coues hunter

The OTC tag. I saw a big bear in the summer that got me intrested. Plus i have always seen sign of them in the area. I just don"t know what to expect that early in the year. Are the bears out or do they hibernate? and When they hibernate do they sleep the whole time or??? I don't plan on being picky. First decent size bear I can find.

Congrats to both of you. Archery predator hunting can be tough. I called and killed one at 30 yards once. Called and missed another at 20 yards. I really want to try it more often tho. Did you use a decoy? I think that may be the next thing I try.

I've used sneaky feet for a few years with success. Just really need to be carefull when your walking in them. You have very little traction. But if its a calm day and theres alot on the line the boots are coming off. I can walk muck quieter in just socks. Really want to try the five fingers idea or something similar tho. I'm tired of having dirty feet full of thorns.

Sitting water is not going to be as successfull as it would be in the summer. I personally would recommend spot and stalk tactics. In january you can glass bucks all day long. Allways use the wind and approach from above whenever possible. You get some action everyday and its so much sweeter when you are successfull.

Hurts to read. Hope somebody turns them in.

Shoot the buck. Then reload.

That think is sick! I've never seen so many little stickers.

Spot and stalk. Only way to go in my opinion. December and January is an amazing time to be out glassing. Especially if you are planning on focusing on one buck. Just keep watching him and wait for the right opportunity.

awesome pics. love the doe in the second pic. what did you put out for them to eat?

Wet wipes are a necessity for me. Closest thing to a bath and they weigh just ounces. If you dont already have a stove you should check out alcohol stoves. For solo backpack hunting theyre as light as they come. Mine is just a couple ounces and it cost nothing. Google soda can stove.

Congrats. Great story and awesome pictures. stirs up some memories.

It doesnt matter so much what other people can shoot off their set ups. Everyone shoots a little different. You just need to shoot your bow with a few different heads and arrows and see what works for you. I typically hunt with fixed broadheads but I have tested a few different mechanicals with my x force. They all shot fine except for the rage 2 blade. I shot them out to 50 yards and a few of them would plane off. I personally would not recommend them if you shoot at the longer ranges. As far as the opening in flight question I've never had it happen to me. But again just grab a few and shoot them.

Awesome buck and some sweet character on him. congrats man

Great info thanks . I had no idea pelts were worth so much.

This was my first deer with a bow. I believe the technical term is a good miss.

This past Jan on the first I missed a 103" buck at 60 yards and again later in the day at 75 yards. Two weeks later my friend shot that buck but not before missing the 101" buck I killed a week later. Sorta funny to me.

Skeet and IC. The gambels are really holding tight right now. First shot is usually 15-20 yards. I would love to try a cylinder out. Unfortunatly nobody seems to carry them. Starting to consider ordering one.

If you are looking for the simple solution just pick up any of the angle compensating rangefinders out there. They will give you the exact horizontal shooting distance with zero guess work. I've been using the Nikon rifleman 550 for three years and it has worked flawlessly. They wont work at 950 but in all seriousness who really needs to take shots at that distance.

Just discovered Costco is selling a 10 pack for $39.99. I don't think you can beat that anywhere. 3 chicken teriyaki, 3 beef stew, 2 beef stroganoff and 2 lasangna. Some of the best ones I love it.

That is a great buck and an awesome story. Sounds like you worked hard and earned it. Thats the only way to truelly appretiate everything like you have. Great job.

I found them in the sporting goods section at the grant road location in Tucson. Not sure it its nation wide or just here.

Sweet looking gun. Pretty soon we won't even have to hunt anymore. Just sit back and plink away.

I know #9s are pretty small but I'm curious as to what they are capable of 25 yards and in. If 8s can kill at 35 one might conjure that 9s would be fine at 25. Or at least be worth further testing. After all, since we cant pick where the pellets stike the bird we have to relly on the aggregate amount of energy of multiple pellet strikes to creat the trama neaded for a clean kill. I personally think most wounded birds are due to the fact of too tight of choke and an imperfect shot. Where only the edge of the pattern strikes the bird. Now since nobody is perfect it makes since to spread the shot out. It just seems like anything larger than 9 shot(with standard loads) will not maintain a high enough density for a cylinder choke. When considering shots ranging from 10-25 yards it may be more ethical to shoot a choke with a much larger area and lessen the chance of that one pellet on the edge of your pattern striking the bird. just some thoughts thanks for the replies. -Sam

Don't sweat it Eric. It's going to happen soon enough. In the meantime I think some Jackrabits are going down!