paul navarre

DCS, thanks for the nice comment. I hope that gold mine of yours pays off well. Looking forward to coming back to AZ in January 2023. for another Coues hunt. Maybe by then I will be more interested in a Desert Mule Deer. Hope you guys get some good rains. My best, Paul

As a non resident AZ deer hunter starting in 2002 January after the Coues deer (20 years ago) and then every other years after that, there is no doubt that bow hunting deer hunters have increased both resident and non residents. With social media, sports shows, hunting websites, reasonable access and OtC tags at a reasonable price, the popularity of bow and arrow, and in January when most states deer seasons have been completed, and lets not forget, warmer temperatures. And if one has killed a number of whitetails, mule deer, the Coues Deer may seem like a very special species to go after. We here in Colorado have seen this exact increase of bow hunters after elk. WE how have 43,000 bow hunters during the elk season and the splits is 49 % non resident and 51% residents. A huge increase since I first hunted elk in Colorado as a non resident in 1988 when there were only 27,000 bow elk hunter then. At least 80% of the elk units are OTC. There is no doubt that at some trailheads, crowding can be an issue and we have suggested to the Commission to reduce NR licenses to draw only, but that has not happen. Will it happen in the future? Hard to tell. I would expect that if the data presented went back more years, the result would show a different conclusion being that, both resident and non resident archery deer hunts have increased. IN spite of the increase I have killed 6 Coues bucks and three in the last 6 years hunting every other year. my best, Paul

Killed my 6 th coues buck on Jan. 7th. in the late PM coming to a small water seep. Rattled and grunted two spikes in the previous two days. While many of the water sources were not producing there was plenty around and I know the deer know many more. Fair amount of acorns on the ground. The rut yearly is triggered by the amount of light in the deer's eyes during that that time of year so the "rut" happens the same time each year but is extended longer the farther on goes in the US. I have killed bucks the end of the first week and also the last week of January and in the same area. If I only had two weeks to hunt them, south of HWY 10 , it would be the second and third week of January. So to answer the OP question, and in the area I hunt, NO difference this January season.

First of all, forget what you see on TV about distant shot at game, ie, 100 yards. They are ONLY going to show you the successful kills and not all of the misses or wounded game regardless of make of bow or the range. Know your effective range and I doubt it is much over 40 yards. I have killed 11 elk and not one over 35 yards, and in my 8 trips to AZ to Coues deer hunt, my longest shot, yes 6 killed bucks, was 31 yards and this January, a 22 yard kill. Bow hunting is all about getting close. The saying, 'When a rifle hunter gets within 100 yards of game, the hunt is over BUT when a bow hunters get within 100 yards, the hunt just starts.'' Do what bonecollector suggests, try a few of them to see what fit, and then stay within your effective range and forget about the "100" yards shots. You just need to challenge your ability to get closer because that is what hunting with a bow is all about. Good luck, My best, Paul

Killed my buck on Jan 10th as he was trailing a doe. Saw other buck and doe combinations a few days prior to that see pics. I am sure the rut is in full swing as usual for this period of time.

Regardless of size, they all eat well. Med rare, season, rap in bacon, and grill over charcoal. YUM...........

can you provide a picture of the blind? I have two Double bull blinds and when I purchased the T-2 blind adding zipper roof windows was an option which I did so I can use it for duck hunting. My Dark Horse Double bull blind came with one zipper roof window. Roof window is great to let out the hot air if needed and to also stand up and view out the top.

I purchased my non resident small game/fishing license and my Deer Tag with a paper application sent to the Front Desk, at the AZ Game and Fish dept Tucson. I filled out the app. and enclosed a check for $460, ie, $160 for the license and $300 for the deer tag. I mailed this in on Dec 1 and received it two weeks later. This saves me a 120 mile round trip when I get to AZ from the east.

I will add this. I always try to find water in the area, be it a tank, dugout, stream, seep. Deer have to water! This is my first priority in deer scouting.

Try these, 1 Bowsite.com 2, Youtube the subject (bow hunting for _deer, elk, pronghorn, coues wt, etc), 3. Google Earth (to check out areas), There are a variety of hunting POD Casts, that address hunting of various species, using all kinds of equipment. good luck, Paul I will be heading out of Colorado on Dec 27 and will arrive three days b4 the Jan opener in the same unit I was successful in two years ago. This will give me a few days to re-scout the area looking for a concentration deer tracks along the 2 rut roads, along ridges, and creek crossings. I will be looking for rut sign like rubs and scrapes, and doe WT concentrations. Find the girls and you will find the boys. I will set up a tree stands and a natural ground blind if needed. I will use rattling antlers, grunt calls, and doe bleats . I have found that Coues seem to move later in the morning as the day warms up some, especially if it was very cold that night. Using the wind and staying down wind or cross wind is very important. If the wind changes to my disadvantage, I leave the area or stand and come back another time or shift to another location. Attached if the very best deer "sign".

