San Carlos hunt

[CouesWhitetail]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just got back from three days hunting on the San Carlos. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who couldn't use his tag, so I ended up with it. Unfortunately, I only had a few days I could hunt.

 

I spent the first two days in some low elevation Coues habitat where I have killed some big deer and some other people I know have killed some 110 and 115 inch deer before. Unfortunately, after some serious hunting I only saw a few deer and all the bucks I saw were small. The largest one, which only my hunting buddy saw, was about a 85 inch buck but was broken off 1/2 way up one side. Wish I could have found the one who broke him off!! The weather didn't really cooperate. Lots of wind and rain for the first two days.

 

 

We did get to see one lion on the first day. My buddy heard a deer blowing a bunch of times and was glassing to find it. He saw movement, but it was a lion. Then he found the doe nearby. She had busted the lion (by scent I think). And she eventually moved away. Then we watched the lion go uphill and there was a cow (cattle cow) standing about 15-20 yards from the lion. Apparently the cow was too big for the single lion to attack, so he/she didn't make a move on the cow. Instead it walked farther uphill. We watched it sniffing around some places and moving up and downhill as if following a trail. We kept hoping it would jump some deer that might have been bedded there. No luck and eventually the lion moved out of view. It sure was fun to watch him. Of course both of us had opted not to buy a lion tag.....

 

The next day we moved to a place nearby where I had killed a 103 inch buck in years past. Glassed and glassed, but found no deer!!! I did glass up two more lions though. I caught movement in the brush and thought it was a deer and then found out it was a light colored lion. And then saw another larger, darker lion with it. That lion jumped up on a boulder and laid down. They were about 350 yards across a small drainage from me. I had left my pack about 50 yards back and my buddy was glassing the other side of the area, so I went and got him and we went to my pack and got my camera. The lions were gone by the time I got back, but eventually we saw them again not far away. Then watched them curl up and nap together for quite awhile. I got a few photos of them.

 

Look under the left side of the dead juniper. They are curled up together facing to the left side of the photo. The lighter colored one which is closest to the dead juniper has it's head resting on the side of the darker one.

 

 

 

Here is more of a closeup. The darker one is larger and I believe it was a male. The lighter colored one was a female. At first I thought they were siblings, but when they moved off she peed and he went over and checked it out and got all excited about it. I just didn't think a male and female that were breeding would be so peacefully spending time together. But if they were siblings would he have gotten excited by her pee? Maybe some of you guys that hunt lions have more info on this.

 

 

 

Here is another one, you can see her lighter color better. She is sitting up with her head behind some branches. She was definitely the more alert of the two lions.

 

 

 

Anyway, after glassing and walking tons of beautiful country and seeing little sign or deer, I decided to go to a high density deer area for the last day. In the morning we glassed up a bunch of whitetail. The first group had two bucks in it, but they were small. Then we saw two large bucks on the flat below us. One was a really nice buck with excellent mass and eyeguards and decent 2nds. Wide spread and good mass throughout beams. But only a 2 point. But I wanted him anyway. He was doing this awesome swaggering display to keep a large three point away from a doe. I left my buddy to keep an eye on them and started to stalk them. The only way to approach was to walk up a flat on the next ridge and hope they fed over that way. Well, they did. They kept calmly feeding my way while I continued closing the distance. The problem was that there was almost no cover. The flat they were on and the one I was on was tall grass and prickly pear with only a handful of junipers and oaks. At about 300 yards, I could see what I thought was the buck looking my way. So I froze and waited for him to start feeding again. I couldn't set up for a shot because the slope of the land would have put me too low to get a clear shot when I sat down with my bipod. But he moved so there was a group of oaks blocking his view. So I closed the distance using those oaks as cover. Getting by those oaks would put me 100 yards from the deer. Once I got to the oaks I stepped out and was ready to shoot. But there were no deer!!!! I tried my grunt call hoping that maybe they just moved into some cover in the drainage and he would come out. But no luck. Finally I radioed my buddy and he said the deer had left a few minutes ago!!!!! He said he really didn't know why. They never flagged or snorted or acted alarmed. The doe just decided to run back across the flat, perhaps trying to lose her suitors. But they pursued her of course. And they proceeded to run up and down the large mountain for the next hour or more. I followed as best I could, but they were covering 1/2 mile each time they decided to run. A few times, my buddy would tell me they were headed right back to me, but then they changed direction again. Eventually they ran straight up and onto the top of the mountain. No way to get them up there. They covered miles with barely a break. It was very disappointing to have been a few minutes from killing a good buck to being nowhere near them.

