AZ Deer Forecast

[Outdoor Writer]

Josh,

 

Just received my copy of the Sept issue of Rocky Mt. G&F magazine with my AZ Deer Forecast article in it. Your Dec. season Coues buck is the 1/2 pg. lead photo.

 

Scott,

 

They used Steve Madrid's mulie from the Unit 27 jr. hunt in B&W as a continuation photo.

 

Look for it on a newsstand near you. I know Fry's grocery stores carry it in the Phx. area. -TONY

[Red Rabbit]

I noticed both pics in the RMG&F mag which was in the mailbox yesterday. I wonder how many seeing Josh's pic will think one mainly hunts coues in the snow covered pines?

 

Doug~RR

[Outdoor Writer]

I noticed both pics in the RMG&F mag which was in the mailbox yesterday. I wonder how many seeing Josh's pic will think one mainly hunts coues in the snow covered pines?

 

Doug~RR

 

Me thinks reading the article itself will dispel that notion, as in:

 

The whitetail’s habitat varies from low desert elevations of 3000 feet to high, pine-covered slopes of 11,000-ft. Mt. Graham in the Pinalenos Mountains and atop the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona.

 

In many units, they share space with mule deer. Most of the whitetail harvest comes from oak and juniper covered hills and canyons at the 4,500- to 7,000-foot range, however.

 

-TONY

[GRONG]

Thanks for letting me know Tony, can't wait to see it!!! To bad I wasn't wearing my orange shirt though. Maybe next time............

[Outdoor Writer]

Thanks for letting me know Tony, can't wait to see it!!! To bad I wasn't wearing my orange shirt though. Maybe next time............

 

Josh,

 

Well, orange or not, the photo printed really well. It's always nice to work with images from guys who know how to take good ones. -TONY

[COOSEFAN]

Did they spell your names right in this issue of RMG&F? I know it's not your fault Tony, but they changed some letters and added some letters to the hunters name and to my name in the last issue of RMG&F No big deal though, it's all close enough.......Mullions Outfitters.......the picture was awesome though! JIM>

[Ron G.]

Did they spell your names right in this issue of RMG&F? I know it's not your fault Tony, but they changed some letters and added some letters to the hunters name and to my name in the last issue of RMG&F No big deal though, it's all close enough.......Mullions Outfitters.......the picture was awesome though! JIM>

 

I remember seeing that and wondering if it was supposed to be Mullins instead of Mullions. Figured it was.

[Outdoor Writer]

Did they spell your names right in this issue of RMG&F? I know it's not your fault Tony, but they changed some letters and added some letters to the hunters name and to my name in the last issue of RMG&F No big deal though, it's all close enough.......Mullions Outfitters.......the picture was awesome though! JIM>

 

 

Jim,

 

I know. I saw that and raised heck. Below is the slightly redacted email I had sent with the photo captions. -TONY

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

From: Tony Mandile

Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 8:34 AM

To: xxxxx, John [mailto:John.xxxx@ xxxxxxx ]

Subject: Photo captions

 

John,

 

Captions for elk forecast photos:

 

CraigCormierbull1.jpg -- Craig Cormier killed this 356-inch bull during the Arizona archery season in unit 9.

Photo courtesy of Mullins Outfitters

 

TimHeraldbull1.jpg -- Tim Herald killed his 315-inch bull with a Knight muzzleloader on the Jicarilla Indian Reservation in New Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Tim Herald

[mattys281]

The whitetail’s habitat varies from low desert elevations of 3000 feet to high, pine-covered slopes of 11,000-ft. Mt. Graham in the Pinalenos Mountains and atop the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona.

 

 

Tony:

I've got a question on this. I've read the same info in several sources, but personally see whitetails well below the 3000 ft. mark, even below the 2000 ft line occasionally. These are not transient deer, they're established in these areas. In fact, all the trail cam pics I've posted of coues bucks have been take between 2000 & 3000 feet.

 

So my question is, do you think this is indicative of coues deer expanding their range or am I just happening to find pockets of good habitat at lower ranges? Also, I've read that mule deer tend to compete very poorly against other species such as whitetails & elk, so if the coues deer are expanding their range to the lower deserts, what do you think this is going to do to the mule deer herds that typically inhabit those areas? Thanks.

Matt S.

[Outdoor Writer]

Tony:

I've got a question on this. I've read the same info in several sources, but personally see whitetails well below the 3000 ft. mark, even below the 2000 ft line occasionally. These are not transient deer, they're established in these areas. In fact, all the trail cam pics I've posted of coues bucks have been take between 2000 & 3000 feet.

 

So my question is, do you think this is indicative of coues deer expanding their range or am I just happening to find pockets of good habitat at lower ranges? Also, I've read that mule deer tend to compete very poorly against other species such as whitetails & elk, so if the coues deer are expanding their range to the lower deserts, what do you think this is going to do to the mule deer herds that typically inhabit those areas? Thanks.

