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Sterling Donaldson 114 inch buck
After waiting all summer long I finally get to check my results for the Big Game Drawing to hunt deer her in Arizona. And the results are ?????? Unsuccessful….. Well, guess I’ll just have to wait and hopefully get a leftover tag. A month later I did receive a tag for whitetail. Having only hunted the coues whitetail a couple times, and was successful on one, I figured that is was going to be a great challenge this year. So I started to prepare for the hunt by scouting, reloading, practice shooting and truing to get into shape for what I figured would be a tough hunt.
November is finally here and my oldest son and I are out the door and down the road for this exciting time of year. Hunting has always been a big part of my life and this year I was going to try and hold off for my first wall hanger. My son and I have been so pumped up for this hunt we can hardly stand it. My brother, who also got a tag and his son were to meet us out there to continue with our favorite pass time and best tradition that we plan to keep as long as we live.
As the sun starts to light up the sky on opening morning we pull out the binoculars and begin to glass for deer. We spotted some deer and right away my heart starts to pump really fast. My whole body starts shaking and I say to myself, you’ve got to calm down or you’ll never make a shot like this. As it turns out, the buck was too small for me, but my brother was able to a make a short stalk on that buck and shot him at 450 yards. He made a heck of a shot with not much daylight left. The next day we spent all day long trying to find that big buck and at the end of that day we found one over 800 yards away that we thought might go about 95” and my limits were starting to get smaller by the day. So I tried to get a shot on that buck but couldn’t get it done before running out of daylight. My brother and nephew had to go home that night so it was going to be just my son and I for the rest of the hunt.
The next morning, which was day three, didn’t start off to good at all. We woke up late and didn’t get out there until an hour after daylight and when we got to where I wanted to hunt that day there was already someone parked there. In fact, when we got out of the truck we could see seven different trucks that were out there I the same area. I couldn’t believe it, this isn’t good. I told myself, you know what you are going to have to get way back there passed everyone else if you want to get that big buck. So off we went hiking up the mountain and glassing, hiking, glassing, hiking some more and glassing. Finally, about two hours into the hike I looked up and saw a little spike buck at the top of a ridge about 300 yards out. The little buck looked back at us and down the canyon between us, raised his tail, blew a snort and took off. It seemed like there were more deer down there so I got my gun ready and all of the sudden the whole hillside started moving with deer going everywhere. My heart stopped for a beat then started pounding out of my chest. I could feel myself shaking bad. I took a quick look with a naked eye and picked out a buck that looked big and had just a few seconds to find him in the scope, take good aim, and squeeze the trigger the best I could as he ran over the tip of the ridge. The recoil knocked me back and out of the picture and the last I saw of him was going over the top. It sounded like a good hit but just wasn’t sure so we hurried down that deep canyon and back up the other side to see if we could find him. As we approached where I saw him last, I found his tracks where he had run up and over the top, I stopped to look up ahead and there he was all curled up under a tree. “Whoo hooo!!!! I got one.” High fives and a big hug from my son; “We did it dad!” I hadn’t even seen what his horns looked like, I was just so excited and happy that I got one. So after celebrating for a bit, we finally decided to get him out from under the tree and “Holy $#!+ look at him. He’s a nice one.” I was so stoked. My goal was to get a 100” coues buck and I never dreamed of getting a buck like this. I grabbed his huge rack and couldn’t believe it. “I did it! I finally did it!” the shot was a running hard quartered away quickly that hit the mark perfectly. In at the third to last rib, through his heart, liver and lungs through the off shoulder and stuck in his hide on the other side. That nosler 165 gr. 300 win. mag. did the job. The buck grossed 114” and field dressed about 118 lbs. I finally got a buck that is definitely going on the wall. This hunt with my son wont ever be forgotten. We had a great time not to mention some great success.
Story submitted by: Sterling Donaldson
Safford, Arizona
Wilderness Athlete
Wilderness Athlete Products
Wilderness Athlete, Inc. is the nutritional authority on outdoor performance nutrition. We address the need of quality nutrition for the hunting, fishing, and outdoor industry with several unique products. Wilderness Athlete stands alone in offering the industry’s only full line of nutrition bars, gels, hydration drinks, energy drinks, and multi-vitamins.
Mark Paulsen, founder of Wilderness Athlete and University Director of Athletic Performance for more than twenty-five years started the company based on one simple question… “Why hasn’t the science of mainstream sports nutrition been applied to the specific needs of the outdoor athlete? After all, there are no locker rooms or timeouts in the backcountry.” Mark’s relationships with top performance nutritionists enabled him to answer his own question by launching WILDERNESS ATHLETE™, the nutritional authority for enhancing the outdoor experience.
