Coach

Yeah but spotlighting doesn't count - just kidding - I couldn't resist.

What a great looking buck! Awesome way to get started right there! Thanks for sharing the story and pictures.

Ok, so it's not AZ. I'll post it on NM too Wow, what a Fall season it's been! I was fortunate enough to take nice coues and mule deer bucks with my bow in AZ and NM (Navajo rez) this year and had one more tag to fill, a NM Muzzle-loader coues hunt. With the help of a good friend, I bivy-packed into some remote wilderness country with hopes of finding a good coues buck to fill out the season. Camping was pretty sparse - no shade, a full moon and plenty of critters to keep me guessing all night. On opening day, I saw plenty of deer, but no mature bucks. It was hard hunting because the deer were moving mostly at night and bedding early. There was a lot of ground to cover, and every time I found deer, only small forkies were hanging around the does. The second day of the hunt, I made a huge circle, hiking several miles, mostly by moonlight, to get a little deeper into the areas I thought the bigger bucks would be hanging out. Out of water and almost back to camp, I started walking the inside cuts of a large drainage hoping to push a buck out of his bed. About 9:00, two deer bolted in the thick cover beneath me. I only had about a second to decide whether to take the shot, and I could see that it was a pretty good buck. In hind sight, I may have been a little hasty but I really wanted to take a buck with my muzzle loader, and so far hadn't seen anything big, so I put the scope on the running buck's shoulder and fired. The shot hit well, and he dropped in his tracks. Here's a pic from the field that morning... He's a nice, older buck - 3x4, with decent mass, but short points. Overall, I am very happy with the whole hunt. With a little more persistence I might have found a bigger buck, but after seeing over 50 deer without any being larger than a fork-horn, I was happy to finally get my first muzzle-loader buck and finish out a great hunting season and get back home to my family. A huge thanks to Greg, who showed me the ropes in this area and made it all possible. - Jason

dang, and with a bow no less. That took some serious work by the guides and hunter to pull it all together. Congrats on a world-class coues. Great job to all of you

Hey Scott, actually, no. I never saw a UDA or smuggler. My prime worry in that part of the world was just that. Apparently I wasn't on the menu. You have never heard silence until you'have heard that kind of silence. I never knew how badly my ears ring until I stood out next to my bivy camp looking at the moon in true, absolute silence. It was weird for sure. Great times though. I'd do it again, but I'd be in better shape with better equipment for sure. A buddy on that kind of hunt can make or break - no two ways about it.

What an awesome post! Way to get those youth hunters out there doing it up! Great job!!

Thanks Cory. Honestly I had visions of driving back home and giving you a call to check out a big buck in the bed of the 'yota. He's OK, but next year will put a bigger boy on ground for sure. How are those shed-finding boys of yours doing?

That's right, big Bry, Tirple crown coues - a dream comes to fruition - SGHA rules!. So for you buddy, he's out there waiting right now. You know the spot, you know the tactics, you are going to to pull it off this year and he is going to be HUGE. I can't wait to see the rack. If you need a mule, give me a buzz.

Great job - some awesome looking bulls there - and that bobcat - wow, that thing is huge!

Congrats! Man you guys know how to get'er done! Great job!

Wow Dan, That's a great looking buck! Congrats to your uncle! I'm sure you had a "little" to do with that! I like Chris Williams' work at Trapper's Den in Wagon Wheel, and I've heard good things about a guy in Springerville that typically charges less than the better known guys but does a really good job from what I've heard. Shoot me a PM if you want some more info.

Why am I NOT surprised?

Great Job, Bry! Nice buck and way to put that long-range hunter to work! Awesome write-up. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Dang!!! Nice bucks! Congrats, and thanks for a great write-up!

Awsome story, Scott. Great job, and thanks for sharing it here with us!

Congratulations! Great looking buck there. Sounds like you had a ton of pressure and still put it all together. Thanks for sharing your hunt.

Way to go! Congrats on an outstanding trophy! You did the work and made it happen - great job. Take pride in a fantastic hunt, and thank you for sharing it with us!

NIIIIIICE! What a great buck! Congrats to your brother! That is one great looking buck. I love those tall, wide symetrical coues. Wow, just cherish the moment - bucks that BIG and that gorgeous don't come along very often. Those G3's are unreal! Keep that spot close to the belt! Great genetics in there for sure.

Wow, I've been trying to keep up with all the great stories and pictures you guys are posting here - and quite frankly, I'm sure some threads have gone by without a big "Yahoo to YOU". Great job to all of you coues die-hards putting the work and getting it done this season. For all of you who have already scored, congratulations! And those who still have upcoming tags, good luck. I wish you all the best! Get'r done, and post 'em up!!!

Congratulations, Scott! Great looking deer!

I drew a NM unit 27 muzzle-loader hunt this year. Through some strange twist, I had put in on my friends' application and I was drawn but he wasn't - we assume it had to do with his changing credit cards around the time of the draw - no matter. He is willing to take me in to an area he has done well in on previous hunts as a pre-season scouting trip. On the actual hunt, I'll be going solo. I'm not exactly sure where the area is yet, but my assumption is that it is in the extreme SW corner of NM. I know there are great coues in there, he killed a 97 inch buck last year at 8 AM opening morning and has seen many much bigger bucks in there. But with all the threads about border security and gangs of heavily armed drug runners along the Southern border, I'm getting cold feet. On the one hand, I've had a great year so far taking a nice coues and a nice mule deer with a bow. Wrapping up the season with a solid coues buck with my muzzle-loader would make this by far my best season ever. This hunt is no slam dunk but has the potential to complete what I consider a "dream season". On the other hand, backpacking solo into an unfamiliar area that close to the border really gives me pause. I'm not afraid of lions, bears or even the chance I could get injured in the back-country due to a fall or other "normal" accident. I'm more concerned about having a serious run-in with drug smugglers. Just looking for input here. I don't want to let the bad elements tell me where I can go and what I can do, but I also have a responsibility to my family not to get myself killed just to pursue my hunting goals. My other hunting buddies have hunts coming up of their own, so unfortunately, it's either go solo, or stay home. What would you do?

Yep, that's what I'm thinking! I'm 99% sure I'm going - all this talk about roaming gangs with m16s just got me a little spooked.

He's a great looking buck. A solid wide and tall 3x3 prolly in the 105-110 class. I don't think that buck in the 3rd picture is the same as the one in the first pic. He's not as wide or heavy from what I can see in the pix. Any updates or newer pix? Is he still in the area? And yeah, I agree, that's one of those scent dispensers hanging from the tree.

Nice looking rifle - I've always loved the 7MM STW. Too bad I'm not in the market for another rifle. The safe is packed now as it is. I'm sure you'll find a good home for that one.

I agree with most here - go with your "Plan A" on this one as if there were no trail/flagging. There's no way to tell if he's even going to hunt that spot opening day of your hunt. If he does, I'm sure you guys can work something out. You might even make a new friend in the process.