Matt S.

 

Good question, Matt.

 

Obviously, most of what I wrote deals with the average rather than the extremes. Also, consider that Tucson sits at 2584 feet while Phoenix is about 1,100. So any area higher than Tucson is going be 3,000 feet or more. That would take in about every foothill and mountain to the south.

 

But you are indeed correct that more and more Coues are moving into lower elevations. I know two guys who see lots of them near the riparian areas along the San Pedro River and similar places. Of course, if we look at whitetail deer around the country, those types of areas are prime spots. In the western states to the north of us, the river corridors harbor a big chunk of the whitetail populations.

 

Now, this is just a guess, but my thoughts on them moving into mule deer territory go more along that the Coues are merely filling in the niches where mule deer populations have declined dramatically, i.e. the southern part of the state. IOW, they aren't driving the mulies out per se but simply setting up housekeeping in places the mulies no longer live in good numbers.

 

Perhaps someone else will add their thoughts. -TONY

[COOSEFAN]

Did they spell your names right in this issue of RMG&F? I know it's not your fault Tony, but they changed some letters and added some letters to the hunters name and to my name in the last issue of RMG&F No big deal though, it's all close enough.......Mullions Outfitters.......the picture was awesome though! JIM>

 

 

Jim,

 

I know. I saw that and raised heck. Below is the slightly redacted email I had sent with the photo captions. -TONY

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

From: Tony Mandile

Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 8:34 AM

To: xxxxx, John [mailto:John.xxxx@ xxxxxxx ]

Subject: Photo captions

 

John,

 

Captions for elk forecast photos:

 

CraigCormierbull1.jpg -- Craig Cormier killed this 356-inch bull during the Arizona archery season in unit 9.

Photo courtesy of Mullins Outfitters

 

TimHeraldbull1.jpg -- Tim Herald killed his 315-inch bull with a Knight muzzleloader on the Jicarilla Indian Reservation in New Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Tim Herald

 

Hey Tony, I had no doubt you had it right! I thought it was more funny than anything.....it's all good ( except for the fact everyone that has seen it still calls me Jim Mullions!

[GRONG]

 

Hey Tony, I had no doubt you had it right! I thought it was more funny than anything.....it's all good ( except for the fact everyone that has seen it still calls me Jim Mullions!

 

Mr. Mullions, How do you think I got the nickname "GRONG"? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[COOSEFAN]

Hey Tony, I had no doubt you had it right! I thought it was more funny than anything.....it's all good ( except for the fact everyone that has seen it still calls me Jim Mullions!

 

 

Mr. Mullions, How do you think I got the nickname "GRONG"? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Hey Josh, I hope my name doesn't stick like yours has but fortunately, my new name isn't as far off as yours is though.....I remember where you got yours from, but what the heck is a GRONG anyways? Mr. Mullions>

[ichiban43]

Of course, if we look at whitetail deer around the country, those types of areas are prime spots. In the western states to the north of us, the river corridors harbor a big chunk of the whitetail populations

 

I'm new to Coues hunting--but I am 1 for 1--got lucky. Do Coues actually act like full blown WT? Or because of their desert type habitat in many areas--have they developed different habits?

[Outdoor Writer]

Of course, if we look at whitetail deer around the country, those types of areas are prime spots. In the western states to the north of us, the river corridors harbor a big chunk of the whitetail populations

 

I'm new to Coues hunting--but I am 1 for 1--got lucky. Do Coues actually act like full blown WT? Or because of their desert type habitat in many areas--have they developed different habits?

 

I've hunted whitetails in 20 states and a couple Canadian provinces. If I were to make one blanket statement about them, I would say they are creatures of their habitat. As you well know, many whitetail populations live in farming counrty, so they are more of what biologists term as "edge species." They feed out in the open farmlands for the most part but spend most of their time living in nearby cover -- woodlots on the "edges." Of course, they don't have the sort of terrain available to them that our Coues deer have.

 

Just guessing here, but if you moved a herd of Coues deer to Iowa, they would adapt to the same habitat and act the same way. Vice-versa with moving Iowa whitetails here. That said, some of the same habits as far as how whitetails behave do crossover between subspecies regardless of location.

 

If we go back a few decades even here in AZ, we'd find that seeing Coues deer in the ponderosa country of the Mogollon Rim and such was somewhat rare. That's not the case any longer. They have slowly spread north from their tradional high-desert habitat in the southern part of the state and have adapted quite well to the bigger forests. Same for the riparian areas in the lower deserts.

 

The adaptability of elk is another example. Once a plains animal, elk now are considered more of a high-country forest dweller, at least in the West. But of course, they also now roam wild in Nebraska, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. -TONY