cohntr6 Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Hello all crazy desert dwelling whitetail fanatics!! My 1st post: I am from Colorado and have lived in Safford/Thatcher (SE AZ) for the last 18 months, it has been an adjustment but getting out to hunt helps. Well last fall I drew a whitetail tag in unit 31 for the late october hunt and scouted a decent spot that was consistant. I blew it opening morning by spooking 2 nice bucks and spent the next 4 days of hunting and cussing the hot AZ weather. I only saw a few more deer over the remainder of the season and went home empty handed. Oh well that is hunting and there is always next year! Wait you all have a bow season that is split up and the 'late' bow season just might be worth it. So I bought a tag (s) and a friend let me in on his honey hole and I hunted the same spot from a few days before Christmas to the end of the season (Jan. 31, 2008). I figure I put in close to 25 days (outings-either a morning or evening hunt or both as I live in Safford and the spot is less than 30 minutes away) and I SAW DEER EVERY TIME I WENT OUT! Granted it may have been only a few does a few times but since bucks were rutty from my 1st outing to about Jan. 20-23 I saw groups of deer most of the time. This place was consistant to say the least!!! During the bowhunt I glassed more than I have ever glassed before and started to pick out the tiny deer better in the mesquite, prickly pear, long grass, catclaw, ocotillo, and occasional juniper (lol- to name a few of the pokey plants around here!). Occasionally I would make a stalk when I thought it would work (it didnt) but most of the time I would GLASS. One day I had a buck following a doe below me (only 50-60 yards!) and watched them until they bedded, made a stalk, spooked them and missed THE shot (the buck briefly stopped giving me a shot). I am always looking for sheds and have not found a single antler during my hunts which perplexes me. At the end of the archery hunt I had a tough time finding bucks and was puzzled as to where they went. So here are my questions for the experts here ( I consider you all experts because I am new to coues and have one season under my belt): -----I assume coues (as well as the mulies) are shedding as we speak, in this part of the state, right? ----- If not, when? -----Do the bucks go solo or bachelor group back up after the rut? -----are the bucks in the roughest/thickest part of their little homerange or do they move? ------if they move, how far do they go from where they would have been chasing does a few months prior? -----how much shedding pressure is there in the Safford/MT Graham area ( I imagine only a few will be able to answer that question)? -----thanks!!! I havent given up on hunting whitetail in case ant of you are wondering! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ RANGER Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Welcome to a great site. There is already a couple threads started on when they will start to shed thier bone. It should be pretty soon though. There are a lot of coues hunters in the Safford area but I don't know how many of them are shed hunters. I will be going out in a month or so to look for sheds and start the scouting process for 08. Good luck. Watch for snakes. BTW are you any relation to Hatch brother Dodge dealer in safford? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Welcome to the site. Here is a pic from last year of a good buck that was in a bachelor heard in April. He is still packing his head gear as you can see. Sorry about the quality but all I had was a video camera and I took the pics off the t.v.. Most everyone here has seen the pics of this buck but here he is again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cohntr6 Report post Posted March 17, 2008 NO immediate relation to the Hatch brothers that own the dodge dealership, but I am sure there is somewhere down the line. I come from a Vernal, Utah line of Hatch's So it sounds like it is time to get out and look for bucks and pattern them for a little better chance of picking up their sheds. Scott, do you work for PD (FMI)? Welcome to a great site. There is already a couple threads started on when they will start to shed thier bone. It should be pretty soon though. There are a lot of coues hunters in the Safford area but I don't know how many of them are shed hunters. I will be going out in a month or so to look for sheds and start the scouting process for 08. Good luck. Watch for snakes. BTW are you any relation to Hatch brother Dodge dealer in safford? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cohntr6 Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Thanks for the picture hunt coues. Let me put a newbie field judging guess on that buck....100-105? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Jeff welcome to the CWT!!! If you are wanting to find some coues sheds good luck!!! Those things are hard to find. I have lived in AZ my whole life and on close to 15 coues hunts and countless quail hunts in prime coues country I believe I have found 1 matched set, 17 singles and 1 skull. Also you have to buy a GRONG orange CWT Shed Recovery shirt if you want to find any Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ RANGER Report post Posted March 17, 2008 NO immediate relation to the Hatch brothers that own the dodge dealership, but I am sure there is somewhere down the line. I come from a Vernal, Utah line of Hatch's So it sounds like it is time to get out and look for bucks and pattern them for a little better chance of picking up their sheds. Scott, do you work for PD (FMI)? Welcome to a great site. There is already a couple threads started on when they will start to shed thier bone. It should be pretty soon though. There are a lot of coues hunters in the Safford area but I don't know how many of them are shed hunters. I will be going out in a month or so to look for sheds and start the scouting process for 08. Good luck. Watch for snakes. BTW are you any relation to Hatch brother Dodge dealer in safford? No I don't work for the mine. I work at Roper Lake south of Safford. Do you work at the mine? