coueshunt32

[Gabe]

Hello everybody. I am hunting the late November hunt in unit 32. Would greatly appreciate any helpful tips on this unit. Thanks for any help. Glad to be a part of this website.

[natureboyfloyd]

Gabe,

I will just relay what I have heard and seen; I drew 32 for the late. Nov. as well.

I see coues almost every time I go in that unit, and often bucks. Never hunted there, but backpack and hike.That is probably not much help.

 

A landowner said there is much traffic from hunters on the Sunset Loop, near Sunset and Basset Peak. Since many will be ATV hunters, the common reasoning is to "go in deeper." I am nervous in some respects to having alot of people around me, not that I will be shot ( I more closely resemble a jack butt, not a deer), but that I will get to within 85 yds, lay the 30-30 over the log, and bam,...a hunter abit further off strikes first.

 

We will see.

 

I 've seen the deer this summer in the desert washes, in the Muleshoe AO, in the drainages along the Sunset loop and close-by elsewheres.

Good Luck

 

[curmudgen]

Y'all might as well quit now. There ain't no Coues deer in 32. Only mountain lions and hills too rough to climb. Better luck in another unit next year. Jack

[Jessedr]

Have a friend in Prescott who hunts 32 when he gets drawn. He didn't get drawn last year but when he does he gets his deer. He said its a hard area to hunt but you can get a deer. You have to be willing to clime Mt. and be willing to camp out. He said there is deer in the 32 area but He did not tell me what part is the best area as he got 32 again this year. I know his Dad has a place north of Benson. Sorry I can't help you better. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR HUNT.

[azhuntsmen]

i hunt 32 every year for the past 8 years and there are plenty of deer to go around, most hunt via atv so like the others have said hiking into the wilderness is your best chance plan on a very hard hump in. Scouting as much as you can will help tons. I have the early Nov. hunt so i will long gone by time you get your chance. As for the mtn lions yeppers and you cant forget the bears either. Glass glass glass and then glass some more. pm me if you have any other questions

[Gabe]

Hey everybody thanks for the info and comments. I plan on a few scouting trips before the hunt. Thanks for helping a newbie. To everybody out there, be safe and have fun.

[n777ea]

Thanks for the advice, too. I'm a newbie with the same hunt.

[jakehaffey]

I have hunted there a few times but not for 7 or 8 years. If you can find the bald ridge it was a good starting place, it may look like there arent any deer there but those coues pop outta nowhere! The further you get in there the better, but like I said it's been 7 or 8 years? Good luck!

[Guest 300ultramag.]

so a buncha newbs got my 32 tag sthis year

 

 

 

good luck! I would help but that was my tag

[June]

Isn't the Thing in unit 32 or close to it? Just follow the signs on the 10. Camp in the parking lot. At least you can get a soft serve after a long days hike.

Seriously, the deer are there. Minus 1 from last year. Good luck on your hunt.

 

Oops!! I forgot no access through there anymore.

 

Curmudgen, Did your group have the second Nov. last year. Cause, I ran into a good bunch of hunter's that had a ranger and a pal named Carlos? They were also from Sierra Vista.

[curmudgen]

Isn't the Thing in unit 32 or close to it? Just follow the signs on the 10. Camp in the parking lot. At least you can get a soft serve after a long days hike.

Seriously, the deer are there. Minus 1 from last year. Good luck on your hunt.

 

Oops!! I forgot no access through there anymore.

 

Curmudgen, Did your group have the second Nov. last year. Cause, I ran into a good bunch of hunter's that had a ranger and a pal named Carlos? They were also from Sierra Vista.

June, I think The Thing is across I-10 from 32, unless the Dragoon Rd. is the boundary. To answer your question: I had the early hunt and one of my sons had the late Nov. hunt, but we were hunting pretty much alone and had no Ranger. Jack

[drgonzales]

Hunted 32 for a couple years. A lot more hunters than deer. Was there on 2 hunts on the sunset loop last year and don't remember hearing too many shots or seeing any deer hanging. Good luck wherever you go.

[Str8Shot]

Ok been a couple years but in Unit 32 I can give you some areas you may want to check on your scouting trips ... Private Property and limited access can be a pain but if you do your homework and are willing to get off the beaten path you will find em... Going down river road aong the San Pedro one of the fisrt places that you may try is the copper canyon area (roads are very rough in many spots and wash out often due to weather) unfortunately as you make the loop way back (already in deer country ) you will probably run into some locked gates.... from there try any side roads or hiking and lots of glassing they are there watching you.... Now about the gates .... I have not been up since the Mercers brought in the mining operation so I don't know what if any changes have been made but they were allowing 25 tagged hunters(2 years ago it was 25$ a head for the entire hunt G&F HAs the Number) through the gates with access to alot of great wilderness if you want to again hike ... good area for base camp and cold camps out in the mountains heading back in towards Cake mountain north-east through the range is kolondike and Arivaipa Canyon can not tell you how the access is through the Arivaipa side but I am sure the local G&F office can (in was completely washed out and closed to all access a couple years ago) Now if you keep going south on River road past the mercers you head east on Tom Rhodes Ranch rode and take it back all the way til you get to the wilderness areas There are good quad rodes heading North off the road taking you from the south east side of sombrarro butte all the way up towards the area accessed through the mercers private property if you continue east on TR ranch rode you will come to private property that allows access Must sign in at gate and once the rode ends it is By Hoof or Foot only good country though... I have spent some time in the winchesters and have spotted Coues in small pockets there but far less than the numbers of Mule Deer the big issue with the west side of the winchesters is much more limited access ... couple years ago lots of locked gates but if you use your maps and look for the power lines going over the mountains there will be roads that are worth taking just keep your eyes on the tight deep drainages as the roads switch back they like to hide right under your nose sometimes you will also find some good glassing spots can be found .... Won't give any GPS data but Hope this helps there is more than enough land out there to help a fellow hunter and in in 32 your are still going to have to put in the hours and scouting trips

 

 

P.S. the water table makes for some very good spring locations in lots of remote areas ... get your maps out and look for them

 

 

 

Hope this helps !!!!

Chris

[azunioncarp]

I've hunted unit 32 in the past a couple three years ago. I filled both whitetail tags i had there.I hunted the CopperCanyon area as well as Sumbrero Butte, really nice country but alot of hunters. I was one of the hunters that paid Lorie Mercer to get a key to her gate to access Copper canyon/ Sumbrero Butte. She said only 25 hunters would be allowed in that area but, there were a heck of alot more people back ther carrying rifles.(about50-60hunters).I still glassed up quite a few deer though,mostly small bucks.However, i did manage to harvest a nice buck just under 90 inches.You might wanna try taking copper creek / miller road just a liitle north of Mercer ranch road. It'll put you in some nice country. The roads pretty rough though.

[Str8Shot]

Carp there are a couple other roads that run back in the area but won't get you as deep in as the mercers gated roads and they are a heck of alot rougher ... the back area of copper canyon always seems to have a pretty big hunter density right around where the road comes into the locked gates ... But even if your not using the Mercers roads for access with a quad or horse you have alot of inlets that will get you close ... the fork off Tom Rhodes was washed out when we hunted it last So no full sized vehicles would make it through toward the Butte but many were making it in there with quads .... lots of good country between there and the mercers gates .... but best access into the wilderness towards the northwest side of cake mountain is the trailhead right at the ranch house on the mercers ranch through their rodes....