As you know, shooting a bow well has nothing to do with hunting. The mechanics of shooting a bow and the skills needed to hunt and be successful are two different endeavors. One might be a skilled bow shooter but until one can be a skilled hunter, then one can call themselves a bow hunter. So it seems you need to learn what it is to be a hunter, and a learned and successful hunter. Remember, mostly we are part time hunters and we are after full time wild game that live, breath, and exist in nature 24/7/365. Good advice from those above. There are tons of hunting information out there, Youtube, hunting plogs, magazines, books, vidoes, etc. that you can learn from. Do not set your sights to high and if needed shoot a few small game animal before attempting larger big game animals like a "trophy deer", as you stated. Boots on the ground is important but one needs to learn what to look for and where and when to look. Not every square mile of any state holds game, so you need to find out the best concentrations. The AZ game and fish website is a good place to start as they described each game management unit, animals available and the best placed to start. I have killed a lot of different species of big game including 5 Coues bucks in AZ, one in Mexico, and I live in Colorado. I did my research, created a plan of action, scouted the area, looked for sign, and have been successful. All of my hunts have been on public land and Do It Yourself hunts. I will be heading down this January to hunt coues bucks again. Good luck. Paul

Being a nonresident of AZ but hunting Coues deer for 9 times and killing 4 plus one in Mexico I can understand your predicament and issues. I have not spot and stalked one to the kill but I have tried a few times without success. All of the bucks came from a natural blind, tree stand, or a tent blind (Mexico) over a funnel (bed to feed, bed to drink, feed to drink, shade during mid day heat and all were killed during the January bow hunting season. The last buck I killed came in to horn rattling and buck grunting. Being a solo hunter without a ATV and willing to hike in a mile or two, like I do here in Colorado for elk, I have no issues to hike onto an area, and even stay the night or two. I do this mainly to get away from other hunters and to also find more remote and un molested deer. Finding one or two remote water holes would be ideal and with indications that deer are actually visiting the area. With the aid of Google Earth, one should be able to find some of these. As far as spending "countless hours glassing". Well, this is the name of the game where one can find a good location and glass the areas for a day or two to determine the deer patterns and what bucks might be in the area, what time there are moving, and then slip in to ambush from a ground blind or tree stand. Setting on your butt and checking out the area with bios and/ or a spotting scope will be good time spent and I would highly recommend it. Just remember, the very first time into the area, once you determine the deer movement, is the very best time to kill a deer. I have not hunted Coues in "central" AZ but hunt them farther south within (sometimes, eye sight of the Mexican boarder). So keep at it, and with some hard work and some good luck you will one day get the draw on a Coues buck. I will be back down to AZ this coming January. my best, Paul

Yep, this will be my 9 trip to AZ to hunt Coues bucks in January. I have killed four in AZ and one in Mexico. Two of the AZ bucks make PY all DIY hunts on public land, except the Mexico hunt on private land but still DIY. A great time of the year to leave northern Colorado but now I still have a lot of WT hunting to do in Nebraska where I have two doe and one buck tag. I gave up on spot and stalk and mostly hunt from a natural ground blind or from a tree stand. Like most WT hunting, horn rattling and grunt calling can and will work.

No doubt, ambushing a buck from a ground blind or tree stand places the odds in one's favor for sure. I have traveled 1000 miles from Colorado 6 times and tried the spot and stalk method but never had a shot opportunity until I switched to a natural ground blind using natural vegetation or cut leaf netting and a light weight seat. Since I started to use the ground blind strategy, I have killed three bucks, one being a 91 incher. Finding the correct funnel that will transport the deer to you as they travel around takes some know how. I usually spend a few days, high on a ridge behind the glasses, and watch the animal movement. Then I slip in and set up the next day or so always watching the wind direction. All kills have been in the morning between 9am and noon and the last two bucks, within 30 yards of each other. There is no doubt that parts of AZ offer good spot and stalk opportunitys base on the topography and vegetion, and some areas, not so much or not at all. My hat is off to a bow hunter who can consistently kill a buck using the SS method. Regardless of method, these coues deer surely offer a great hunt. The attached picture was taken in a thick grove of Mesquite trees and made an ideal place for a natural blind and close range shooting. The deer were transitioning from the dry hill side down to the creek and through this tree grove. Find the does and the bucks will be around. My best, Paul