Key things you've learned about hunting coues deer in Dec/Jan

[leilacl]

Hey you guys,

 

Even though it's several long months away, I am getting so excited to hunt archery coues this winter. Last year I couldn't recover the buck I shot, so I'm eager to get my first coues deer! I have absolutely loved reading all your stories and pieces of advice, but I'd love to deliberately ask what is the one key thing you've learned while hunting coues with your bow? I've had a few guys tell me that I shouldn't waste my time sneaking up on them, and to just wait on water or in a tree, but my heart is set on the spot and stalk. Last year, I primarily struggled with sneaking up on them (busting them at 50, 60 yards) and or not knowing when to go after them upon seeing them, or wait. But I'm excited to hear what you experts have to say . Thanks so much!

[muledeerarea33?]

Calm down and get proficient at shooting 80-100 yards. Then the 50 yard ones will seem easier. Not saying you can't take the 100 yard shot but you better be damned well prepared if you do so! Spot and stalk is fine too. Practice all year on other animals.

[wildwoody]

Nicely put, and I always say they are where you don't want to go, practice stalking without shoes

[Jnj13]

OK here’s my story from January 2017. My son and I glassed up a nice 4x3 buck rutting a doe, nose down, chasing tail, 200 yards off in a small canyon. Wind was good so I made my move. Took my time getting in there quiet and using cover and hoping my camo was enough. It took a while but I got to where I thought they were and of course they weren’t there anymore. And this is what I learned. I stayed there. Maybe an hour passed - I don’t know but I finally picked up movement and caught the doe moving up above me at 60 yards. I assumed the buck would follow and I would have my shot. After 20 or so minute and no buck I figure they pinned me and I was busted. Took a few minutes to soak in the stock and just before I headed back to my son I picked up movement again. The buck was less than 30 yards right in front of me. Didn’t even range him, drew and lined up an ok shot. There was a cholla maybe 20 yards in front of me that may or may not have 1" little branch in the flight path. I had nowhere to go to get away from a cactus on one side of me and a rock on the other. Held the draw for a few seconds and thought I gotta let it fly. That dang cholla branch was no bigger than 1” in diameter. What I learned- if you think you can get into the area they are hanging out in just sit tight when you get there, and a cholla can stop a broadhead at 20 yards. Hope I get that chance again. Good luck to ya.

 

[creed_az_88]

Do not try to stalk too early in the morning when the thermals have yet to settle although there are times especially in January where being ultra aggressive can pay off at any time of the day. Let the conditions determine how close you try to get. You can tell pretty early on in your stalk how much noise you're making and how well the wind and vegetation around you is absorbing that noise. Anticipate what the deer are going to do. If it's 11 o'clock and warm and they're on a north slope then watch them until they bed and then make your move. If it seems as if you can make it to them quickly and quietly before they bed then that may be the best bet. Each scenario is different and you never know if you made the right decision or not until the deer is either dead or has left. Plan on making multiple failed stalks before one actually pans out. Sometimes it is best to get to 100 yards or so and not get any closer and hope that the deer gets up out of his bed and closes the gap rather than you closing the gap. If he feeds away you can follow. Deer are less likely to hear or see you coming when they're head is down feeding. If you are able to make it into range while a deer is bedded then be patient and stay ready. Anticipate what he'll do when he stands up and position yourself to be ready for that shot. Scooting just a few feet in one direction(even backwards) can open up totally different shooting lanes but can also do the opposite. I've waited as much as half a day for deer to stand up so have that mindset. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING. getting to 100 yards and hitting a doe bleat or a grunt call can be productive but it can also do the opposite and many times it won't do anything. I usually spend the last few hundred yards on my hands and knees going extremely slow unless the conditions and topography allow me to stay standing up. You may feel louder on your hands and knees but it's usually because you're ears are closer to the noise. I put on a pair of athletic knee pads for every stalk. Do not ever get lazy and do not ever take shortcuts and you will eventually connect and it will be one of the most rewarding things you do.

[Guest oneshot]

My last two Bow Coues were killed at 25yds, from the ground, and at 4feet, from a tree stand. Shooting 49lbs recurve. I've always found it better to have Deer come to me then to press the issue. Scouting, understanding terrain and how Deer use that terrain are what have allowed me to take around 100 deer with a recurve bow, mostly eastern whitetail, but also works for Coues.

 

By keeping ranges short, only taking shots with proper angle,I have NEVER lost a Deer I shot an arrow at, though I have passed on MANY deer that didn't give me that self-impossed limit...

[More D]

great tips here....

 

every time I have ever gone out hunting/scouting i have learned something.....even if that "something" seems very minor at the time it can pay big dividends in later hunts. invest time/energy/money in getting out there. it is very rewarding on so many levels. I have been out with others who say..."you are really good at this!" in reality I have just done it before many, many, many times. they also have not seen when things do not work out.

 

also do not take a failed stalk or missed shot as a failure but as a learning opportunity. hunting, coues specifically, has a way of humbling even the best of hunters. so use previous opportunities as indicators on what you need to focus your practice sessions on.