 

It was now about 10 am and getting very warm out. I stayed up on the mountain and my buddy stayed on the other side. I glassed a really nice bowl, but saw nothing. He hiked quite a ways up a ridge and saw nothing. Eventually, I decided to head back toward the ridge where we saw the smaller bucks early in the morning. On my way over there I crossed several ridges, jumping several groups of does on the way. They were very close to me 10 yards for some, 50-75 yards for others. But no bucks with them!

 

Eventually my friend spotted a few deer on the ridge where he had seen them in the morning. I looked too and saw the buck briefly and thought he was decent. But neither of us saw him very well and he proceeded to bed in a very open slope. The evening before my buddy had seen a really large bodied deer in the same spot and so we were both hoping it was him. It was about 1pm.

 

The only way for me to approach him was to head to a boulder pile above him. Unfortunately I could see a doe bedded right near there and I would have to spook her on the way. I had watched her come past the buck and he left her to go back and bed down. So it was very possible that when I spooked her she would head right back the way she came and take the buck with her.

 

The wind picked up quite a bit and I figured the buck would stay bedded all afternoon. So I finally decided to head over the rock and try and make sure I spooked the doe in a way that pushed her uphill and not toward the bedded buck. It worked. I got within about 10 yards of her and she stood up and looked at me for awhile and then ran uphill. I got to the rocks and glassed where the buck should have been and could see nothing! But the grass was tall and it was possible he was still there. The wind was blowing hard, so odds were he had stayed bedded. At this point my friend couldn't see the buck anymore either. Said it had moved a little and bedded behind some prickly pear.

 

My rock outcropping was an excellent place to be for the evening. We had seen deer there several times and I had 100-300 yard shots in most directions, except to my left, near where the deer should be bedded.

If he got up and went to the left a few yards, I wouldn't be able to see him. If he moved anywhere else, I had him. I ranged the juniper/prickly pear he was last seen at and it was 112 yards.

 

Well, I huddled behind the rock as the wind raged. My buddy was glassing from the opposite side and could see better, so I was relying on him to see the buck. I glassed occasionally and saw nothing. 2 o'clock. 3 o'clock. Wind howling, temperature dropping and no buck. This was the last day of my hunt. I tried using a buck call and estrus doe bleat can a few times. Nothing got up.

 

4 pm I peer over the rock again and glass. Finally I see him!! He isn't where we last saw him, but maybe 15 yards closer to me! He is bedded and I can barely see his antlers and head. But it looks like he is looking at me. I see him get up. He looks alarmed, but doesn't flag. He swivels his head back and forth and of course he decides to move left, into the only area I can't see!!! I radio my buddy, but he can't see him either. I decide to grab my gun and move across the slope above him and hope to see him sneaking away. I walk somewhat slowly so I don't completely scare him in case he wasn't really alarmed by me. I move about 20 yards when I look down and see a deer in the prickly pear. It's about 40 yards downhill from me. Maybe less. It's a doe. She sees me and is standing rock still staring at me. I look for the buck and find him just a few yards to the right of her. He is a small buck, but it's the last hour of my last day and I decide to try and take him. I am in the wide open and yet they let me put up my gun, I take aim and shoot. Click!!! I forgot to take the safety off! I quick take off the safety and aim again. Shoot and BOOM!! He drops immediately and never takes another step. I can't see him, the grass is too tall. But she is still there staring at me. I wait a few minutes and then radio my buddy that I have my deer down. I wait some more and with no movement I figure he is dead and I go back to the rock and get my pack. The doe finally runs away.

 

I got down to where he was and he is indeed dead. A perfect lung shot. He is only a small two point, but he is beautiful and I am glad to have him. I had passed on several bucks like this and much bigger in my state land hunt and this San Carlos hunt. But I didn't want to go home without a buck this time, so I took him. Where these two deer had bedded all afternoon, I never would have picked it as a spot for them to bed. It was a very open slope of mostly grass and prickly pear. It was directly in the wind and the wind was howling. They could have easily moved to either side of the ridge and been more out of the wind, but for some reason chose not too.

 

Anyway, thanks to Martin Guerena for helping me out on this hunt. He is a great guy to hunt with. He even packed out my deer for me .

