2011 Arizona Coues Deer
It’s time to put in for Arizona deer permits. I haven’t drawn in several years and have a few bonus
points built up so Keith Hubbard with Arizona Hunting Adventures recommends that I try for one of
the December Coues deer hunts. The last time Keith guided me was for javelina and we saw some
dandy bucks on that trip so the thought of a good Coues got me pretty excited. Several months later
permit #5 showed up in the mail and everything was set!
Keith and I meet outside of Tucson and make the drive south towards the border to set-up camp. We
camp down in the mesquite flats but will hunt the nearby the mountains. Now it is time to try and get
some sleep. I have the hardest time sleeping the first night in camp as my mind races with thoughts
about the excitement that the next few days will bring.
On the first two days of hunting we see over 60 deer and many bucks. Most of the bucks are small two
pointers and not my idea of a good way to use up bonus points. Early into the second day Keith
glasses up a buck that I briefly consider going after before deciding he needs another year or two. He
was nice and wide but his tines were not very high and he will be an excellent deer in several years.
We had hoped that December would bring rutting deer but the rut really hasn’t kicked in yet. Several
of the bucks are chasing does but the does don’t appear to be receptive. It is great seeing deer and I
am very encouraged but beginning to fatigue due to the long steep hikes. On this hunt we are both
set-up with tripod mounted 10 and 15 power binoculars in addition to a spotting scope. The little “gray
ghost” is hard to spot but I start getting a little better. Keith has much better eyes for Coues than me
and I am continually humbled by his deer spotting where my eyes only see rocks and grass. Give it a
try by trying to locate the bedded doe in the top left photo. A hint, her head is in the sunlight.
On the third day we set-up on the same mountain where Keith shot his first Coues deer many years
earlier. He locates a very nice buck right at daylight and we decide that we should go after him. The
buck appears to have a rack that will take him into the mid-90's and he is in no hurry so we take our
time. I am tasked with keeping an eye on the buck from about 1,000 yards out while Keith looks for
other deer. He locates three other bucks at about the same distance. We put the spotting scope on
each to size them up and rank them. All are good bucks but the first deer he spotted is still the best.
So now we have four possible shooters in our sights and we decide to wait for them to bed. The three
smaller bucks are working does and seem rutty. On the drive in earlier in the morning we passed a
parked truck about a mile down the road. Evidentially the other hunter got a shot because we heard a
rifle crack and then another shot shortly after. Even though the shot was a long distance away the
does got spooky and over the next 15-20 minutes they took all three of the smaller bucks with them
over a saddle onto the other side of the mountain. Just as Keith was reporting that the last of the
three was gone I somehow managed to lose sight of the big boy. I had looked away and accidentally
bumped my tripod. When I tried to get back on the buck he had disappeared. Maybe he bedded or
maybe he ran over the hill. We don’t really know. I sat and watched the mountain for another hour but
we never did find that buck again. By this time our great weather had turned to cold, wind, and rain.
We sat and glassed for another 7 hours in the deteriorating weather hoping to glass up another buck.
We located several does but no more bucks for the day. So we headed back to the trailer that
evening cold, wet, and kind of bummed out. Fortunes turn fast sometimes in the world of big game
hunting.
It’s now the morning of the fourth day, our last day to hunt, and sadly the weather isn't any better. We
decide to go in earlier and hike up on the mountain before daylight to where we saw all the bucks the
day before. This is risky because things will happen fast and at a closer range than we might prefer.
But with the driving rain our visibility through the binoculars is terrible and we really don’t have any
other option. So we make the two and one half mile trek into the area and climb over 2,000 feet up
onto the mountain. The wind and rain are just awful and glassing with the 15 power binocular
impossible. I mostly just look around with my naked eye while Keith stays behind his 10 power
binocular cursing at the rain. We go really slow and get really cold and wet. He locates several does
on a nearby mountain but no bucks. Gradually we sneak over the ridge onto the side of the mountain
where we saw the big buck the day before. Minutes after crossing the ridgeline Keith begins to
whisper to me "Set your stuff down and get ready to shoot. One is right here!" I drop my pack and
head over to him with my rifle. He has set-up his binocular tripod for me to shoot off of and tells me
that the buck is only about 80 yards out. I am embarrassed to say that in the rain and excitement that I
can't see the buck. It's still dark and gloomy and everything looks alike. Keith is beginning to get really
excited and warns me that the buck knows we are here and that he won't stand there forever. Finally
the buck’s tail lifts and I make his location. I take one shot at a running deer and then another. Keith
tells me to hold up, that the buck will stop and look back before crossing over the saddle. And he
does stop at about 200 yards. But the buck is quartering away steeply and the shot is a tough one.
