Posts
Sam Larson 2008
Nov 2008
Sam had a great hunt thanks to the help of friends and family!
You can read about his hunt here.
Bobby Dorris 2008
Nov. 2008
“Well spent the weekend after turkeyday chasing the elusive coues deer.
Day1: we glassed probably 40 or so deer with a few small bucks and one 3 point plus. He was way off but had a rack. tried to split the distance but he bedded and was never to be seen again.
Day 2: regrouped and hit an area right about dawn and oh boy, everywhere we looked those little critters were moving. another day of multiple deer and a bunch of small bucks. 10+. we saw one really nice 2×2 and a 3×3 but wanted something a little bigger.
Day 3: hit area from day 2. Again deer and pigs everywhere. about 7:30 a deer comes over the ridge and we all freak. It looks like a toad. As the sun came up more it was determined that he was not a 100 inch buck but he was a buck good enough for me or my buddy Rob. While the 2 other guys stayed atop the mountain we were able to cross a canyon and move up a ridge to get in place. The deer had bedded. Got to the area to set up and was able to find the deer behind a Palo Verde that we bedded him. The wait begins.
About 10 minutes later the guy decides to show us his stuff but only his head. He laid down again. 2 hours later after watching and waiting, I thought I was going to be out smarted by a lazy deer. we were only about 280 yards from him. I was out in the sun, thristy, hungry and my neck was killing me from looking from binos to scope. Didn’t take my range finder. lovely so over the 2 hours I had plenty of time to judge the distance, play with my scope. move the compensator up, back down, and second guess my every move. Finally I had to get in my pack to get some water. I got the water out and some food. Rob and I took turns wathching while the other rested. We had decided that Rob would shoot first. If he missed then I would take a shot.
Waiting for him to stand and present himself was like waiting for a timebomb to go off. What if we miss. Is the yardage right. ahhhh.
Finally noon came and like so many others we have watched over the years, he did a noon stretch. Radioed to the guys back on the hill that he was up. They were napping so they didn’t have time to film.
Rob got in place as well as I, We did a count down and Boom. Rob shot 3 feet high? I then proceeded to squeeze the trigger while Rob put another round in. Boom. about 2 inches high. Deer didn’t move and he was still in view of my automatic. lowered the crosshairs before Rob could zoom in again and boom My Browning 270 had done it again. Meat in the freezer. Here are some pictures. Not sure what he will score but it looks to be high 70s maybe low 80’s
Miguel Grambs 2008
Nov 28, 2008
“I shot this buck at 184 yards with a 243 caliber. I first saw and passed up a 3×3 buck. I sat and spent about 10 minutes checking out the 3×3 with my spotting scope and then I got up and decided for giggles to grunt at the buck to see his reaction. I could not believe that below him in the deep canyon the 4×4 came out to investigate. I sat down and put the cross hairs on this chest and squeeze the trigger. He went down like a rock with the 100 grain bullet. The time was Nov, 28 9:45 A.m. opening day. I scored the buck and came out with a respectable 94 inches.”
Dave Savage 2008
Nov. 29, 2008
Southern AZ
“Hey there, I am new to the Coues Whitetail.com. My name is Dave S. I am coues4life on the forum. Anyway my hunt started out with my friend Wade “wklman” getting sick on the way to our spot. But we got through it and the hunt was on. We started our mile and a half hike in and glassed for a few and we didn’t see anything so we ended up going over this saddle in the mountain, and as soon as we started down the other side my buddy Wade saw some deer running up this hillside. So I had just enough time to pull the range finder out and ranged the deer at 367 yards. So I took a look through the scope and the first deer was a big buck. By then he had gone up the hill another 55 yards so I was looking at a 420 yard shot. So I put my sights just above the 400 yard mark and let one go. It looked like I hit him but he slowly started to walk further up the hill and my buddy Wade told me to aim a foot high. So I chambered another one and boom, the deer went down. I couldn’t believe that I had just shot my first coues whitetail. We climbed up the steep canyon and I was amazed at what a great deer it was. He grossed 102 3/8 and nets 101 3/8 and is a perfect 3×3. I would like to give a special thanks to my friend Wade “Wklman” for all he did on the hunt. “
Sarah and Rebecca 2008
2008
Unit 33, Junior’s hunt
Sarah and Rebecca each got their first deer on opening day within about an hour of each other!