You’ll find a full range of Wilderness Athlete products in the CouesWhitetail.com store.
Skull Hooker
Get Your Head on Right!
This Skull Hooker gives you an easy way to display your european mounts. You can use it for any type of skull….deer, antelope, elk, buffalo, mountain lion, black bear, javelina, bobcat, etc.
- Fully adjustable mounting arm
- Great for any skull
- No drilling required
- Made in USA!
- Free Shipping!
This fully adjustable mounting bracket offers convenience and total versatility. An innovative prong system grips natural skull holes and indentations for a secure fit; no drilling required. Raise and lower the mounting arm for accommodating differently sized racks. The mounting arm also swings left and right for perfectly positioning your skull in any room. Corrosion-resistant, powder-coated finish. Made in USA.
Very easy to adjust and it comes in two sizes with two different colors (rustic black and robust brown).
Because you are not drilling into the skull to attach it, you can just lift your skull off the prongs if you want to allow someone to hold it or if you need to take it somewhere with you.
The Little Hooker is for mounting smaller game like deer, black bear, antelope and many exotics. Maximum skull/antlers weight capacity is 10 pounds.
The Big Hooker is designed for larger game mounting, such as bison, moose and caribou.
** Skull Hooker was chosen as official provider at the Boone and Crockett Club’s 27th Annual Big Game Awards Banquet.
Casey Charter Dec 2011
Filled my tag yesterday at high noon. Glassed up this buck feeding in the shade. Looked like he was a stud…. Kinda jumped the gun. Saw and shot at a buck the day before that looks just like him with about 12″ more horn. When I saw him I thought it was the same 105+ buck that I missed….
Anyways, 525 yards, one shot and the 257 wby and 100 TTSX smoked him. He dropped and rolled about 75-100 yards down the hill. Special thanks to JLB for taking half of the buck! Also, very special thanks to Brian, Cody, Sergio, and Sean. Couldnt have done it with out you guys
Not the 100+ that I was looking for, but 93 5/8″. Passed on probably 6-8 bucks that were bigger than him in search of the 105″er. Found him, and missed him. I’ll tell all that later one.
Lock Jaw and Rifle Railz
The perfect way to attach your gun to a tripod for extra accuracy!
Loc Jaw
The Loc Jaw was created by Aristotle Engineering, a company owned by CouesWhitetail.com member David Frank (aka azhuntnut). David does a lot of predator hunting and wanted to create something to improve the accuracy of his AR-15. The Loc Jaw was created for that purpose, but now he has also created an additional product called the Rifle Railz which will allow most any rifle to be attached to a Loc Jaw. Rifle Railz may be purchased separately below. The Loc Jaw is made of 6061 T-6 Aircraft Aluminum, hard anodized to military specifications. It also has stainless steel bolts in it and each piece is laser engraved with the name of the product. The Loc Jaw easily allows you to attach your AR-15 to just about any tripod head. The Loc Jaw slides over the lower Picatinny rail on the forearm of your AR-15. If you do not have the Picatinny rail, you will need to install one in order to use this product. You will see improved accuracy and having it on a tripod with a pan head gives you the ability to pan and follow a moving animal.
- The LOC JAW is an attachment that slides onto the lower forearm of a 1913 Picatinny rail and bolts into position
- Attaches securely to most tripods for much improved long range shooting
- Lightweight (2.5 ounces) and has rounded edges for comfort
- Made from 6061 T-6 aluminum alloy and a Type III hard coat anodizing with matte black mil-spec finish
MADE IN THE USA
Rifle Railz
This exciting new product was created by Aristotle Engineering so that most any rifle could be attached to a Loc Jaw. Basically you attach the Rifle Railz to your rifle and then you can slide the Railz into the Loc Jaw. You need both the Loc Jaw and Rifle Railz to mount your rifle to a tripod.
- Mounts to the bottom of the rifle using original manufacturer holes
- Securely attaches to most tripods which will provide a solid shooting platform to allow a much wider arch for swiveling yet keeping the rifle level at the same time
- The tripod can be locked into position on the target for long periods of time
- Lightweight (2.5 ounces) and is low profile for easy carry and offhand shots
- Fits most Remington, Winchester, Weatherby, Tikka and other manufacturers**
- Made from 6061 T-6 aluminum alloy and a Type III hard coat anodizing with matte black mil-spec finish
**There are few guns the Railz will not work on. Some Tikka models have a recessed floor hinge and Rugers have an internal front floor bolt so you cannot use the Railz on it. As long as you have an exposed front floor plate bolt on your gun, then it can be used.