It's now or never so I let fly and we hear the satisfying "whap" of a hit. The shot hit his hind quarter
ripping through the entire quarter, breaking the hind leg bone, and passing through his paunch. Keith
can see that the buck is hit hard but the deer is still moving. Keith continues to watch the buck while I
reload. The deer doesn’t travel far and Keith gets me onto him again quickly. I empty the gun again.
The shot is entirely obscured by grass and tree cover but we think the deer is down. Later we learn
that he lost both front legs in the volley. We sit and glass watching for him. I've reloaded again. Keith
eventually locates an ear behind a tree and we watch the buck more. It's obvious that he is really
messed up but we can't see him very well in the cover. Keith suggests that I sneak up on him and
finish it off. Keith stays behind to glass and hands me a two-way radio. I’ve just started off and the
deer tries to get up. With his legs shot out he simply goes tumbling down the mountain. We still don't
know what his condition is so Keith calls me back using the radio. We find the deer again using
binoculars but he is behind a tree and obscured by grass. I set-up in the prone position on a bipod
and take a few more shots at a gray blob in the grass. You really can't make out the body but it is
indeed the deer and one of the shots takes him in the shoulder. We watch for awhile longer before I
take a slow walk his way. The buck is piled up just like in the photo. It's not our big boy from the day
before but it is a good mature buck that will probably go into the high 80's or low 90's gross.
We have one hell of a time setting up for photos due to the steep incline of the mountainside. The
angle makes butchering comical as we keep stopping to prevent the deer from rolling down the
mountain. We have to prop the buck up with rocks and one of us holds him in place while the other
cuts. With our packs full of freshly butchered deer meat we now face a nasty 200 yard climb back up
the mountain to cross the ridgeline. From there we enjoy a leisurely two and one half mile hike
downhill to the truck. We make it back to camp in time for a hot lunch.
So that's about it. These are neat little deer. I never did get very good at spotting them. It frustrated
me greatly. When I did make a spot I was so proud - even if it was a doe. Arizona Coues deer hunting
is a lot of fun and I hope to do this hunt again.
points built up so Keith Hubbard with Arizona Hunting Adventures recommends that I try for one of
the December Coues deer hunts. The last time Keith guided me was for javelina and we saw some
dandy bucks on that trip so the thought of a good Coues got me pretty excited. Several months later
permit #5 showed up in the mail and everything was set!
Keith and I meet outside of Tucson and make the drive south towards the border to set-up camp. We
camp down in the mesquite flats but will hunt the nearby the mountains. Now it is time to try and get
some sleep. I have the hardest time sleeping the first night in camp as my mind races with thoughts
about the excitement that the next few days will bring.
On the first two days of hunting we see over 60 deer and many bucks. Most of the bucks are small two
pointers and not my idea of a good way to use up bonus points. Early into the second day Keith
glasses up a buck that I briefly consider going after before deciding he needs another year or two. He
was nice and wide but his tines were not very high and he will be an excellent deer in several years.
We had hoped that December would bring rutting deer but the rut really hasn’t kicked in yet. Several
of the bucks are chasing does but the does don’t appear to be receptive. It is great seeing deer and I
am very encouraged but beginning to fatigue due to the long steep hikes. On this hunt we are both
set-up with tripod mounted 10 and 15 power binoculars in addition to a spotting scope. The little “gray
ghost” is hard to spot but I start getting a little better. Keith has much better eyes for Coues than me
and I am continually humbled by his deer spotting where my eyes only see rocks and grass. Give it a
try by trying to locate the bedded doe in the top left photo. A hint, her head is in the sunlight.
On the third day we set-up on the same mountain where Keith shot his first Coues deer many years
earlier. He locates a very nice buck right at daylight and we decide that we should go after him. The
buck appears to have a rack that will take him into the mid-90's and he is in no hurry so we take our
time. I am tasked with keeping an eye on the buck from about 1,000 yards out while Keith looks for
other deer. He locates three other bucks at about the same distance. We put the spotting scope on
each to size them up and rank them. All are good bucks but the first deer he spotted is still the best.