Kyle Craig 2008
Nov. 2008
From Kyle:
Here is my 08 buck, I was very fortunate to connect with. I could not have done it without my hunting partner and brother in-law Nate, thanks Bro. I Shot him at about 4:30 pm on 11/29/08. I shot at him 4 times, I put two in him at 540 yards and the finishing one at 520 yards. As we walked up to him both of us were in shock at his mass. Neither of us saw it through the binos. He taped out at 129 1/8. What a great buck and hunt of a lifetime.
Bill Rova, Sr and family 2008
Oct 2008
Unit 27, AZ
The first deer was taken by Bill Rova at about 80 yards open day and scored about 115.
Second deer taken Saturday by Billy Rova with a 25 yard shot and scored 107.
The third deer was taken by Dennis Ashcraft on Sunday with a 100 yard shot, score 100.
And the final deer was shot at 120 yards by Dillon Rova and scored about 80.
Ron Goldsby and uncle 2008
Nov 2008
Ron is shown in the top photo with his buck. He says it has a double eyeguard and had some partial velvet. This is the biggest buck he has taken to date. He took the buck with a 330 yard shot and thinks it will score about 100.
The 2nd photo shows the buck his uncle got with a 426 yard shot from a 7mm Mag.
Both Bucks killed within 24 hours and 200 yards of each other.
Adam Gaston 2008
Oct. 25, 2008
Unit 24A, Arizona
I glassed this deer up at over 900 yards with my Nikon Monarch 12X56 Binoculars. He was moving quickly and we had a visual on him for about thirty seconds. Then he went into a draw at about 850 yards and didn’t come out. The draw he went into was deep and brushy and even at 200 yards it was very difficult to see him bedded down. But the wind was in my nose and there was enough brush to keep me hidden so I felt like getting in close would be a good idea.
The closer I got to the draw I turned the Magnification down on my Burris Scope mounted on my Tikka 308 Cal Rifle. Finally into the draw. I moved slowly through the brush until I was in shoulder height brush but at the same time had full view of the draw. I looked around for about a minute when I felt the breeze hit the back of my neck. I was certain with the wind change he would smell me and possibly move so I clicked off my safe put the rifle to my shoulder and waited. 10 to 15 Seconds later he stood up about forty yards away and started moving up the draw. At 50 yards I had a clear shot and took it.I would like to thank Jacob Acton, Danny Day and Justin Taylor For their help with this hunt.
Sarah Bingham
Here is what her dad said about the hunt:
Sarah has hunted hard for five years and everything came together on this hunt. We spotted this buck at 1000 yards, watched him bed and then stalked in to 286 yards. Two and a half hours later he arose from his bed and Sarah made a great heart shot on him with her 7mm-08. He’s a great buck, 5 x 2 with 18 inch main beams and good mass. Gross score 108+.
Bruce Bingham
You can read more of the story in the forum.
Martin Guerena 2008
Oct. 2008
Unit 33, AZ
Martin is on a roll, this is one of several big bucks he has taken in the last few years.
He says the buck scores 103 7/8 gross broken and would have been 110-111 7/8 gross if it wasn’t broken. He shot this buck at 450 yards, one of the longest shots in his life. He was using a Leupold VX-III scope with turets on it that allow you to dial in the range. He killed the buck with one shot.
Taron Maddux and Bobby Coronado
Unit 30B, AZ
These two 3×3 bucks were taken by two friends from Bisbee.
