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2011-2012 Coues Buck Contest -RESULTS

2011-2012 Elk Contest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guides/Outfitters
Duwane Adams

Cola Blanca Outfitters

Rimrock Outfitters

Mexafari Outfitters

Reynolds Coues Connection

Mullins Outfitters

Rio Sonora Outfitters

Timberland Outfitters

Wards Outfitters

Diamond Outfitters

Fisher Hunting and Fishing Adventures

Borderland Adventures

Koury Guide Service

Sonoran Ghost Outfitters

Colburn and Scott Outfitters


Do it yourself Hunts

Gila Wilderness Hunting

Meat Processing

Miller's Southwestern Processing

Equipment

Camera Land Inc.

Outdoorsmans

Santana Outdoors

Bear Mountain

A-1 Mattress

Archery Heaquarters

Chasin A Dream Outfitters -

Optics 4 Rent.com

Best Hardware

FlatlineMaps.com

Camo Collections

Bull Basin Archery

Hunter's Headquarters

Ross Outdoors

Taxidermists

Mogollon Taxidermy

Wild Heritage Taxidermy

Weller's Wildlife

CMC SkullWorks

Arizona Wildlife Designs

Southwest Wildlife

Magazines

Western Hunter

Elk Hunter Magazine

Resource Guide

Outdoorsman's Resource Guide

 

For more information about Arizona's Operation Game Thief Program, click on the logo above

 

 

 

CouesWhitetail.com - The leading internet resource for information on Coues White-tailed Deer!

 

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.  Henry David Thoreau

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Photo by Bob Campbell

  Does the picture above make your heart beat faster?  Does the first hint of the cool fall air find you longing to be in the mountains of the southeastern Arizona, New Mexico, or Mexico?  If so, then perhaps, like me, you have developed a passion for searching for the elusive Coues White-tailed Deer.  The Coues Whitetail (properly pronounced "cows", but almost everyone pronounces it "coos") is a small subspecies of white-tailed deer found in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico.  This deer has developed such a reputation for being able to vanish from view in the smallest amount of cover that it is frequently referred to as the "Grey Ghost".  Many people consider Coues deer to be the most challenging big game animal to hunt.  Some even refer to hunting Coues deer as the "poor man's sheep hunt" because of the harsh terrain involved.  Famous big-game hunter Jack O'Connor proclaimed the Coues deer to be "the most difficult of all deer to kill" due to its extreme wariness and the inhospitable habitat this deer can live in. 

 

  This site, launched on December 23, 2002, is dedicated to bringing you everything you could possibly want to know about Coues White-tailed Deer.  I will cover topics such as the biology and taxonomy of this deer as well as how to effectively hunt for this species.  I intend to make this web page useful to the novice as well as a veteran Coues deer hunter.  If there is something you think should be included in this website that you don't see, let me know by sending an email to amanda@coueswhitetail.com.  This is a work in progress and I will frequently be adding information to this web page, so please visit often.  Information on this website has been gleaned from numerous books, journal articles and technical reports.  Please visit the references page to see a list of that literature. 

 

 

Do you have a hunt story you would like to publish here? 

     
 

Do you have venison recipe to share?

     
 

Would you like to post a picture of your favorite Coues buck?
   

Please email me at amanda@coueswhitetail.com

 


Navigation Hints: All of the information on this website can be accessed using the navigation buttons on the left margin of this page.  Some of the information is highlighted below.  If you know specifically what you are looking for, you can use the navigation buttons to the left or the search box just below this text.  Pages that contain the word searched for will be listed below the search box.  Otherwise you can peruse the information below to see what might interest you and what has been recently updated.  Text that is light purple and underlined is hotlinked and can be clicked on to go directly to that section.

Search this website for:


 

Please don't forget to join the extremely active Discussion Forum. Wondering what gear to get? Looking for info on a certain hunt unit?  Worried about the effect of the drought on antler growth? Use this forum to ask questions, leave advice, and meet some new hunters.

 

    
Need a CouesWhitetail.com sticker for your truck? 
Email me for one.

  Things that are new or updated on CouesWhitetail.com

May 10 - Just wanted to let you all know that the forum has been upgraded to provide faster service and make it easier for users to find content.  Click here to read more about the upgrade and what features are available. 

