Jump to content

Coues Stew

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    186

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Coues Stew

  1. Posted · Report reply

    This is kind of a late post but better late than never right?.... Last September(2017) I was able to hunt two days for myself. I had decided that I was going to sit water in search of my first coues with a bow. I invited my buddy along to sit with me that way we could take turns napping and not miss anything. Since I had located the spot and created the set up I told my buddy Kyle that he could take any of the smaller bucks that come in and I would only target the big boy, since Kyle was in search for his first big game animal in general he was in on the deal.

     

    Day 1

    When I first arrived the first morning I could hunt I noticed my camera had been stolen. I was so worried that the thief had not only stolen my camera but ruined my spot as well. The first morning was very slow and VERY COLD!!! It was an overcast rainy morning and the sun did not shine onto the blind until 1 o'clock or so. Needless to say we were way underprepared! However around 2:30 a spike had magically appeared out of the foliage and was drinking at the water. Kyle was quick on the spot and even quicker to get his bow in his hand. We had previously ranged the other side of the tank at 50 and Kyle waited for his shot and let her rip....low. Dangit! The buck is still standing there and presents him another shot at 60. Kyle re-drew his bow took his time on the second shot and the arrow flew true.... however the little buck was on edge and did a full 360 before the arrow even cleared the tank. Darn another miss and the buck took off, however now I am confident that this water was still being used, and not just by deer because about 30 minutes after the spike a very large bear decided it wanted to take a drink as well.

     

    Day 2

    Kyle and I had only gotten about two hours of sleep in between day 1 and day 2 because it was about a 3 mile hike in and out of the spot and an hour and a half drive from home. Due to our lack of sleep we got out late on day two. The sun was up well before we got to our blind but the best deer activity was mid day anyway. Again the morning was slow, so Kyle decided it was his turn for a nap. Meanwhile I was thinkin are you crazy this is prime time! At about 10:30 I was farting around on my phone while Kyle was snorin away when all of a sudden I heard sneeze and not a human sneeze. I look up to my right and there's a buck on his way with two does following right behind him. I quickly wake kyle up and ask him if he wants to shoot the buck (meanwhile I have no idea the size of him because I only saw profile view of his weaker side. The buck was behind a juniper while Kyle was still wiping the drool off his mouth and when it stepped out and gave me a good view I realized that it was a better buck and decided I was gonna take him (good thing because Kyle was not ready haha). I swiftly drew my bow put my 20 pin on its mark and let it fly. My arrow smacked the buck square in the shoulder and knocked him to the ground, he got up walked up the ridge slowly and disappeared over the top. Alright!!!

     

    The Chase isn't over...

    Kyle and I waited 45 minutes before we even got out of the blind to retrieve my arrow. Once we got to the site of the shot our attitudes really started to change. We had thought there was gonna be a dead buck just over the ridge but the evidence from the arrow and the blood was proving different. The arrow was only covered half way up the shaft and was broken in half however both pieces were still there??? I had no idea what had happened I knew I hit him in the shoulder but passed through so where was all my blood??? (Later I would find my first shot just passed through one shoulder and his briscuit but missed all vitals). We proceeded on the blood trail with extreme caution, one drop at a time expecting the buck to leap out of the scrub oak at any moment. After another 2 hours of slowly tracking we followed the trail to the bottom of a canyon where there was a thick patch of Gambel Oaks. I told kyle he's either in there dead or alive but hes in there. We started creeping towards the oaks when I heard a cough come out of the oaks. Then I could see grey patches slowly crawling through the overgrown draw. I quickly ranged a lone juniper across the draw at 70 yards and told Kyle when he steps out i'm gonna shoot him again. Kyle didn't miss a beat and whipped out his phone to video the shot. The buck stepped out just a little lower than the juniper I had ranged so I put him in between my 60 and my 70 and made the most confident shot on an animal I have ever made. My arrow hit directly on its mark as the buck blew from jumping my string and he took off only to disappear again. Unsure yet again of how the second shot was we let the buck rest for another hour and a half when a monsoon started to roll in. It was time to go fetch him. Kyle stayed behind to keep eyes for him to jump up and bugger out as I crept in. The blood was a lot stronger after the second shot and roughly 100 yards after the second hit I could see my buck laying in the bottom of a wash tipped over. Tears started to burst out of my eyes as I called Kyle over, I realized I had just harvested my first coues deer with a bow and the 75-80 inch buck I first thought I shot was actually a 100+ inch deer laying right in front of me! What a day it was and one heck of a packout! I can't thank Kyle enough for all of his help and sharing the experience with me. Its his turn next!

