New Hunter

[AZ_SAWBUCK]

If you have time or access to download podcast, get podbean and listen to the Jay Scott podcasts. You can scroll through all the episodes and listen to the ones that interest you. He did some last fall on early season Coues hunts that are loaded with valuable information on glassing gear and when and where to look. The Gritty Bowman is another good one to get information on gear etc. Good Luck this fall!

[mattys281]

Welcome to the site and good luck on your hunt. I took my first 3 deer out of 24b, it's a great unit. I'm sure you'll have a good time in there.

[bgshooter]

Adam is a great guy!!

He sure is. First guy to give me pointers on dove hunting 2 years ago. You're in good hands with these group of hunters. Have fun and be safe!!!

[Becker]

I can't offer to help on the actual hunt but..... Shoot me a PM with any questions. More than willing to share tactics of the Coues pursuit.

[brendanflanagan]

Brendan- lot of great guys here willing to help. hunting coues is a challenge. let them know which hunt you have . also have you taken the hunter safety course? and do you have a rifle? ron

 

 

yeah I took my hunter safety course a couple months ago. I have a 7mm-08 Ruger American that I bought a few months ago. I'm not sure what grain bullet to use on these little guys (thinking 120 grain but not sure).

[azruger]

120 will do the job just fine.

[AZ_SAWBUCK]

Brendon,

 

I was thinking about a few things that new hunters often over look. There is one thing in particular that is common, and this is finding game in a scope when its "Go Time". I remember the first deer I killed, it was a mule deer at about 300 yards. I had buck fever so bad I couldn't get really comfortable shooting prone off a rock, had a hard time getting settled in with the scope etc....... it ended up working out with a one shot kill but it could have been smoother. Since then I have worked a lot on my trigger pull, shooting ability and finding the target quickly. Over time it will become second nature. If you practice this will have one less thing to worry about.

 

You can practice when out at the range or if you are out hiking and scouting and have a rifle with you. Pick out a specific rock or cactus with the naked eye then get rested on a rock tree etc...... and practice finding your target. Obviously keep your scope dialed in at a lower setting then when your on your target zoom in. Remember be SAFE about this. Make sure your not aiming towards hiking trails, roads, campgrounds etc...Don't have rounds in the chamber or gun if your not ready to shoot. Make sure the adult you are with is on board with what you are doing as well. Good Luck!

[PRDATR]

Brendon,

 

I was thinking about a few things that new hunters often over look. There is one thing in particular that is common, and this is finding game in a scope when its "Go Time". I remember the first deer I killed, it was a mule deer at about 300 yards. I had buck fever so bad I couldn't get really comfortable shooting prone off a rock, had a hard time getting settled in with the scope etc....... it ended up working out with a one shot kill but it could have been smoother. Since then I have worked a lot on my trigger pull, shooting ability and finding the target quickly. Over time it will become second nature. If you practice this will have one less thing to worry about.

 

You can practice when out at the range or if you are out hiking and scouting and have a rifle with you. Pick out a specific rock or cactus with the naked eye then get rested on a rock tree etc...... and practice finding your target. Obviously keep your scope dialed in at a lower setting then when your on your target zoom in. Remember be SAFE about this. Make sure your not aiming towards hiking trails, roads, campgrounds etc...Don't have rounds in the chamber or gun if your not ready to shoot. Make sure the adult you are with is on board with what you are doing as well. Good Luck!

 

Good advice, but don't shoot any cactus or you could get a summons. 7-08 is fine and I have probably shot 3000+ rounds when I used to shoot competition and 120gr will work great.

Go out and shoot some jackrabbits for practice.

Chris

[AZ_SAWBUCK]

Guess I should have been more clear. I was suggesting to just find targets. But lots of guys practice shooting rocks. I hear Steven Renella has a good recipe for rabbits.

[brendanflanagan]

Isn't 7mm-08 a little big for a jackrabbit...won't be much left

[roninflag]

where I hunt, a good pair of binos is a big advantage. also a rifle capable of shooting out to 400 yards or more accurately; and being in good shape for the rugged terrain all help.

[kennyazman]

The rifle you've got will do just fine. My advice would be to get some decent binoculars and a tripod. Get the best binoculars you can afford and mount them to a tripod and learn to glass. Also listen to jay Scott outdoors podcast. He has some awesome episodes specific to hunting coues deer in Arizona. Welcome to the addiction.

[ASUOutdoorsman]

Pick up extra copies of the hunting regulations. You can find them just about in any store like Walmart. Read through it, it's has some pretty cool stuff in it. There's a section called "New to Hunting?" towards the beginning of the book. These are events organized by different organizations to teach you about hunting. You should check them out and take your dad along!

 

Just like you, I really wanted to learn how to hunt and fish but no one in my family did that. I was blessed to meet some awesome guys from church who taught me to hunt and introduced me to CouesWhitetail.com. ( Thanks, MuggyMan! lol ) Brendon, when I wanted to learn to hunt I thought it was never going to happen because no one in my family did. I never knew how passionate hunters and fishermen are about teaching and passing on this amazing tradition. As you can see, everyone's rooting for you! This is a great place for you to come and ask questions.

 

But to answer your post, everyone has given you great info. Check out the area you will be hunting (go before your hunt). Try to find deer. Take a notepad and pen to write down everything you see and what time you saw it. Most importantly, have fun! Take lots of pictures to share with your friends and family!