Also, don't forget about the 2nd Annual AZ AntlerFest up by Show Low May 11-13, 2012. For more info, visit this page in the forum.

 

March 23 - Coues Buck Contest Results have been posted.  See if you are a winner and if you are, make sure you email Doug or I to arrange to get your prize delivered to you.
Feb 28 - Guard Dog Binocular Cover for Swarovski 15x56s added to the store...this product adds a little extra protection for your valuable binos.  Check them out here.
Feb 27 - Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello at our booth at the International Sportsmen's Expo.  And special thanks to Ryan Eustice who asked me to score his 140 inch whitetail that he shot this year in AZ.  And thanks to Ted Aday who brought by a great shed from the San Carlos with a droptine to be measured.  I would post pics, but I lost my camera at the show! 
Feb 11 - Results posted for the Guess the Mule Deer Score.  If you are one of the winners, you need to email me with your prize selection.  Click on link above to see list of winners and scoresheet for the buck.

And don't forget to visit the discussion forum to see the latest photos and hunt stories!

Also, the deadline for getting your entry into the Coues Buck Contest is Feb 15....please make sure you get your entry in now!  Visit this link to read about the contest and how to enter.

 

Jan 25 -  Our Guess the Score contest for a Muley killed by Bobby Beeman in Utah ends on Feb 3, so get your guesses in now for a chance to win a prize!
Jan 15 - Please welcome Colburn and Scott Outfitters as a sponsor of CouesWhitetail.com!  Darr Colburn and Jay Scott have helped their clients take some amazing animals!  You can learn about their business by clicking on the logo below to go to their website. 

Jan 10 -  looking for pics of bucks taken this year?  Check out the forum where content is updated daily!  There have been some great archery and rifle bucks taken this year and you can read all about the hunts in the forum.

Dec 23 - Welcome to Ross Outdoors as a sponsor of CouesWhitetail.com.  Ross Outdoors is a retail store located in West Phoenix and sells primarily archery gear, optics, optics rentals, and some hunting gear (calls, knives).  Ross Outdoors provides full service for archery gear and they can help you get the gear you need.  Not many stores will rent high quality optics to hunters, so if you are considering trying out some optics, give Ross Outdoors a try.  Ross Outdoors is offering a special for CouesWhitetail.com members.....10% off when you spend $100 or more at their store in West Phoenix.

Dec 21 - Welcome to Elk Hunter Magazine as a sponsor of CouesWhitetail.com.  If you love hunting elk, you will want to subscribe to this magazine!  One of our forum members (Grong) is even on the front cover of the premier issue of this new magazine.  All CouesWhitetail.com members who subscribe before Jan 1 will receive the premier issue free!  To get to this offer, go to the website to subscribe and add CouesWhitetail.com in the Company Name box when you fill out your name and address during checkout.

 

Oct 21 - Good luck to all you October Coues Hunters! 

FYI - our host server for the forum is getting an upgrade and there may be some hiccups in service while this is happening....bear with me!! 

Oct 20 - Please go vote in the Trail Camera Photo Contest so we can pick the top winners in each of the four categories. 

here are links to each of the poll posts:

Best Coues

Best Non-Coues

Funniest

and Best Wildlife Series

Go vote now!!

 

Sept 6 - Three contest are going on now....make sure you are a registered member of the forum in order to take advantage of them.

Coues Buck Contest - must be registered before your hunt starts

Bull Elk Contest - must be registered before your hunt starts

Trail Camera Photo Contest - deadline to submit photos Oct 10

Sept 6 - Please welcome Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy as a sponsor!  Jim Hartsock is the owner and he has been in the taxidermy business for 36 years!  They do some great work and mount over 100 Coues bucks a year, so they have the experience to make a great mount for you.  Several of our forum members have been very happy with mounts done by Jim.  Check out their website and see if Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy is right for you.

Aug 31 - Please Welcome Hunter's Headquarters as a sponsor!  This is a brand new retail store that offers a great variety of items both online and in their 2000 sq ft store in Flagstaff.  In addition to having lots of outdoor and hunting gear, they have an indoor archery shooting range.  If you are in Flagstaff, I suggest you stop by and see what they have.  Or just check them out online by clicking the button ad below.

 

August 27 - New CouesWhitetail.com Tshirts are in!!  Wow, they turned out great!  You can check them out on the tshirt page.

