Dan Report post Posted August 1, 2007 How many deer do you need to glass up in a area to consider it a prime area to hunt? Been scouting the last 2 weekends and have only seen a few does early in the AM. Got more areas to look at but was wondering what some of you thing would be prime? Will take a hike through the areas as soon as I see a few more deer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted August 1, 2007 I guess prime would be in the eyes of the beholder. I would rather glass up one single good buck than a whole bunch of dinks, and I would consider the spot as prime if it held even one good buck. Some would consider quantity over quality as prime, or vice versa. Just my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted August 1, 2007 To me, the quality of a spot is not determined only by the animals there. Of course I want to see antlers, but I also put a lot of emphasis on not seeing other hunters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donniedent Report post Posted August 1, 2007 Well, I've got what I would consider a prime area to hunt this year. The reaon I'd consider it prime is because I've been in there 5 times and saw bucks 4 of those times. Smallest being a forkie and the largest would go about 105. The only time I didn't see a buck is because I spooked him before I got to see him (saw the tracks he left moments before). I am not a seasoned coues deer hunter by any means (haven't even taken one yet) but you should now a good area when you see it. Just got that feel to it. I would also agree that if you can find an area that holds a few deer and fewer hunters you've got something going on and you should spend some time there. Donnie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted August 1, 2007 Well, I've got what I would consider a prime area to hunt this year. The reaon I'd consider it prime is because I've been in there 5 times and saw bucks 4 of those times. Smallest being a forkie and the largest would go about 105. The only time I didn't see a buck is because I spooked him before I got to see him (saw the tracks he left moments before). I am not a seasoned coues deer hunter by any means (haven't even taken one yet) but you should now a good area when you see it. Just got that feel to it. I would also agree that if you can find an area that holds a few deer and fewer hunters you've got something going on and you should spend some time there. Donnie Donnie, I would hope i kinda know the feeling... some of the places I have felt very good about I have seen very few if any deer in the area! I have just gone to the usual places where i have typically seen bucks. In past years, I havent been able to scout as I had live in Flagstaff. Now, I live in Tucson and have some time and am close enough to do some scouting. I look for quantity of deer and animals in general. If i see does, or pigs or coyotes, I know there will be deer in the area, I may just not have seen them that day. If i see little bucks, I know there will be bigger bucks in the area. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghost hunter Report post Posted August 1, 2007 Probably the best indicator is "no hunters", but there may be a reason for that. If you are seeing deer or at least deer sign AND no hunters, that is where I would start to concentrate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arizona Griz Report post Posted August 1, 2007 To me, the quality of a spot is not determined only by the animals there. Of course I want to see antlers, but I also put a lot of emphasis on not seeing other hunters. I couldn't have said it any better. but keep in mind if you have indeed found a good area then somone already knows about it. I would think finding "sign" would be a better indicator than visual sightings of deer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted August 1, 2007 To me, the quality of a spot is not determined only by the animals there. Of course I want to see antlers, but I also put a lot of emphasis on not seeing other hunters. I couldn't have said it any better. but keep in mind if you have indeed found a good area then somone already knows about it. I would think finding "sign" would be a better indicator than visual sightings of deer. I've been focusing solely on spots that have no road access & require a minimum of 30 minute hike in. That may be nothing to the die-hard nuts on this forum, but it seems adequate to escape most of your average roadhunters that drive up to their spot & glass for an hour before moving on. We're staying close to the road for early deer because we'll be hunting elk in the same unit in Sept & I'm not interested in packing my cow out. In Dec. & Jan., however, it'll be all backpacking. Anybody that you'll run into after packing in a few miles is probably going to be someone you'd like to meet anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted August 2, 2007 Guys, how likely are you to see other hunters that are actually out there scouting A.just scouting in general and B. scotuin the same, place as you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunt4horns Report post Posted August 2, 2007 I've always considered that when I scout early and don't find much sign or even deer it was still a succesful scout, it may sound silly however i still learned something. I may not want to spend much more time in that area even though it may have been a honey hole in the past. Something has changed since i was last there. I may not rule it out but won't put much emphasis there. Maybe check on it a time or two just to make sure it wasn't just a bad day of scouting but most of us can tell whats up when we see it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donniedent Report post Posted August 