A hunt i will never forget!

[Coues_Freak]

So first off I'm new to the forum been looking on here for years, but finally decided to start sharing my hunts input on some of the posts I've seen. Love this site especially because I'm a Coues Freak. To start things off this hunt is one that will go down in the books as one of the best hunts I have been on and able to harvest the biggest coues deer I've hunted! It all started last year in August when I got frustrated with a unit that I had archery hunted for a few years never having succes and being disappointed with the number of people who have been attracted to this unit, me and my twin brother decided to mix things up a little bit and try a totally different unit just out of the blue doing a quick scan on google maps we found the spot. So in the middle of the day on a Wednesday last year me and my brother we were off with big hopes in our minds to find a good place to start hunting again with out the huge number of people. Low and behold we found the spot we searched on Google maps and it turned out to be amazing the first time ever being out there and just out on a limb because the area looked good on Google maps haha. But in one night we turned up to giant coues bucks. So fast forward to this July I headed out to the spot from last year hoping to find the bucks again setting out trail cameras glassing and so forth. I left the cameras in the area for about a month and found the buck I called 43 which later my dad would harvest so I watched him and watched him all the way up to the opener felt like I had him patterned pretty good so I sat the waterhole almost everyday for two weeks from sun up to sun down with 43 not showing up at all. So the next week after that I decided to start glassing the area and found 43 on the same ridge the water was on he was just down the ridge about 1000 yards from it not know why he would not come to water or even where he was getting water from I continued to watch him and video him I tried and failed several times trying to get close enough to him to arrow him but never could seal the deal. So going on 3 weeks before my hunt and after keeping tabs on this buck for what seemed like a century I could go out on any given day and find him I felt confident I would be able to find him on opening day of my hunt the only thing separating us was the time. So 3 weeks before me and my dads hunt I went out to find 43 again and had a huge curve ball thrown in when I glassed up the buck me and my brother hunted last August and he was bigger than ever frantically setting up my spotter I started collecting video of the buck I named kicker because on the left side of his horn he had about a 3 inch kicker shooting off his beam I was in awe over this buck quickly putting him in the number one spot for my hunt. Not 20 minutes after finding this buck I glass up the buck 43 on the same ridge as kicker and the finally worked they're way to each other and me getting to compare the two side by side. I couldn't believe it so for the next 3 weeks leading up to my hunt I went out everyday and watched these deer and pin pointed every thing they did and how they would act. Two days before the hunt me and my good friend Jake Domres headed out to watch the two bucks finding them everyday up to the night before the hunt and watching both bucks right at dark. I felt so confident that it was gonna be over in the morning. My dad showed up that night showing him video and pictures of his buck which was 43 and my buck he was excited my dad hasn't killed a buck over 100 inches and I knew he wanted to bad I helped him kill a buck that scored 95 the year before. This was his year and I was so excited for him so opening morning at 4:30 getting out of the tent after a restless night we were off I set my dad on the glassing hill to find his buck and pointed out where to look. Me and my buddy Jake got up to the other spot we glassed from to find my buck not 40 mins after light my dad radios saying he found his buck I told him to watch the buck till it bedded down. Me and Jake still searching for kicker for about an hour could not turn him up so we headed to my dad his buck was still up feeding when we go there so we watched him disappear into a cut and never come out. Leaving Jake there me and my dad were off up the mountain to get in to a position to find the buck beded. At about 10:30 we got up to a good vantage point about 300 yards from where the buck disappeared and I started glassing every shade spit and tree around the buck nowhere to be found I was frustrated thinking to my self there's no way he could have slipped out we would have seen him I thought to my self I should check the rock pile he disappeared behind. Boom there he was staring at us not 50 yards from the rock pile in the wide open with just a small bush blocking his vitals the only thing we could see was his head. The waiting game began we set up for the shot and got prepared for him to stand up. We sat there for 3 hours waiting for him to stand and finally at 1:30 he stood my dad got on the gun and made the shot I was ecstatic that I just watched my dad full fill a dream of his we packed everything up and headed over to see the buck watching my dad walk up to 43 was the best moment of my life. We got good photos skinned him out and got back to camp and that was it for the first day of the hunt what an amazing first day. Well as for me the next 3 days after that were grueling and boring trying to figure out what happens to my buck with me being good friends with Jay Scott I messaged him several nights in a row asking advice and he kept saying stay after it he will show up with that motivation burning in me on the 4th day me my dad and my buddy Jake headed out to the spot we sat on the glassing hill glasses up multiple buck and one very decent buck that caught my attention with having two days left I kept looking for kicker at about 10:30 we packed up and moved to a spot where I thought we could look at the land different but was completely wrong after a long hike into the backside of the hill we found was impassible. Feeling so frustrated and discouraged that I had just wasted 3 hours of the day with not many days left we went back to find the buck from the morning and get a better look at him. At 3:30 we found him bedded I set up for a shot and forgot to press play on my phone that was filming the buck for the shot sitting back up off the gun something told me not to shoot that buck. So I called off the shot my buddy Jake was getting frustrated so he got up and me following turned to the left with my dad and started glassing not 10 mins into glassing my buddy Jake goes Hunter I got a giant I'm not gonna say anything just get your spotter he came put the scope on the deer I cranked it to 60 power and instanly knew it was him I started getting so excited the buck being about a mile away I new we had to move fast to get into a shot so my dad staying up in the hill and glassing me and Jake tore off the mountain to get into range of the buck. We got to the first hill and I was not comfortable taking a 750 yard shot after basically running over there so we got to the ridge straight a cross from where the buck was we were close within 100 yards but the buck was gone couldn't see him and trying to radio my dad our radio died. Jake kept saying lets creep up there I kept telling him no I don't want to blow the deer out lets just sit here. Jake looked like he was about to cry from all this yellow pollen that we kept knocking off the bushes he sneezes loud like really loud I was like really Jake both of us being frustrated I turned around and out of the bottom came all 3 of the bucks or so I thought with kicker in toe but it was three diffrent buck I turned to Jake a said there the his and he was like wel shoot him so I sat down and said which one is he he's said the last one but it was not him me not know kicker had just came out the bottom I told him that it was not him and he then lifted the butt of the rifle up and I saw him. I took the shot hitting him perfect he drops I could not believe it I had just killed the buck I had watched the year before and then this year I was so excited hearing my dad up on the hill and having him watch me do it I was so excited. It was and awesome hunt and one I will never forget!!

[parrita58]

Nice job, that's awesome that you harvested a buck on the same week your dad got his. That is a hunt you will never forget

[naturebob]

Talk about a couple a Studs. My Goodness. Congrats...............BOB!

[Will K]

Insane bucks. Big congrat's.

[Arizona Griz]

Beautiful bucks, congratulations.

[gotcoues]

Very sweet! Great job on outstanding bucks! The father/son aspect is priceless.

 

The Coues Deer is King

[218buck]

That incredible great job those are both great bucks

[JLW]

Way to go!

Those are 2 awesome bucks!

Congrats

 

James

[CWBBucker]

Congrats on the awesome bucks and story!

[murfys69law]

Congrats on 2 really nice bucks!

[KeithV]

really cool great work

[SO I HUNT]

Great bucks and a heck of a write up! Welcome to the great site!

[AZbowhntr]

Congratulations on the bucks. I have been wondering how everything turned out since we talked in Sportsmans that day. I am glad everything worked out for you. Also tell your dad congrats for me. Orlin

[jwdodge01]

Congrats! When I saw the pictures I was excited for both of you! Way to stick it out. I can't think of two guys that deserve bucks like that more!

[J.S.R.]

Congrats Hunter! Glad to see you posting on here!