Aug 12 - Forum was back up this morning!!  Yeah!  We have tons of space now and shouldn't encounter that same problem again. Sorry for the inconvenience.

New ORANGE CAMO sticker!  Member YoungGunz is the first to have one on his truck....like it?  want one?  If so, email me to request an orange camo sticker.

Aug 11 - The forum is being moved to another server with more space.  We just flat out way exceeded our space limits with the old hosting company.  So we are getting a dedicated server with another company.  The transfer will take a day or two.  I hope to have the forum up Friday afternoon.  In the mean time, browse through the photogallery and check out the hundreds of photos of bucks there.  Or visit us on facebook and see the giant coues shed I just posted there....
Aug. 10 - The forum is down at the moment.  Tech support is working on it.  We hope to have it back up soon.  Sorry for the inconvenience.
Aug 10 - Fall 2011-2012 Coues Buck Contest is launched!  You just have to be registered in our forum before your hunt starts to be eligible.  So for you archery hunters, that means, you need to become a forum member fast, if you are not already.  For more info, please click here.

We have some new categories, which include a random drawing of winners from those who didn't already place in one of the main categories.  We also added smallest 3 point buck as a category.  And we also have youth categories, hunt story categories and more.  So you can win in this contest no matter what size buck you kill!  So come on sign-up, it's free!

Aug. 9 - Please welcome Miller's Southwestern Processing as a sponsor!  Miller's provides outstanding meat processing for all your game and domestic animals.  They make some great sausage and for the month of august are offering $10.00 off of processing orders $75.00 or more & $15.00 off processing orders $125.00 or more to all CouesWhitetail.com members.  They have drop-off points in some of the elk units, check out their website for more info.

July 16 - Welcome to Gila Outdoor as our newest sponsor.  Gila Outdoor in Thatcher, AZ is a 20,000 square foot retail store specializing in archery equipment and other outdoor related gear (optics, backpacks, camo, etc).  They also have an indoor archery shooting range and the all new Techno hunt where you can shoot at real footage of animals such as deer, elk and even Africa animals and the system tracks your arrow shot, fps and score so you can shoot against your friends.

July 5 - Flatline Hunt Unit Maps are 1/2 price for limited time only!  Jimmy and Rynda Hoffman, owners of Flatline Maps have donated these high quality hunt unit maps to help raise money for members Josh and Jennifer Epperson.  Josh and Jen suffered some major medical bills and we are helping to ease that cost by raising money.  Check out these great hunt unit maps and help out some fellow members.... http://www.coueswhitetail.com/bookstore/maps.htm
June 14 - added a new bowhunting Coues DVD to the store, check it out!

This weekend (June 17-18-19) is the 5th annual Marshall Lake CouesWhitetail.com gathering.  This is a great family event where you can come campout for the weekend, or just stop by for the day.  Hiking, fishing, general visiting, archery shooting and more.  It's great to meet other members who share your passion for the outdoors.  Plan to attend!  for more info:
http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24916

Also, we are still accepting donations for Josh and Jen Epperson for their ever-increasing medical bills.  For more information on how to donate, please visit:
http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25369

 

May Guess the Score Contest-  Results have been posted.

May 10 - Welcome to Bull Basin Archery as a sponsor of CouesWhitetail.com.  Bull Basin has a store in Flagstaff and a brand new store in Tucson that opened in April.  If you have any questions about archery, Bull Basin has a great staff that is very helpful and they know archery!  Visit Bull Basin's website for more information!

May 7 - Welcome to Camo Collections as a sponsor!  Camo collections sells a variety of camouflage luggage, backpacks and duffelbags.  I have checked out their products and they are made to last and with very attractive camo patterns.  Visit their site and see if you can find something you need!  Also, they sell luggage with pink trim on it, so perhaps a great gift for your wife or mom on Mother's day! 

April 30 - Added Wilderness Athlete Products to the store! - these are great products to keep you fueled-up during your hunting trips.  I have used them on backpack hunts and really felt the difference.  Wilderness Athlete Products Page

April 26 - Added three new models of DLC Covert Trail cameras to the store.  Check them out!

 

April 12 - Come have fun in this new Guess the Score Contest with this phenomenal Coues buck from New Mexico!

April 27 - RESULTS of the contest have been posted.  Check to see if you won!