Paul Wilson 2008
Oct 2008
Unit 22, Arizona
Here is what Paul said about his hunt:
Well this year I got lucky again and drew another 22 whitetail tag, three years in a row and as luck would have it, I was successful opening morning. He’s not the biggest, but he’s great for me. I scouted the area all year and my trail cams were showing great deer. I showed up three days prior to the hunt for some touch up scouting and was only able to glass up six bucks. Three of which I figured shooters, I have no idea where all my larger trail cam bucks disappeared too?? I guess that’s why their called the “grey ghosts”. I’m sure the hot weather didn’t help either. Anyways, I can’t nor will complain, Three tags in a row and three Coues! Two on my wall and soon to be a third! All solo hunts. Thanks so much! Paul Wilson
P.S I’d liked to have held out in hopes of something larger but I also drew a 22 Elk tag and vacation days had to be split between each hunt! Seven years is a long time to wait for an Elk tag!! 🙂
Info about the hunt:
Unit 22, opening day
307 yard shoot
300 Win mag 150 grain
Kalyn Meeske 2008
Oct. 2008
Unit 22, AZ
shot with 7mm08 at 150 yards
Here is what her father (aka Ghostluvr) said about their hunt:
“My daughter Kalyn often visits this site with me. Having seen the photos and success stories of your children, she asked me to share her story with you. She drew an October whitetail tag this year at the age of 9. This was our only obstacle. She needed to complete the Hunter Safety Program prior to opening day, and after turning 10 (late July). Our local AzGFD Officer worked with us and scheduled a local class in September. Thanks Jarrod! Opening day found Kalyn out of school and in whitetail country. She had brought an MP3 Player (whatever that is) in case she became bored. Didn’t happen! She glassed with me all morning. She even spotted what she thought was a bedder deer (Mickey Mouse cactus pad in the shade). I spotted a spike bedded down and showed it to Kalyn, asking if she wanted to shoot the buck. She stated, “No, dad. I’d like to find something bigger.” Knowing that the buck was probably not alone this time of year, I picked apart the brush surrounding him. I spotted a 2X2 about 30 yards from the spike with only his antlers visible. I was amazed when Kalyn told me she could see the deer using my 15Xs. She said, “Dad, I’ll shoot that buck, but maybe there is another with them.” At about 1030 and with the sun on the bucks, they stood up and started to feed. Kalyn’s buck was with them. She said, “Dad, thats the buck I want to shoot.” I was undecided on what to do. The bucks were 450 yards away, and I knew that they would soon bed in thicker cover due to the heat. The Power of Prayer and Devine Intervention is a wounderful thing. The bucks began moving in our direction. Kalyn had practiced hard, and I knew if the deer were inside 300 yards, she would be comfortable with the shot. We built Kalyn a prone rest without leaving our vantage point. The bucks continued to come, 350, 300, 250. I asked Kalyn if she could see the bigger buck in her scope. She said, “Yes dad. He’s the one raking the tree right?” Sure enough he was. The bucks continued walking straight at us. I was laying next to Kalyn and could hear her whispering, “Come on. Turn broadside! Come on!!” Talk about patience. She had it, I did not! I was ready to throw myself off the mountain! At 150 yards, the buck finally turned and started to feed. All I said was, “Take your time baby.” Boom!!!! What I had waited for since the day she was born was a done deal! I hope all parents felt or will feel what I felt at that moment! Congratulations Kalyn! Oh, I drew a late bull tag and was waiting to see how Kalyn did before I signed it over to her. Done Deal!!! Thanks for reading.”
Kelsey Mikuta 2008
Oct. 2008
Unit 21, AZ
This was Kelsey’s first hunt and she got a fine buck with one 200-yard shot to the heart with a .300. Kelsey is 19.
