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norm555

Tips for finding bucks in 36B

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I hunted 36B last year during the hunt right after thanksgiving and had a great time exploring new country.  I found lots of deer but didn’t see a single buck the whole trip.  I have the same tag this year and hoping I can at least find a buck.  I’m not a trophy hunter so just trying to find something to put in the freezer.  Curious if anyone has any tips for me to help locate bucks this time around.  Any help would be appreciated.  I’m hooked on these cool little deer and plan to keep spending time in Southern Arizona getting to know the area better.

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Yes, was hiking to good vantage points and glassing sunny sides in the mornings/evenings and thick north facing slopes in the middle of the day.  Using good optics too so I was a bit perplexed not finding bucks while consistently finding does.

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I had the same hunt last year and again this year. Seen plenty of bucks and does in my usual spots. Our camp went 3-4 with me missing on 2 different bucks. They are all over the unit, just keep looking and scout different areas. 

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I went to 30b to scout this weekend.  In one canyon, I spotted three bucks and 5 does like I knew what I was doing.  Went to what looked like a better hillside to glass and spent hours seeing nothing, then, out of nowhere, there was a buck.  I had covered that spot soooo many times and didn't see him until I was just about ready to give up on the area.  That's part of the joy/frustration of glassing for Coues.  I love it.

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Yep, glassing with a tripod and swaros.  I was confused since I seemed to find does everywhere, just couldn’t seem to locate bucks anywhere I looked.  Just didn’t know if you see them at certain elevations.  Typically I find at least small bucks when I’m hunting other species and seeing good numbers of animals.  

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You fell in love with a great unit. My advice, for what it’s worth, is that the only elevation you are concerned with is the elevation you glass from. You will find bucks  at all elevations in that unit. Don’t get into the mindset that the only deer you see will be far from your location. Always glass near to far. Be set up before dawn and glass as soon as you can see. I also glass as long as I can in the evening. I don’t have a tag this year... could probably be talked Into helping out for a few days...

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Never opposed to help, especially since I’m fairly new to the whole coues game.  I’m planning to head out the Wednesday the season, scout thanksgiving and then give it a good go to try and knock down a buck.  

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As others have said, glass, glass, and glass, and then just when you can’t stare through those binos for another minute... you glass some more.

Some days I would swear that coues aren’t really deer at all but rather gophers with antlers.  They seem to tunnel under ground, appear out of no where and then disappear.   One day I witnessed a doe pull the disappearing act right in front of me, and fortunately I was close enough (150 yards) that I got to see how she pulled her trick. She literally got down on her belly and crawled up inside a low growing juniper.  Had I not known she was there, I probably never would have been able to see her bedded inside that tree.  As it was all I could see of her was her nose and ears depending on which way she was facing.  I’ve since found several bedded down inside of nasty thick bushes or drainages where you can only see part of their head.  You have to learn to look for parts of the deer.  I usually see the ears first.

They’ll bed down and hide out just about anywhere. You have to look every where.  I also like to try to glass from good ambush points, like a knob above a good saddle with some trails in it.  I’ve had deer walk out in the open right below me quite a few times while glassing. Also, if you’re changing glassing locations, make sure you glass as thoroughly as you can in front of you as you’re moving.  There’s a basin where I’ve killed a couple little bucks by sitting ambushes, that I have a few predetermined glassing spots along the way.  

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Norm555- LOT of deer in that unit. it is easier to see bucks before the first hunt and after Christmas into January. lot of them there. i usually hike in a mile or so. 

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