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flagstaff Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Hello all crazy desert dwelling whitetail fanatics!! My 1st post: I am from Colorado and have lived in Safford/Thatcher (SE AZ) for the last 18 months, it has been an adjustment but getting out to hunt helps. Well last fall I drew a whitetail tag in unit 31 for the late october hunt and scouted a decent spot that was consistant. I blew it opening morning by spooking 2 nice bucks and spent the next 4 days of hunting and cussing the hot AZ weather. I only saw a few more deer over the remainder of the season and went home empty handed. Oh well that is hunting and there is always next year! Wait you all have a bow season that is split up and the 'late' bow season just might be worth it. So I bought a tag (s) and a friend let me in on his honey hole and I hunted the same spot from a few days before Christmas to the end of the season (Jan. 31, 2008). I figure I put in close to 25 days (outings-either a morning or evening hunt or both as I live in Safford and the spot is less than 30 minutes away) and I SAW DEER EVERY TIME I WENT OUT! Granted it may have been only a few does a few times but since bucks were rutty from my 1st outing to about Jan. 20-23 I saw groups of deer most of the time. This place was consistant to say the least!!! During the bowhunt I glassed more than I have ever glassed before and started to pick out the tiny deer better in the mesquite, prickly pear, long grass, catclaw, ocotillo, and occasional juniper (lol- to name a few of the pokey plants around here!). Occasionally I would make a stalk when I thought it would work (it didnt) but most of the time I would GLASS. One day I had a buck following a doe below me (only 50-60 yards!) and watched them until they bedded, made a stalk, spooked them and missed THE shot (the buck briefly stopped giving me a shot). I am always looking for sheds and have not found a single antler during my hunts which perplexes me. At the end of the archery hunt I had a tough time finding bucks and was puzzled as to where they went. So here are my questions for the experts here ( I consider you all experts because I am new to coues and have one season under my belt): -----I assume coues (as well as the mulies) are shedding as we speak, in this part of the state, right? ----- If not, when? -----Do the bucks go solo or bachelor group back up after the rut? -----are the bucks in the roughest/thickest part of their little homerange or do they move? ------if they move, how far do they go from where they would have been chasing does a few months prior? -----how much shedding pressure is there in the Safford/MT Graham area ( I imagine only a few will be able to answer that question)? -----thanks!!! I havent given up on hunting whitetail in case ant of you are wondering! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flagstaff Report post Posted March 17, 2008 According to Jim Heffelfinger (aN AZ Fish and Game employee who is noted as a deer expert and wrote a book about deer), he says "Coues shed their antlers late April throughMay with the peak around May 7th." Bucks have a home area and don't migrate - they'll be in the same general area all year Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted March 17, 2008 Coues deer shed their antlers later than deer and elk. April/May is generally when they shed. here is a link to info on coues deer life stages from the main CouesWhitetail.com site: http://www.coueswhitetail.com/coues_biology/life_stages.htm There is a graph on that page that shows when they rut, fawn, shed, etc. Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cohntr6 Report post Posted March 18, 2008 Coues deer shed their antlers later than deer and elk. April/May is generally when they shed. here is a link to info on coues deer life stages from the main CouesWhitetail.com site: http://www.coueswhitetail.com/coues_biology/life_stages.htm There is a graph on that page that shows when they rut, fawn, shed, etc. Amanda Thanks all Yep I work in Morenci though, it would be nice to work at the Safford mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TREESTANDMAN Report post Posted March 18, 2008 I would say a lot even shed in June from what I've seen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryson Bendall Report post Posted March 20, 2008 I LOVE IT OVER THERE IN THAT AREA. Went to school over there a year ago and did a bunch of hunting, you are very lucky to live in that area, it is beautiful and there are tons of deer. Never found any sheds though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HEADACHE Report post Posted March 21, 2008 MWAA HA HA HA HA A Grong orange recovery shirt, ah man thats good stuff. Welcome new guy, this site is full of both wierdo's and some very good people. . . . . . if you stay at all, you'll stay a long time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
