Simple Hunter Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Raised on Coues whitetail hunting I have never had a problem filling a tag, I haven't surpassed the 100" mark, but I have gotten some decent deer. I have always been told that Coues hunting is one of the most difficult and that if you can be successful at Coues hunting you can kill any big game. I never hunted Carp with a rifle before this year. I chased them with a bow many times. I have always just hunted them like I do whitetail. Glass and glass and glass some more and then spot and stalk. I scouted and had two areas with shooter bucks and they were there before the early hunt. 3 days and not even a single deer, not even a doe. Yet reports were that people were filling their tags left and right with decent bucks (This from a very reputable source - the BP checkpoint . We and other people in our area packed up camp after 3 days of no deer. Today, I picked a new area, windy as heck. I finally glassed up a muley and it was a 4x4, not very tall, but ear wide. I glassed him on the top of the ridge and had him for 5 seconds before he went over. The other side was a mesquite thicket. I never saw him again. I am frustrated as heck that I can't bag a Carp. I mean 9 months out of the year, I probably see a total of 20 bucks right off the highway that are so dumb I could throw a rock at and kill. I've got 3 days left and don't even feel like hunting them anymore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Sometimes good things can happen right up to the last day! Never say never! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Ahhhh yes, the "Elusive" mule deer. What you need are pancakes my friend. Pancakes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Pancakes? So thats the secret! Looks like someones coming to breakfast Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
russd Report post Posted November 17, 2009 yeah use pancakes if you want does... now if you want a buck, you need a good sammich! bucks love sammichs! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simple Hunter Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Ahhhh yes, the "Elusive" mule deer. What you need are pancakes my friend. Pancakes That is why they are called Carp I guess. You could snag em with a hook they are so dumb. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tines Report post Posted November 17, 2009 I'm gonna go out on a limb here and make a statement that MANY may disagree with: Minus buffalo and lion(in most cases), I believe a mature desert MD buck is the most difficult of all AZ big-game to hunt AND kill during the early rifle season. Many hunters apply for a rifle MD hunt down south because while they were archery hunting during January they could chase multiple bucks a day. And you're seeing (or not, for that matter) excactly what the results are. Like you, I'm a coues deer hunter to the bone. I could be turkey hunting and I still find myself looking for a vantage point to possibly glass them up. HAHA! It's a "bad" habit. I've had the same tag before. It's frustrating when you pull into the Arivaca store and find a group of guys standing around a truck with 2 big bucks in the back.............and you've yet to even see one! I'll make another statement that many may disagree with: Many of those bucks are killed right off the road. Yes, there are even road hunters down south too. And they don't even have the excuse that it's too cold to be out in the elements like you might hear up north. I did not say "all", I said "many". That being said, you're doing things right! You're hunting hard and it'll pay off one way or another. Here's a suggestion for you that might help. Something tells me that it's worked for others Lace up those boots, throw some extra water and food in your pack and go for a LONG hike. "Still" hunt through rolling hills and mesquite flats. Make sure you push through those washes and small patches of trees that might hold bedded deer. Move slowly and methodically- all the while glassing the entire time! Especially before you enter into what might be "their bedroom". Next thing you know, you've got a big 'ol mature buck staring at you from 100yds through the mesquites! "You've got to be handy with the steel, you know what I mean....."! HAHA, I love that line! It's probably completely unorthodox from everything you know to be "effective hunting". Trust me, I KNOW! But you've got to adapt to where they are and what they're doing (or not). All of this being said, NEVER be afraid to sit down with the tripod mounted binos and pick things apart like you would many other AZ critters. Good luck and like mentioned before, NEVER give up! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WFGinNM Report post Posted November 17, 2009 From what I've seen around here. They like "sammiches" when their antlers are all fuzzy. Then Oct. and Nov. rolls around, "hasn't been a buck here in years". After the rifle hunts, "where the heck did all these bucks come from, I need to put in for a rifle carp tag next year". --Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Ahhhh yes, the "Elusive" mule deer. What you need are pancakes my friend. Pancakes LOL!! That's great!! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted November 17, 2009 yeah use pancakes if you want does... now if you want a buck, you need a good sammich! bucks love sammichs! Yes, sammichs are great for early season. Dog days of summer, bucks in velvet (like in your picture). I prefer Fluffer-Nutter sammichs for my archery hunts. But during the later seasons you need the does, which means you gotta have pancakes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Archer Report post Posted November 18, 2009 never quit you never know when that big buck is going to come in great job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZBAR Report post Posted November 18, 2009 That is why they are called Carp I guess. You could snag em with a hook they are so dumb. OR, you could sit in a treestand over some corn & hunt for bluegill. Or you could use molasses, I hear that works too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeardownAZ Report post Posted November 19, 2009 I wish I could find the pictures of me and my sister feeding COUES in New Mexico in the Ft. Bayard area. And yes there were bucks in the group. Mule deer fascinate the eastern whitetail hunters if you ever read articles by people who normally hunt back east. They also say they are much harder to hunt. Of course they have never hunted a real whitetail like Coues, and I am a Carp fan myself. This was my first year truly dedicating a hunt on Coues and I believe they are harder. Mule deer are curious, I dont think necessarily dumb though. I dont think your methods are keeping you from killing or seeing deer. I have always walked, glass, walk some more, repeat. Sometimes you got to get out in the brush to get em moving. I plan on using some of my newly learned Coues skills next year to kill a Mulie, hopefully a bigger one than ever before. Good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Archer Report post Posted May 25, 2010 Sounds like you neeed to stop hunting in the middle of many other hunter areas... Find one that has hardly or no people in it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