3, 2007 When I say that an area looks good, I mean that it has all the things a coues deer needs and wants. Cover, food and water. If you find those three things in deer country, they should usually be there. The only things that would change that equation are pressure and predation. There is next to nothing you can do about the predation but you can find areas that don't have as much pressure. BUT... you're gonna have to work your butt off to find and get to them. The area I'm hunting this year is heck to get to in my 4x4. Once I park the truck, I'm hiking 1400 feet up and about 1 mile in. Yeah, not much fun with a 40lb pack on. The reason for the heavy pack is because I don't want to make that climb every morning so once I'm up there I'm not coming down for 4 days. Did I mention I'm gonna haul 15 gallons of water (enough for 4 of us) up before the hunt so I don't have to come down for it? Thats how you get away from people. Unfortunately, with the number of hunters out there, as time goes by here in Arizona its gonna take getting tough and getting away from people to have a successful hunt. There are still plenty of places that the average hunter drives past and says "I bet theres a monster up there... but I'm not hiking up that mountain" and keeps on driving. You'll find most of those guys in the same area come opening morning. But the guys that are willing to work their butts off, like alot of guys here, those guys are gonna be rewarded. And what if they don't get one??? I'd be willing to bet they're happy all the same. You''ll always be able to count on one thing when it comes to hunters, 90% are laaazzzy. Use it to your advantage. As far as what you're running into Dan, don't give up on that area. If there are does there are bucks... and probably not far away. Heres what I would do, pattern the does, watch where they're coming from and going to in the morning. Back track where they're coming from (food most likely) and check the sign on the opposite side of where they're coming form (say a buckbrush hillside or a stand of Ocotillos) You might have bucks feeding in the same areas but leaving to bed away from the does. Do the same thing with any water you can find. I'd bet there are 2 trails leading in and out of that water, one might be does and the other bucks. Also don't forget to try a trailcam, you can scout from your couch with one of those. Anyway, I hope all that babbling helps and good luck with your hunt. Donnie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nedflanders Report post Posted August 5, 2007 i have been chasing coues deer since 1991 and have seen several GOOD bucks very near roads . so it just goes to show you that you can never tell where you might find your next trophy. also i started photographing the bucks i was going to hunt and i seem to have jinxed myself because i never was able to harvest those deer ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffd Report post Posted August 5, 2007 On my first trip to the area I hunt I only saw one doe but returned knowing there had to be more.That was 10 years ago.I've since taken five good bucks from the same small canyon and yet to see another hunter.The area is so ugly other hunters just drive by.The only time I walk into the bottom of the canyon is to pack out a deer as to not disturb anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortpants Report post Posted August 5, 2007 The # of deer you see has everything to do with how many deer are in the area but doesn't determine how hot the area is. Example: in most of the southern units I average 25 deer a day, but in some of the central/northern units I may see 2 deer a day. Last year I looked at hundreds of deer down south and couldn't find what I found in 10 deer in a northern unit ( a 110+, a 100+, a 90+, and a couple of mid 80's ). Just because your seeing a lot of deer doesn't mean your in the right spot. When you find what your looking for you'll know your there. I'm not saying give up on an area after 1 day however, be patient. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coues addict Report post Posted August 6, 2007 Dan What constitutes a prime spot? Well, to me it all depends on several factors. Are you just trying to fill your tag or are you truly trophy hunting? Lets say you are really wanting a trophy animay,say 95'' and over for the sake of arguement. I personally love to see lots of animals,but some of the best deer that I have ever taken were in areas that I just had a hunch about.I try to look more for signs,tracks,sheds,water,cover,lion sine, food sourses,escape routes,lack of roads,etc. A good shed is a huge plus in my book!So is available water and cover.When I scout an area I try to cover tons of ground to get to know its features and usually I will seem some deer. I really love rough areas that have that(Holy Shi_t) look to them. That generally eliminate about 90% of the general competition. I don`t mind going in those places even if it it takes me all day if I plan for it! Backpack hunting, and huge day loops that take from 4.00 am until 8.00p.m are pretty normal in our camp. No one has ever accused me of being extremly smart either ''By the way''. Glassing is by far the best way to cover a lot of ground with your eyes, so glass, glass, glass, then if you start seeing some deer and it looks like the area has some great potential, get off your butt and go to the next step and plan a backpack trip or a long day hike into the area to see whats really out there! If you want a true trophy its usually takes alot of work or a crapload of money. I don`t have unlimited money, so I just do things the hard way I guess! Good luck and I hope you find that spot! Coues Addict Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