 

this path you seek is a difficult one but it will be very rewarding once you have accomplished your goal.

[CatfishKev]

I was self taught so I learned everything the hard way and missed several deer with my bow. The most important things I've learned in order of importance...

 

1. Never trust scent free stuff, always play the wind. You have to understand thermal currents. As soon as I started doing this I had more opportunity.

2. Know your range. I've missed animals solely on the fact that I got amped up and used the wrong pin or didn't realize my actual distance from the deer.

3. Give yourself a mental checklist before you let the arrow fly. Is my range correct? Yes. Is my peep and sight lined up correctly?

Yes. Am I using the right pin? Yes. Am I on the kill zone? Yes. The mental checklist is important. Its really easy to rush things when you got a deer lined up in your sights. Even for myself it's still easier said then done.

[PseAZ]

If were spotting and stocking we try and do our best to pattern the deer a few weeks before the hunt. Usually the does will bring the bucks up the same draws, across the same ridges or under the same rock pile way more times than not. By doing that we've been able to try and get ahead of the deer and let them come to us. We try and not force the situation if we know there maybe another chance to get back on the buck another day.

 

During the rut if you can try and hunt all day if your hunting with some one have them take the glass while you take a cat nap and switch off. I don't know how many times we have been eating lunch or just kicking back and seen bucks get up and never knew they where there.

 

Ive shot 4 out of my 5 bucks between 11-2 and the other was around 9am. During the rut they seem to be wondering more in the mid day up in the high country. The last 3 bucks ive shot have been within 200 yards of each other and the last 2 were over the same scrape line.

 

A lot just depends on how you like to hunt them. There amazing animals, I usto just chase mulies but the coues bug bit me hard the past few years.

[ready2hunt]

II am not a pro like some of these people but I have found that when the wind is right- anything is possible. With the right wind and taking it slow it is amazing how close you can get.

[DeadEye2327]

Hey you guys,

 

Even though it's several long months away, I am getting so excited to hunt archery coues this winter. Last year I couldn't recover the buck I shot, so I'm eager to get my first coues deer! I have absolutely loved reading all your stories and pieces of advice, but I'd love to deliberately ask what is the one key thing you've learned while hunting coues with your bow? I've had a few guys tell me that I shouldn't waste my time sneaking up on them, and to just wait on water or in a tree, but my heart is set on the spot and stalk. Last year, I primarily struggled with sneaking up on them (busting them at 50, 60 yards) and or not knowing when to go after them upon seeing them, or wait. But I'm excited to hear what you experts have to say . Thanks so much!

I couldn't agree more with "muledeerrarea33", I struggled to get 80 yard shots last year! 50-60 yard shots are a gift lol without a doubt you should be practicing out at 80 yards or further so that the 50-60 yard shots are chip shots and personally 80 is really pushing it for me even thought i practice at 90 I'd probably only shoot at a deer out to 70 but 50-60 is a no brainer, good luck!

[trphyhntr]

I got nothing

[300RUM]

I love to hunt by stalking. Anything can be stalked, even a mountain lion. Learn the Coues pattern and their trails. Use their trails to move into areas you know they will likely be. Move very slow and quiet and spend far more time looking than moving. This style is sometimes referred to as still hunting. Basically you are moving into an area you expect game to be and your movement is a slow deliberate stalk, even before you have spotted your prey. It is not exactly spot and stalk because you are already stalking before you have even spotted your prey. It can be a very effective technique. Good luck.

[C.C.Cody171]

Lots of great advice here so far. When you spot a buck you don't have to go after him right away. You can occasionally check on him while looking for more deer and possibly find something in a more stalkable location or until he's moved to a better spot. Also knowing of any other deer in the area can be critical during your stalk. I'd say persistence is possibly the biggest factor, with that you'll eventually learn what anyone could tell you. Just to give you a heads up what you could be up against, I tried for a full three years before I harvested a coues with my bow and I'd bet I was within 100 yards of probably 100 bucks before it finally worked, I've talked to guys who are still trying after 10 years or longer. Just try to learn something every time and learn to enjoy "failure". Even now our rule of thumb is to put in at least 10 stalks to have one work out. Don't be afraid to travel all the way around a long ways to get on the right side while staying out of sight. Once committed to a stalk, take your time, if you rush it you have to find another deer anyway and your right back where you were before, so just assume the rest of the day is gone once stalking a deer. A saying my dad taught me goes through my head; By the inch it's a cinch, by the yard it's hard. Inch your way when necessary, and sometimes an inch at a time is way too fast. Just keep failing until you don't and you'll eventually learn to make the countless decisions on a stalk automatically. Also, it's been mentioned but practice a lot with your bow (with your broadheads!) as far as you can to make shorter shots easier. Don't send an arrow unless you're confident. It's not worth wounding one of these majestic critters. Have fun and enjoy every second of it, even when it's miserable. Stick with your goal at spot and stalking a coues with your bow and well... you'll know all about it by then. Good luck!