April - posted results of the 2010-11 Coues Buck Contest.  Check to see if you won anything!  Thank you to all who entered the contest, and to those who donated prizes! 

 

March 17 - Please welcome Sonoran Ghost Outfitters as a new sponsor!  Chris Jacob is the owner and is a very passionate Coues deer hunter!  He offers some outstanding hunts in Mexico for the gray ghost.  He will make your hunt in Mexico a breeze by handling all the paperwork and guiding you on great ranches.  Check out his website to see some of the many trophies he and his clients have harvested. 

March 9 - added 5 bucks to the San Carlos Photogallery - page 13.

March 8 - posted results of the Guess the Mountain Lion Weight contest
March 7 - Thank you to everyone that sports a CouesWhitetail.com sticker on their vehicles! As a tribute, I made this 3.5 minute video which shows about 170 stickers.  Enjoy the video!

   

March 5 -  Need a CouesWhitetail.com Tshirt?  Check out the styles and colors we have.


 

Featured Coues Deer Hunting Guides/Outfitters and Equipment dealers

The following guides/outfitters and optics dealers help sponsor this web site.  Please consider supporting them by using their services for your next hunt.

Guides/Outfitters
Duwane Adams Cola Blanca Outfitters
Rimrock Outfitters Mexafari Outfitters
Reynolds Coues Connection Mullins Outfitters
Rio Sonora Outfitters Timberland Outfitters
Wards Outfitters Fisher Hunting and Fishing Adventures
Diamond Outfitters Koury Guide Service
Borderland Adventures Colburn and Scott Outfitters
Sonoran Ghost Outfitters  

Do-it-yourself Hunts

Gila Wilderness Hunting
Meat Processing
 
Miller's Southwestern Processing, Queen Creek, AZ
Equipment
Camera Land, Inc.

Outdoorsmans

Santana Outdoors

Bear Mountain

A-1 Mattress

Archery Heaquarters

Chasin A Dream Outfitters   

Optics 4 Rent

Best Hardware

FlatlineMaps.com

Camo Collections

Bull Basin Archery

Hunter's Headquarters

Ross Outdoors

 

Taxidermists
Mogollon Taxidermy

Wild Heritage Taxidermy

Weller's Wildlife

CMC SkullWorks

Arizona Wildlife Designs

Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy

Magazines
Western Hunter

Elk Hunter Magazine

Resource Guides
Outdoorsman's Resource Guide

Would you like to have your service featured here? learn how by clicking here

 

 Wildlife artist, Mike Fabritz, has joined as a sponsor of CouesWhitetail.com.  He has some excellent images of Arizona wildlife.  Check out his collection of pastels, by clicking on the images below.

 

Need a tripod or tripod head?  CouesWhitetail.com has teamed up with Jim White to offer an excellent tripod head and a variety of tripods for Coues deer hunters.

 

        Want to know more about Coues deer hunting and read some great hunt stories?  Then check out the "How to Hunt Coues Deer" book by Duwane Adams and Tony Mandile.  You get a copy from the CouesWhitetail.com bookstore.  This is an information packed book that any Coues hunter will love.

 

Want to get the latest information about Mule Deer Management?  Then you are probably interested in reading a new book put out by some of the leading Mule Deer biologists. 

A new mule deer book called "Mule Deer Conservation:  Issues and Management Strategies" has just been published by the Mule Deer Working Group (sponsored by the Western Assoc. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies).  This 240-page book is the latest information on mule deer biology and management and is written by the western states' and provinces' leading mule deer biologists.  It is written primarily for the  working biologist so you have the latest information at hand on issues like diseases, predation, habitat changes, nutrition, elk/deer competition, weather, etc.  However, it will also appeal to many hunters.

Click here to get an order form for the book. 

Joe and Marisa Cerreta are wildlife photographers with a real appreciation for Coues Deer.  Please visit their collection to see 33 of their beautiful photographs.

 

  

Check out these monster sheds from the White Mountain Apache Reservation.   They score 122 6/8 without a spread!  You can see more photos of these sheds and many others in the Ellsworth/Epperson Coues Deer collection.

 

You can see more photos of the monster shed below and others in Coues Sheds-5.   This palmated shed totals 82 4/8 inches and has a 7 inch 3rd circumference!

