New Member seeks advice

[caelkhnter]

Hello everyone. I am new to this site. Redrabbit, a.k.a. Doug, pointed me in this direction in response to a request I made of him. I am a bowhunter who was raised in Az. I moved to CA. when I started my career. I continue to try and hunt Az. whenever I can, along with a number of other states in the southwest. My life long hunting buddy lives in Az and I own a cabin just outside of Flagstaff. So I still consider myself as being from Az. Anyway, my wife just informed me that she purcahsed me a coues tag for my 50th birthday for next season's rut hunt on the San Carlos. I have never really spent much time hunting coues and had asked Doug it if he could pass along any info. I have also just purchased Dwuane Adam's book from this site yesterday. So if anyone is willing to pass some info along to an old dog willing to learn, it would be appreciated. Jim

[firstcoueswas80]

Buy : 1-+15x50 Leica duovids, a good tripod adapter, and a good tripod ( all can be found on this site). a flat shooting, hard hitting caliber. my two favorites are 270wsm and 7RUM

 

Learn : Patience. Sit behind the binos looking for movement, and parts of a deer. how to judge a good buck from a small buck.

 

Have: A blast, as not many people get to do that!

[Red Rabbit]

Welcome Jim!

I will try and find some good past threads for you. Do you know what unit on the SC you will be hunting?

 

Doug~RR

[caelkhnter]

Doug thanks and it is unit B.

[bobbyo]

My advice is to thank your wife profusely and put the toilet seat down.

Bob

[CouesWhitetail]

My advice is to thank your wife profusely and put the toilet seat down.

Bob

 

 

I was just going to post something to that effect, but you beat me to it Bob! Caelkhnter, you did remember to Thank your wife profusely didn't you??? That's a great tag.

 

Amanda

[hawkeye]

Hello everyone. I am new to this site. Redrabbit, a.k.a. Doug, pointed me in this direction in response to a request I made of him. I am a bowhunter who was raised in Az. I moved to CA. when I started my career. I continue to try and hunt Az. whenever I can, along with a number of other states in the southwest. My life long hunting buddy lives in Az and I own a cabin just outside of Flagstaff. So I still consider myself as being from Az. Anyway, my wife just informed me that she purcahsed me a coues tag for my 50th birthday for next season's rut hunt on the San Carlos. I have never really spent much time hunting coues and had asked Doug it if he could pass along any info. I have also just purchased Dwuane Adam's book from this site yesterday. So if anyone is willing to pass some info along to an old dog willing to learn, it would be appreciated. Jim

Could you tell me how your wife bought the tag? I spent 7 hours in line to buy one and didn't get one. I never saw a woman in line.

All I can say is glass, glass and then glass some more. And don't settle for a small one. You should be able to find a really nice buck durring that hunt.

[caelkhnter]

Well she did not actually go and buy the tag, she had by life long hunting buddy make those arrangements. He will be going with me on this hunt. And yes I did thank her.

[caelkhnter]

I just thought I would provide a little more information about myself so that you would better understand where I am coming from. Even though I am primarily an archery hunter, over the years I have come to understand the benefits of spot and stalk hunting. As a result I have come to own some good optics. I have 10x42 Swaros, 15x56 Swaros and a good Swaro spotting scope. I have a bogen tripod, with the appropriate adaptors, and a light weight tripod for longer hiking trips. I have spent many hours on hunts behind the glass, so I can appreciate the advice about glassing.

 

As far as discipline, again with the benefit of years of hunting I no longer need to take something to apprecaite success. Although I would not say I am a true Trophy hunter, I generally do not shoot anything that is not of better quality than my prior harvests. As a result, more often than not I do not harvest. However I still enjoy my hunts tremendoulsy. With respect to this hunt, I have never taken a coues so I have nothing to compare far as prior harvest. However I do not intend to take anything that is not "pretty good". Again my biggest concern will be to properly recognize what meets that criteria. S

 

So what should I hold out for. It it unrealistic to hold out for a 100+ buck, assuming I can properly score it in the field? Should I set my sites lower? Learning how to field judge these deer is something I will spend some time on over the next several months. Keep in mind I will plan on spending the entire season hunting. I do appreciate that this is a great tag, and will not take it for granted.

[ichiban43]

Doug--

Welcome to the site. May I ask where in CA you have the misfortune of residing?--Just kidding!! I am a No CA refuge--Westwood--way up in Lassen county. We don't consider SF ar Sacto No CA--but more central. They used to call us "Superior CA"--but they looked up Superior in Webster's and quit calling us that.

It is a well kept secret--but there is some great archery deer hunting in that neck of the woods--prdominately Blacktail, Blacktail/Mule cross.

[caelkhnter]

Ich My name is Jim, Doug is Redrabbit. Anyway I live in central California, specifically the Fresno area. I am from Arizona but have lived in the Fresno area the last 24 years. I have never hunted in any part of California.