Marissa Burgess 2008
Oct. 2008
Southern AZ
Marissa and her father, Josh Burgess, went to southern Arizona on the 27th of October and Marissa shot her first deer. She shot the deer at 200 yards with a 7mm08 Remington, it’s a two pointer. They saw a lot of deer and two bears. Marissa is 15 years old. And here is a link to a page that shows a buck her father got.
Gabe Valtierra 2008
Oct. 2008
Unit 24A, Arizona
Here is what Gabe said about his hunt:
“I took this buck @ 300 yrds with 30-06 with a 150 grain hornady spire point bullet…and O would like to thank my dad Fred for this beautiful animal, and my older brother Freddy and my lilttle big brother Josh..and also one of my good friends Mark Tarango… my animal is an awesome 3+3 with split eye guards on the right side of his antlers..and about a 4in eyeguard on the left.”
Greg Verlander 2008
Oct 26, 2008
Here is what Greg said about his hunt:
“I got this buck today about 300 yards with the 270 wsm. 3rd day, missed 2 others, one smaller and one about this size. Very exciting, I figure he will score about 85 to 90. he had 4 broken points already, you would figure it was Jan. or something after the rut. Not a monster— but too big to pass up. Thanks to the good lord, he is a pretty nice one.”
Damon Jenkins 2007
Oct. 2007
“I shot this buck on the afternoon of Sat October 27th 2007 in area 36a. My 10 year old nephew was with me. We rounded the side of a hill and my nephew pointed across to the hill in front of us and said he could see a deer with big horns standing under a tree. I humored him by telling him we would sit down in a minute and glass the hillside to see what we could see. A few seconds after those words left my mouth I saw movement on the hill side from under a tree where my nephew had pointed. This buck bolted to the left. By the time I got my scope of the 30-06 on him he was moving through some brush making it impossible to get a good shot. I ran a few steps forward and steadied myself on some big rocks to the left of the game trail. He came out of the brush and I nailed him in one shot about 30 yards before he reached the top of the saddle in a full run. I took out his spine just in front of his hind quarters which crippled his back legs. The shot was just under 100 yards. My nephew yelled “you got him Uncle Damon!”. It was an experience that neither one of us will ever forget. The other picture is my dad sitting on the quad. My older brother Tal shot a nice buck a few years ago in the same area.
here is a link to his brother’s buck.
Dean Glorioso 2006
Fall 2006
Dean Glorioso’s last day buck, killed at 275 yards sneaking out after winding the hunters.
Mike Bouley 2006
Fall 2006
Mike Bouley (left) and his buddy Dean Glorioso with Mike’s 105 inch heavy 3×5 taken in southern Arizona. Found him before sun-up opening day, killed at about 1:30 in the afternoon with a 300 yard shot as the deer was walking toward better shade.
Connor Kingston 2006
Dec. 2006
Connor got this heavy 2×2 on his very first day of Coues deer hunting!
Jacob Hanlin 2007
October 2007
Arizona
This is Jacob’s first Coues Deer and it’s a whopper! I scored this buck and it’s very complicated to score. In fact I had to get Boone and Crockett involved to make some decisions on which points could be called normal and which can’t. The buck nets 120 0/8 as a non-typical. It has about 5 inch first circumferences and 19-20 inch main beams. And it has almost 28 inches on non-typical points. Neat buck!
Jeff Davison 2005-07
2005-07
Unit 32, AZ
Jeff got the top buck in Dec. 2005. They saw a nice 3×4 the evening before, but he decided to take this deer so his 8 year old boy could go along on the stalk.
The middle buck is Jeff’s Dec. 2006 buck. He saw this buck the year before, but wasn’t able to get him until 2006.
The 3rd buck is from Nov. 2007. Jeff glassed har for three days and found this buck bedded with a 3×3, which he hopes to take in 2008.
Brian Johnson 2007
Dec. 2007
Unit 33, AZ
Brian got this buck after a 5 hour stalk. Brian got the buck with a 200 yard shot and the buck never knew they were there. The buck ended up scoring around 110. Long pack out, but an awesome hunt!