   

 

This huge buck was found dead and net scores 125 inches. You can look at other found racks in the Pick-ups section of the Photo Gallery.

 

Check out the Bookstore!  Need a gift for a hunting buddy?  How about some topographic mapping software?  Want to read about Elliot Coues, the man for whom the Coues Deer is named? You can find a book about him at our bookstore.  How about a hunting video?

                                   

Click here to go directly to the bookstore.

 

Have you ever wondered whether Coues deer and mule deer can interbreed?

  Get the facts by reading this outstanding article by Jim Heffelfinger, a biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.  This article is an excerpt from his upcoming book "Deer in the Southwest".  Click on the link below to read his authoritative article which is posted in the Coues Biology section.

TAILS WITH A DARK SIDE:  The truth about whitetail - mule deer hybrids

 

Want to read some Coues deer hunt stories?  click here to see them. Read Martin Guerena's story that was featured in Trophy Hunter Magazine.  Or read about Mark Hanson's Pope and Young Coues deer buck and Marlon Giese's adventures in unit 24b.  Read about Dave's 2002 hunt in Arizona.  Or read about Casey's first Coues Deer. 

Dale Tasa, from Clarkdale, AZ sent this photo in.  What an incredible collection of Coues deer!  Most of these bucks score over 100 inches and were taken by rifle in Unit 6A over the course of the last 28 years.

 

If you want to see hunter photos visit the Coues deer photo gallery.  I reorganized the photo gallery by state and weapon type.  This is also where I have the shed photos and "Find the Deer" photos as well as live Coues deer photos.  I have started a New Mexico section, but need more photos of New Mexico bucks.  Send some in!

Sally Epperson with a huge Coues deer shed she found!!!  Wow, what a find.  If it wasn't chewed up it would probably be about a 55 inch shed.  And it probably had an 18 inch spread, making it from a buck that scored about 128 inches!  And it may still be alive.....

 

They're here!! The top 5 typical and non-typical Coues deer from the Boone and Crockett Recordbook!  This is a great collection of photos.  Click on the photos above to go right to the recordbook section

 

CouesWhitetail.com has partnered with MyTopo.com to bring you custom topographic maps. 

Doesn't it seem like everywhere you want to hunt is in the corner of four topo maps?  Trying to line them up is a pain, especially when it's windy out.  MyTopo.com gives you seamless maps - centered anywhere!  These maps are great!  I have created some for myself and used them in the field. They are waterproof and almost indestructible.  You can write on them and they can be easily folded and packed away.  Or you can order them so they are unfolded, which makes them great for your office wall or hunt cabin.  Give MyTopo.com a try.  Use these topographic maps for your next hunting or scouting trip. 

Click on the image below to go directly to MyTopo.com.

 

Check out the "Where to Hunt" section.  I have posted data from the Arizona Game and Fish Department including draw odds and hunt success for each unit, as well as Coues deer survey data for the last 5 years.  There is also historic statewide hunt data from 1952-2000.  You can also see a map of the Coues deer density in Arizona.  This data is not available online anywhere else!  Use this data to help you decide where to hunt.

 

Worried about Chronic Wasting disease?  click here to learn more

Need information about Rabies? This year, with its record warm temperatures, AZ has had a record number of rabies cases.  Click here to learn how to limit you and your pets risk

For information on West Nile Virus, click here.  This virus is spread by mosquitoes.  Learn how to limit your risk. 

 

Did you know? 

Coues Deer breed about 6-8 weeks later than other subspecies of whitetail. 

Coues deer does that are greater than 3 years old produce the most fawns.

To find out more go to the Life Stages section.

Antler is made of the fastest growing bone in the animal kingdom.  Find out more about the antler cycle in Coues.

 

A large Coues deer buck is only about 30 inches high a the shoulder and generally weighs less than 100 pounds.  Go to the Coues Biology section to find out more.

 

What kind of sign do Coues deer leave? click here to find out.
Want to know how to tell a Coues deer from a Mule Deer? click here Looking for some fun?  Test your skills at finding Coues deer in the Find the Deer section or in finding sheds in the Find the Coues Deer Shed section.

This site was launched on Dec. 23, 2002.

This page was last updated on Tuesday February 28, 2012

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copyright © 2002-2010 CouesWhitetail.com - content may not be used without written permission - contact amanda@coueswhitetail.com for permission