     

    VIDEO of the shot

     

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M7W9oUowEzU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    post-8804-0-74605400-1519762814_thumb.jpg

    post-8804-0-28201400-1519762827_thumb.jpg

    post-8804-0-54134600-1519762838_thumb.jpg

    post-8804-0-09559900-1519762844_thumb.jpg

    post-8804-0-28331600-1519763073_thumb.png

    • Like 15

  10. Posted · Report reply

    This is what I have learned over the years and you can take it and use it or disregard it.

     

    Over the years I have found some interesting things about Coues deer. I'm sure you have heard about moon phases and how they affect deer movement. There are lots of theories on why which I'm not going to get into here. However I have found the bigger bucks this time of year move/feed heavily during new moons(night time) and bed moving very little during full moons(night time). This goes against some of what you may have heard or have read but it is my observations.

     

    Looking at your pictures(thanks for sharing by the way, I thought you would only give the times) I see the bucks are in front of the camera in the middle of the night and into the twilight of the morning. If you look at the moon phase during the time frames of the pictures, the moon is starting its progression towards a new moon. By the way I like the feature of the moon phase on my camera as well but don't rely on it. Go to any search engine and find a true moon phase. Starting on the 18th the moon really started into it's new moon phase. I bet you probably had pictures of these bucks or others in the early morning and evening from the 7th through the 14th. You will start to get them back on camera in daylight hours around the 5th of September.

     

    It sounds like you know where these bucks are bedding and this is the only thing I worry about during my scouting. Sure water is a good thing to know about too but it is unreliable during heavy monsoons seasons like some of use are experiencing now. Bedding areas are the key. Now that you know where this is, next season move your setup closer to this bedding area but not too close. This increases your chances no matter what the moon phase is. When I place a setup near a bedding area I will get the bucks on camera at first light up to about 630 to 7am during new moons. During full moons I get them coming through as late as 930 to 10am!

     

    Don't move anything now. Doing so during the hunt will only run the chance of pushing these bucks out. You are just going to have to be patient and wait until about the 5th of September. I'm not telling you not to hunt until then because anything can happen and the bucks could get spooked out of their normal routine by a lion or other critter and cause them to be running a little late for their bed time.

     

    Just my 2cents

    I know This was a while back I was just reading it again to help my set up for this year. But you couldnt have been more on the money the bucks came in mid day on the 4th, the 5th and the 6th, Unfortunately I was in school and wasnt sitting those days. This year I will plan in advance and try and plan to sit the days of a fuller moon. Thanks again for the advice!

    post-8804-0-07743800-1439316318_thumb.jpg

  14. Posted · Report reply

    I went solo and glassed a nice Brown Phase bear opening morning at 375 yards.Not a monster but I had a clear shot right away however I hadn't looked for cubs yet and it was around some really thick brush, so I did what I thought was the right thing and grabbed the glass and spent 10 to 15 minutes looking around the bear which was chokin down manzanita berries. Once I determined the bear was solo I watched/listened mostly it feed its was down the slope onto my side of the canyon, I last saw it walking towards really thick brush about 400 yrds away until I lost it. Never heard or saw it come out. Iv been back everyday since with no luck But I have a feelin he will be back. Its hard to sit though when the next three little pockets of the canyon look the exact same as this one. Should I sit where I saw him or try and cover more ground and hit each pocket each day. This was my first experience glassing up a bear and I feel like if it's within 500 yards I will hear it before I ever see it at least in this country. Do you guys usually Burn one area with the glass all day trying to pick it apart (like I would Whitetails) or do you glass for a while and move on to the next spot. I'm just not sure which would be better for bears.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Agree with the ghost but looks like he could have a narrow spread

    That spread score is huge. I Didnt realize how much difference it could make until I taped a dead head this year I found. I thought he was a 320 bull By size of his antlers but when all said and done he barely pushed over 300, But he was super narrow.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    All I know Is there woudn't be any mega fauna (Big Game) left in Africa if it wasnt for Big game hunting. Its the only thing that keeps those animals from getting over hunted by poachers and in some cases such as white Rhinos has helped the population cause private land owners are willing to Have them on their land if they are going to get paid eventually due to hunting. Id like to see that park run itself without taking any Big game hunting revenue from now on.

    • Like 2

  21. Posted · Report reply

    In the 80's and early 90's there were literally hundreds of elk that would feed out there during the elk season. For a new elk hunter in his teens that was quite a site to behold!

    Thats how that morning was I was 16 years old goin out for archery deer in the morning and I think I stayed and watched the 100+ elk in Aww till about 8:30 in the morning ruined my whole morning haha but what a great experience, That was first time I had ever seen sparing between bulls. And my bad 5guys, I forgot how secret of a spot it was being so far from any main rds in 6b and such :lol: lol

    • Like 3
×