Read a Review of this product by Guide Jim Mullins
Watch a demonstration of the Rifle Railz:
Watch a video about how to install the Rifle Railz:
Watch a video showing use of Rifle Railz during some Coues deer hunts in Southern AZ:
Havalon Knives – The sharpest knives in the world
NEVER LOSE YOUR EDGE
Here you’ll find the Piranta series of replaceable blade pocket skinning knives. Hunters, professional guides and wildlife officers rave about the lightweight skinning knives with the surgically-sharp blades – blades that taxidermists have been buying for over 25 years. Havalon’s proprietary blend of stainless steel makes a stronger, more durable blade. Never sharpen blades again; just snap on a new blade and go.
Read what Coueswhitetail.com members say about these knives!
Shop our full range of Havalon knife models and accessories in the Coueswhitetail.com store.
Carl Guilliams Aug 2005
Unit 23, Arizona
Carl used his trail camera to monitor activity at this tank in preparation for his archery hunt. To see the buck he shot, click here.
He also saw some nice elk. The last photo he took from his treestand.
Josh Epperson Aug 2005
Aug 2005
Josh got some nice photos of two bucks in velvet. Check out the 2nd to last photo…close enough???
And finally he got a picture of that same buck once he shed his velvet.
Josh Epperson 2005
The upper photo is from a trail cam set back in January. And the lower one is from this summer.
Mark Lucas
(aka Bowsniper)
Mark has been searching for a place to archery hunt this summer. Looks like he found some bucks to chase.
These pics are taken with a digital camera.
Josh Epperson Dec 04 or Jan 05
Josh says this tall 3-point looks like the one he wounded last year with his bow. He hopes it’s him.
Nathan Wenner
New Mexico
Nathan sent in these pics without much info. The lion picture was labelled “lions mating”, so perhaps that is indeed what they are doing! That’s got to be a first for a game cam to capture that! If I get more details I will post them here.
Harold Declay’s 150″ Coues Buck!
Harold Declay shot this GIANT buck on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in 2010 and what a buck it is. I got to hold and was thrilled to do so….WOW! It’s so amazingly huge, that we took a pic of it with one of my 110 inch bucks with it. Look at how Harold’s buck dwarfs the 110 buck!! WOW!
Congratulations Harold and thanks for sharing your buck with me!
Harold Declay Giant Coues Shed??
You guys remember when Harold Declay killed his 150 monster buck on the White Mtn Apache Reservation, right? Well check out this shed that looks almost just like it. But Harold said it was found 50 miles away, so it’s not likely it’s the same buck. But wow, sure looks like it.
GIANT coues pick-up head
Jim Nielsen from Arizona found this 144″ Coues Whitetail in March 2011. Killed by a lion.
Eric Santana (of sponsor Santana Outdoors) now has it mounted and in his shop in Payson. www.santanaoutdoors.com
Trail Cameras – CouesWhitetail.com Store
CouesWhitetail.com carried the full line of 2012 DLC Covert Trail camera models. For a full listing of each cameras featured, visit the Trail Camera section of the CouesWhitetail.com store.
We’re so confident that these are the best trail cameras you’ll ever use, we offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee – if for any reason you don’t like your camera, you may return it for a full refund within 60 days of purchase (provided the camera and all accessories are returned in excellent condition). I want you to enjoy this camera for years and I want to make sure you are satisfied with your purchase. I realize this is an investment on your part, and I back that up with service you can rely on. I will supply help over the phone if you have any questions about the cameras after you receive one. The camera also comes with a 1 year warranty against defects in materials or workmanship. Damage caused by people or bears or anything else is not covered.
Are you a guide/outfitter in need of a lot of cameras? We offer discounts to those buying several cameras, please email me for more info.
CouesWhitetail.com T-Shirts
Show-off your membership and support for CouesWhitetail.com with any of our various t-shirt designs. Each are available for sale in the CouesWhitetail.com store, and come in a variety of colors and sizes.
CouesWhitetail.com Stickers
Large CouesWhitetail.com stickers
These stickers are made from high quality vinyl and will last for years. They are easy to apply. They can be applied to almost any surface (glass, metal, painted metal). The total length of the sticker is 30 inches and the larger capital letters are 3 inches tall while the smaller letters are 2 inches tall. If you want, you can get this sticker in other colors besides white. I can also make other sizes of it if you want, but this size seems best for vehicles.
Because these are great advertising for this website, I am allowing anyone who wants one to have one for free. We have three styles available now (the standard white, the orange camo and the yellow/orange nosebleed font sticker) Just select the one you like best from the store. Pics of the three basic styles are below.
Orange Camo Sticker
White Sticker
Yellow/Orange gradient nosebleed font sticker