 

San Carlos has some great bucks and if I had more time, I am sure I would have gotten a large buck. But just being out there and seeing all the other wildlife is great. We saw three lions within shooting range, saw several herds of javelina. Even saw an odd looking Coues buck that seemed to have a left front leg that was about 10 inches shorter than it should have been. It hobbled along feeding. I can't imagine how he evades lions. It didn't look like a bullet related injury. Perhaps just born that way or broke his leg somehow. Anyway, it was a great hunt, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Here is a picture of my buck.

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda

Edited January 1, 1970 by CouesWhitetail

[CB1]

Amanda, awesome story...thank you...congrats on the buck...sounds like a great hunt...are going on a hunt in mexico this year as well? Would you be willing to share where you saw the lions, i'd love to go after them...my e-mail is heidi.horchler@cox.net...thanks, BH....My wife and i were whitetail hunting in unit 22 in 3-bar one dec. and had a full grown male and female displaying the same behavior...missed a shot at 425 yards at the male, hit right at his feet anyway it was a thrill...thanks again....

Edited January 1, 1970 by CB1

[COUESAZ]

They seem to be to big to be siblings. She was probably in heat They do a little court ship durring that stage. The male cat will smell the pee to see if she is ready. That is also a sure reason the deer were not easy to see. A mountainlion will kill a deer a week to survive. And big tom sometimes will end up with two a week. They both look like good cats. It is hard to tell from the photos , so they probably do a number on the deer in there. They are the cause of the shortage in everything this year deer , pigs , and they will even take a bear cub if the chance arises. Awsome pics for sure that would have made the trip for me right there.

[deserthunter23]

Amanda,awesome story,this is a great site,glad to find a place where Arizonans can share their hunting stories and thoughts.love those lion pictures also.I posted a question in rife hunting and have received alot of help so far.After thinking about it for years bought 2 tags for San Carlos,a fall bear tag for unit C and a Nov tag for coues.would love to chat about any generic info you would care to share.never looking to pry anyones spots from them.once again awesome story,just starting my homework. Steve H

[Guest Ernesto C]

Beatifull buck Amanda,wow!! what a story thanks and congratulations!! God bless you more.

 

Ernesto C,

[ScottAdams]

Very nice Amanda!! Great story and awesome photos to go with it. I loved it!!! Thanks!

 

Scott

[Normancl]

Amanda,

 

Thanks for the great story and details. The pictures really added a nice flavor.

 

Norm

[Guest Guest]

Exciting story Amanda w/ pictures to boot. I have glassed up two lions in my life. The first one, I had a rifle and no tag. The second one, I had a tag and no rifle.

 

Great site! I really enjoy reading all the posts.

 

Patrick

[CHD]

What's up with all the gd lions in Arizona? Holy cow, I can't believe it. I hear waaaaay too many sighting/incidents mentioned on this forum. Ain't there a lion season there? Have the anti's taken over the state? No wonder the deer pop is down! No wonder the older coues deer are neurotic!

 

I spend extensive time in the hills in many states, scouting, hunting, and glassing like a maniac. It is a rare occasion that I even see a lion track, much less a kitty cat. I usually see a track or two on my Arizona hunts, though.

 

Arizona - the lion hunter's paradise!

 

Chris Darnell

 

PS - Thanks for the great pics and story, Amanda.

Edited January 1, 1970 by CHD

[COUESAZ]

CHD

A lion tag in Arizona only costs an Arizonan 11 dollars and is a full year tag. Now in some of the units you can take a lion a day until that unit reaches its quota. My favorite area to hunt coues deer is a sure fact of what lions do to an area. Three years ago we did not see a deer in there and now after two years and five lions the deer are back and going to get big. we will keep hunting lions in there, And you wait and see what takes place in there in the next couple of years. Get a lion tag every year and SOONER THAN LATER you will get lucky.

[Prohunt]

Amanda,

Congrats on your deer. Great story!

Travis

[Impact]

Amanda,

 

Great story and awesome pic's. Congats on a great hunt.

 

John

[coueshunter]

Congrats Amanda. The pictures and story are really great.......sounds like you busted your butt.........Allen........

[Guest Stanley]

Outstanding story Amanda! Great details on your hunt!

 

Thanks,

S.

 

:-)

[Red Rabbit]

Amanda,

Sounds like a few days of great hunting, especially seeing all those mountain kitties. It's nice that the San Carlos allows one to transfer tags. I wish AZ G&F had some way to allow it when the tagholder cannot hunt after he/she's been drawn. Thanks for sharing the pics and story.

 

Doug