Coues Sniper

Was on an elk hunt recently, and a buddy and I were chasing some bugles. We were making a move on a bull we hadn't seen yet but were only about 60 yards out. We began to see some of his cows, and bits and pieces of some elk we couldn't tell, but hadn't spotted the bull for sure. It was getting pretty tense because the bull was screaming and working towards us and the cows were almost on top of us. Then, fairly loud, I said 'Holy sh**!' my buddy said' You see him???' I said 'No, but look at the size of that freaking shed over there!' I wasn't able to look for the other side, but i marked the spot on the GPS . It goes 101 1/8" which is my biggest Muley shed to date. I'd guess if he matched he would be an upper 220's deer. I wish the end of his beam wasn't chewed so bad as i think he did something else there and it starts to drop straight down. By the way, we did see the bull, but he was only 315 or so. Hope your hunts go well, Kevin

Thanks AZ. I've had a few people that have seen it say 3 years, but i have to think it's older than that. It's solid, but chalky and even a little pink in spots. I'd say 5 years plus. Although it was out in the wide open where it would see sun most of the day. Maybe Josh could say with more certainty. I'm pretty sure the buck that dropped it is old and gone by now .

Sounds like you have the price thing figured out. The tripod i had that they serviced was and older regular Bogan type tripod. I don't remember if there was a price difference then as it was a gift. I do have a carbon bogan (not from Swarovski) now and i like it, but it is not as steady as the older, heavier version. The weight is the only advantage i have found. That is very true. If the head isn't tight, the head can move (obviously). I haven't tried the rock bag, but seems like a good idea. Sometimes if it's windy I'll actually pull down on that center piece when I'm trying to score a buck or something and that seems to work some. A rock bag would be way better of course.

Yes it is. I have an older Swaro tripod and it has Manfrotto all over it. The only bonus you get from getting the Swarovski is that they will service it just like their binoculars. I sent mine in because the head was acting screwy and they fixed it, cleaned it up, and added new feet, all for free. I'm not sure if they (Swarovski) charge more for the same tripod, but if they do the service may be worth it. Just FYI.

This has been said before in this thread, but I would let the boy have a chance at him. You'll feel just as much or more accomplishment from that than if you killed him yourself. Plus even if your boy misses, you'll have your chance come January. You'll kick yourself if you keep that buck from your son, first deer or not. IMO.

Priceless right there. Making some great memories Josh!

LOL, that picture kicks A$$! Nice work on the title too Josh, we need to kick it some time.

I'm with you Casey. And you're going to love that 104. And as far as I know, Eberlestock will fix/replace packs as well. Badlands isn't the only one who does that. I've owned a few Badlands and didn't like their design either. The Eberlstock designs however are awesome IMO.

Very, very cool Josh.

dang good buck! Keep an eye on that dude...

I'm with everyone else - fling away! More time spent in the woods if nothing else Matty - that's a nice looking buck, good luck on him on your archery hunt!

Buddy of mine saw a 370-ish bull up here in Nevada that was polished. All the bulls i have seen were still in velvet as late as the 3rd.

Agreed. Most often the "guide" is just a ranch cowboy with some low end glass (that he uses surprisingly well) that just knows his way around the ranch. They aren't usually good "trophy hunters". However, coming back to camp to a warm meal, and not having to worry about cooking for yourself after a long day, is priceless. As far as the 3K goes, it could be a steal, or it could be a rip-off. It just depends on the ranch. There's alot of politics in getting leases on ranches, and many times ranchers/outfitters will only tell you what you want to hear. I can't tell you how many times a rancher or outfitter has told me "Oh my ranch hasn't been hunted in 6 years" and then a cowboy will take us in an area and tell us "Last year a guy killed a good buck in this spot." Stuff like that. I've seen ranches going from a 120" average to killing 100" buck if you're lucky in just a few years because they'll sneak guys on or re-use tags that people don't fill. Finding an outfitter you can trust is the key. Try and find out as much as you can about the ranch's history, and what kind of bucks have been killed in the past. While the trophy potential is there in most areas, i've gone to ranches and seen 1 buck in 3 days, and every cowboy had a scabbard on his horse (empty at the time ) Of course, I've gotten very lucky too. Anyhow, hope that helped some, and good luck.

I think most of you are high; the beams seem short, not much mass. anyhow, put me down for 113 and 6/8"

Josh, I have known Ed my whole life. He was there when i killed my first deer 21 years ago. I'm at a loss for words right now. For those who don't know him, he's one of the nicest guys i've ever met, and an incredible hunter. That guy could hike anyone into the ground. The muley was one of the most impressive bucks i have ever seen, and he hunted alot of years to kill him. Longshooter already pointed out the importance of the Coues head. I hope and pray that the idiots that did this pay for what they did. I'm absolutely disgusted. If anyone has any information, please come forward and help out.

lol, they always look bigger in velvet to me!

Very nice bull. I'm not that great at scoring elk, but I'll throw a guess of about 390 out there. I'm probably low, but that was my first impression. It's hard to tell from the pics because the tines look so different in each one. A bull I would throw the lead at for sure!

WOW That's an unbelievable shed Josh, Thanks for sharing. I wish i could get my hands on half the monster sheds you do man! Good luck finding any others he has dropped.

Nice sheds and cute kids. Looks like you guys had a blast!

Man law fulfilled! 196 as a straight 6?!? That thing is huge! Thanks for sharing!

Agreed. There can be no discussion of any animal or sheds without pictures of said animal or shed... MAN LAW!

I've used the Spitfires for a long while with great results. Kinda like you I got an itch to try something new this year so I got some of those new NAP Hellrazors. I haven't shot them yet, but they are scary sharp out of the package. I'm going to shoot them this weekend and post my results on here or Archery Talk. (I see you're on there Casey, I'm Coues Sniper on that board.)

+1!! Those fronts are awesome! I sure hope that top end catches up! Neat pics, thanks for sharing.

We actually saw an eagle chasing a couple deer this past January in Sonora. Unbelievable. I never thought an eagle could be that aggressive. He never touched any of the deer he was chasing, but we watched him dive-bomb Coues on this flat 2 days in a row. You know he's killed one before if he's doing that.

+1 Look in the free Classifieds