Goldfinger78 Report post Posted January 1, 2018 I have been anxiously awaiting my second Coues deer hunt since learning that I drew a December tag early this summer. I went into this hunt with high expectations because back in 2015 on my first Coues hunt/big game hunt ever, I was able to take over a 100 inch buck on opening day. I started this years hunt with my brother in law Big Browns (Adam) on Sunday of the opening weekend. We went into this weekend with only two days to hunt. Needless to say, I was not really expecting much from the first weekend. The weather was pretty nasty in the morning with a mixture of rain and snow. We were only able to glass for only about an hour in the morning. We did glass up a bachelor group of bucks with one small, but nice 3x3. We looked at it closer in the spotting scope. My initial reaction was to pass. After continuing to watch that group of bucks for a little longer I got a case of buck fever and asked Adam, Ok whats the plan? How are we going to shoot that buck? Without any hesitation from Adam he replied, We are not going to shoot that buck!!! I agreed and was able to control that buck fever that was taking over. We did not see any other bucks for the rest of the first weekend. We headed back home with hopes to harvest a bigger buck than that buck we saw on the first morning. After a brutal week of work I was ready to head back out and continue the hunt. Adam was also off for the entire last week and was able to come down and help out. Day 1 we spent all day glassing with little success. We saw a total of 6 deer up until about the last 5 minutes of light when Adam glassed up a small bachelor group of bucks. It was pretty dark, so we decided on Day 2 to head back to that same spot in the morning to get a better look. After about an hour of glassing we were able to find them. Unfortunately the biggest of the group wasnt what I was looking for another small 3x3. We spent the rest of the Day 2 where we had seen that buck from the first weekend but we only glassed up 1 spike for the rest of the day. The weather was very warm for December nothing like the first weekend with rain and snow. The deer did not seem to be moving hardly at all. On top of warm weather and no success locating big bucks, Adam was starting to come down with a cold. We made a plan for Day 3 to try a new spot to see if that would bring us some luck. We were a little slow getting out in the morning since Adam was not feeling good. I also woke up with a sore throat in the morning, so I was not entirely sure if my health was going to be an issue later in the hunt. On our way to the new spot we were talking about how the hunt was not going nearly as well as we had expected. We decided that if we did not see anything at the new spot we were going to lower our expectations drastically with pretty much anything but a spike being in play. After all, this was only my 2nd Coues tag ever drawn. Typical with how everything was going, we got to the new spot and there was already a group of hunters there. We backed out of the area since we were beaten to the spot. At this point we only had time to get to the hill where we had seen that buck from the first weekend. We got to the glassing spot and located a couple of very small bucks, a spike and very small fork rather quickly. We thought we would have a chance to find that buck from the first weekend. We did not find him, instead we glassed up a 3x2 working its way into a clearing. I decided we were going to take it. We watched it slowly work its way through the trees towards a large clearing on the hill. He was just about to work his way out of the trees and suddenly he decided to sprint across the clearing never to be seen again!!! Adam and I looked at each other dumbfounded and what had just happened. We both said Typical with how this hunt is going. We starting glassing again, however it was getting late in the morning. Adam started to ask What time is it? Before he was able to finish his sentence I interrupted and said, I got a buck, and we are going to shoot that buck! I knew that buck was not a giant but it was at least a 3x3. I got my 6.5 Creedmoor dialed in and we were able to take that buck with a 450 yard shot. We were both excited and also very relieved that the hunt was a success given how things were going for us. It wasnt until after we had finished the pack out and were headed back to the hotel when I realized that I had taken that same buck I passed on from the first weekend. I know he is not a giant but I am happy with him!!! That buck has taught me a valuable lesson about appreciation and how blessed I was to have harvested a great buck back in 2015. 14 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DUG Report post Posted January 1, 2018 Congrats! Nice job!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossislider Report post Posted January 2, 2018 Nice, congratulations! You packed him out whole? Just like Adam to give you his cold. Next time tell him he has to stay in his own bed no matter how much he begs. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted January 2, 2018 Great hunt, congratulations 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted January 2, 2018 Great buck congrats to you! Ohh... and for future reference: if your hunt ever goes exactly how you think/wish it will, that’s a sure sign you’re still in bed and dreaming! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger78 Report post Posted January 2, 2018 Nice, congratulations! You packed him out whole? Just like Adam to give you his cold. Next time tell him he has to stay in his own bed no matter how much he begs. We gutted him and packed him out from there. Adam kepted begging to stay in my bed, I refused but he kept sneaking over in the middle of the night. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted January 2, 2018 Congrats, nothing worse than getting sick while hunting. I lost my voice on my hunt this last year and felt like crap. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted January 2, 2018 This recent hunt with Chris had more challenges than most. The warm weather slowed the deer movement more than I would have ever expected! Add on a horrible chest cold and you have a challenging hunt! I went into this hunt with very high expectations, but unfortunately the weather conditions and sickness forced us to seriously evaluate our situation. Chris had said from the very beginning he just wanted to have fun and gain valuable hunting experiences. He never cared about the size of the deer. Gaining more experiences was the most important thing he wanted to get out of the hunt. Thankfully Chris found a buck he was happy with and the hunt ended with a lot of great memories and some great meat in the freezer. I have to say Chris has come a long ways. He just started hunting 4 years ago. Prior to 4 years ago he had zero hunting experiences. In those 4 years he's become one heck of a hunter! On multiple occasions he glassed a LOT more deer than I did. He always has a great attitude and is willing to go into places most are not. From the beginning Chris was always been interested in learning how to become better at hunting. After 4 years I would say he has done everything correct and is well on his way to becoming a great hunter! Keep up the great work buddy, I'm proud of what you have accomplished!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted January 3, 2018 Awesome guys, sweet coues and solid work! Congrats! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted January 3, 2018 Cool story. Congrats Chris. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke-BE Report post Posted January 3, 2018 Great job Congrats 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
randyolson Report post Posted January 8, 2018 Sweet! Congrats! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rschaumb Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Congrats! I had a very similar expectation and story. I'll post it up at some point. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger78 Report post Posted January 9, 2018 Congrats! I had a very similar expectation and story. I'll post it up at some point. Look forward to reading it. It was definitely a tough year to have a December tag, but still beats not having one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZHunter1 Report post Posted January 10, 2018 Good job! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