So now we have four possible shooters in our sights and we decide to wait for them to bed. The three
smaller bucks are working does and seem rutty. On the drive in earlier in the morning we passed a
parked truck about a mile down the road. Evidentially the other hunter got a shot because we heard a
rifle crack and then another shot shortly after. Even though the shot was a long distance away the
does got spooky and over the next 15-20 minutes they took all three of the smaller bucks with them
over a saddle onto the other side of the mountain. Just as Keith was reporting that the last of the
three was gone I somehow managed to lose sight of the big boy. I had looked away and accidentally
bumped my tripod. When I tried to get back on the buck he had disappeared. Maybe he bedded or
maybe he ran over the hill. We don’t really know. I sat and watched the mountain for another hour but
we never did find that buck again. By this time our great weather had turned to cold, wind, and rain.
We sat and glassed for another 7 hours in the deteriorating weather hoping to glass up another buck.
We located several does but no more bucks for the day. So we headed back to the trailer that
evening cold, wet, and kind of bummed out. Fortunes turn fast sometimes in the world of big game
hunting.
It’s now the morning of the fourth day, our last day to hunt, and sadly the weather isn't any better. We
decide to go in earlier and hike up on the mountain before daylight to where we saw all the bucks the
day before. This is risky because things will happen fast and at a closer range than we might prefer.
But with the driving rain our visibility through the binoculars is terrible and we really don’t have any
other option. So we make the two and one half mile trek into the area and climb over 2,000 feet up
onto the mountain. The wind and rain are just awful and glassing with the 15 power binocular
impossible. I mostly just look around with my naked eye while Keith stays behind his 10 power
binocular cursing at the rain. We go really slow and get really cold and wet. He locates several does
on a nearby mountain but no bucks. Gradually we sneak over the ridge onto the side of the mountain
where we saw the big buck the day before. Minutes after crossing the ridgeline Keith begins to
whisper to me "Set your stuff down and get ready to shoot. One is right here!" I drop my pack and
head over to him with my rifle. He has set-up his binocular tripod for me to shoot off of and tells me
that the buck is only about 80 yards out. I am embarrassed to say that in the rain and excitement that I
can't see the buck. It's still dark and gloomy and everything looks alike. Keith is beginning to get really
excited and warns me that the buck knows we are here and that he won't stand there forever. Finally
the buck’s tail lifts and I make his location. I take one shot at a running deer and then another. Keith
tells me to hold up, that the buck will stop and look back before crossing over the saddle. And he
does stop at about 200 yards. But the buck is quartering away steeply and the shot is a tough one.
It's now or never so I let fly and we hear the satisfying "whap" of a hit. The shot hit his hind quarter
ripping through the entire quarter, breaking the hind leg bone, and passing through his paunch. Keith
can see that the buck is hit hard but the deer is still moving. Keith continues to watch the buck while I
reload. The deer doesn’t travel far and Keith gets me onto him again quickly. I empty the gun again.
The shot is entirely obscured by grass and tree cover but we think the deer is down. Later we learn
that he lost both front legs in the volley. We sit and glass watching for him. I've reloaded again. Keith
eventually locates an ear behind a tree and we watch the buck more. It's obvious that he is really
messed up but we can't see him very well in the cover. Keith suggests that I sneak up on him and
finish it off. Keith stays behind to glass and hands me a two-way radio. I’ve just started off and the
deer tries to get up. With his legs shot out he simply goes tumbling down the mountain. We still don't
know what his condition is so Keith calls me back using the radio. We find the deer again using
binoculars but he is behind a tree and obscured by grass. I set-up in the prone position on a bipod
and take a few more shots at a gray blob in the grass. You really can't make out the body but it is
indeed the deer and one of the shots takes him in the shoulder. We watch for awhile longer before I
take a slow walk his way. The buck is piled up just like in the photo. It's not our big boy from the day
before but it is a good mature buck that will probably go into the high 80's or low 90's gross.
We have one hell of a time setting up for photos due to the steep incline of the mountainside. The
angle makes butchering comical as we keep stopping to prevent the deer from rolling down the
mountain. We have to prop the buck up with rocks and one of us holds him in place while the other
cuts. With our packs full of freshly butchered deer meat we now face a nasty 200 yard climb back up
the mountain to cross the ridgeline. From there we enjoy a leisurely two and one half mile hike
downhill to the truck. We make it back to camp in time for a hot lunch.
So that's about it. These are neat little deer. I never did get very good at spotting them. It frustrated
me greatly. When I did make a spot I was so proud - even if it was a doe. Arizona Coues deer hunting
is a lot of fun and I hope to do this hunt again.
| WESTERN EXPEDITION ADVENTURE | GEAR | WEAPONRY |
| Contact Eric Call 480-522-6150 |
