that buck down for a guppie, i mean coues, would be nuts. a 30" muley would be real hard to turn down. my kid saw a coues in 23, 3 years ago that he's still havin' seizures over too. so they're there. get farther from the road than the other folks get and you'll do ok. don't limit yourself, it'll screw up the "experience". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiras Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Crazy, Where do I go to get your email? Somewhere in this forum? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiras Report post Posted August 4, 2004 Crazy, Nevermind. I forgot i gave my email address when I joined. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazyaboutcoues Report post Posted August 4, 2004 I can't tell you what e-mail adderss I sent it to. I guess CW doesn't give out that information. If you would like to e-mail me my address is: gilawildernesshunts@hotmail.com Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
