Posts
Archery unity 22 elk
My dad and I both had a successful hunt in unit 22. Archery hunt. It was a little warm this year and had a hard time calling in. Did a lot of stalking. Some buddies at Buck-N-Bulls helped a lot. Clay and John are some solid dudes.
My Elk on left, pops on right
Another year is nearly upon us.. How are you preparing
With another great season approaching rapidly, and A late December rifle couse tag in hand.. I’d like to hear about any new gear guys have picked up for hunting the backcountry. Personally I’ve upgraded my glass to the Zeiss Conquest 15s. There light, crystal clear and I’m really happy to have them in my arsenal. Scouting for me began two months ago with cameras and lots of hiking. I’m in a new unit this year, so my works cut out for me. What’s everyone else doing to get ready for this years season? The guys I work with say ” your hunts not for 6 months” or ” all you care about is hunting” well yeah I guess it might look like that to an outsider looking in.. I heard a saying and it’s just stuck.. “Obsessed is a word often mistaken with Dedicated” pretty cool I thought especially when it comes to the grey ghost.. Anyone else putting up there “A” game for this season? Exercising , training, Running the mountain.. Good luck to all !!
Happy Birthday Elliott Coues
Today would have been the 173rd birthday of Elliott Coues. The namesake of the sub-species of whitetail we love so much.
Happy Birthday, Dude.
Mathews Switchback for sale
Mathews switchback. 29″ draw length. 60-70lbs. Right handed. $500 for everything
WTB 35in/315 tire for spare
I’m looking for an used 35in or 315/75×16 tire to use as a spare. If anyone has one they are looking to sell, I would appreciate the heads up!
Women’s Javelina Hunting Camp 2016
Unit 36A/B/C Adult Women’s Javelina Hunt Camp – February 11-14, 2016.(plan to arrive the night of the 11th if you can, or if you want to come earlier, call me and let me know, Amanda – 928-200-0544) 
Students and Mentors, please fill out a form and email back to me, amanda@coueswhitetail.com
Are you a woman interested in learning how to hunt? Then this camp is for you!!
The goal of this camp is to provide a safe and fun hunting experience for novice adult women hunters (18 years of age and older). We plan to match up experienced hunters (mentors) with novice women hunters (students). The novice hunters will be able to learn everything necessary for hunting javelina. And many of these skills can be applied to hunting other game animals. Learn more about javelina, how to hunt them, and some tasty recipes for cooking javelina at http://www.javelinahunter.com/
The AGFD has a short video about javelina. http://www.azgfd.gov/video/javelina.shtml
This camp is made possible through a grant from the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the support of the Arizona Chapter of the Safari Club International, CouesWhitetail.com, Southern Arizona Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Young Gunz Outdoors, Arizona Outdoor Women, Pass it On Outdoor Mentors, and numerous outstanding volunteers.
Pre-registration is required! Enrollment for this camp will be limited to 30 adult women hunters. There is no cost to attend the camp, however in order to secure a spot at this camp, you must pre-register and you must purchase an AGFD hunting license and javelina tag for the Handgun, Archery, Muzzleloader hunt in Arizona hunt units 36A, B, C (hunt number 5076 or 5077 or 5078). Need help figuring out how to get a tag? Call Dewane Tabbot at Mesa AGFD office and he will help you out: 480-981-9400. We will not save a space for you at this camp if you have not pre-registered. We need to get a good head count for this camp so that we can make sure we have enough mentors and meals for everyone. Having a required pre-registration will assist us with this. All food and coaching will be providing free of charge to all participants at this camp.
Please remember this hunt is geared toward teaching first-time hunters and novice hunters how to hunt. Since space is limited, we give preference to those with the least experience. We strive to provide a 1 to 1 student to mentor ratio, but we do not guarantee that. Students who have not previously attended the camp and those with the least experience will be given preference with regard to mentors. Those who have attended the camp multiple times or who already have significant experience hunting may be put on a waiting list and allowed to attend the camp if space is available. The focus of this camp is to recruit new hunters and give support to those still learning to hunt.
To sign-up for this camp, please use this form. I would like mentors and students to fill out this form. You may complete the form electronically and email it back to me, or you may print it out and mail it to me using the address on the form. Please turn in that form as soon as you know you want to attend so that we can reserve a spot for you!
Questions?? call or email Amanda Moors (amanda@coueswhitetail.com, 928-200-0544)
Need help figuring out how to get a tag? Call Dewane Tabbot at Mesa AGFD office and he will help you out: 480-981-9400.
Anyone wishing to take a hunter education/safety course may find one here: http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/edits/hunter_education.shtml There are several classes available that will be completed by the time this hunt comes around in February. You may also take the class online at your own pace. I highly recommend taking a hunter education class if you have not already (however, this is not required by adults attending this camp).
How to get a leftover tag for this hunt: Leftover hunt permit-tags can be obtained two ways. Beginning in late November, Game and Fish will accept applications by mail only in the same way as the regular drawing process. Then in early December, leftover tags are also available for purchase in person from any of the seven Arizona Game and Fish Department offices. A list of office locations is available at www.azgfd.gov/offices. Just drop by one of the AGFD offices and tell them what you want and they will get your squared away.
Please read the spring hunt regulations put out by AGFD
What is included at the camp: All your meals and drinks (non-alcoholic) will be provided. Every student that has a license and tag will be able to go out hunting with a mentor. We will strive for a 1:1 ratio of students:mentors, but we can’t guarantee that at this point.
You may bring your own tents, trailers or RVs to camp in. If you need camping gear, contact Amanda
Tentative Camp Schedule (you may show up at camp at anytime and leave whenever you need to, but please let Amanda know what day and time you plan to arrive and let her know when you leave)
Thursday – Feb. 11, 2016 – Arrive in the afternoon/evening to set up camp and get ready for the hunt the next morning. If you can arrive earlier in the day, you might be able to hunt since the season will be open. Please coordinate with Amanda if you plan to hunt on Thursday.
Friday – Feb 12, 2016 –
Breakfast – 6 am to 7 am Hunter Safety Talk – for those that missed this the night before
Morning hunt
Lunch – 11 am to 1 pm
Afternoon hunt
Dinner – 7:30-8:30 pm
Saturday – Feb 13, 2016
Breakfast – 6 am to 7 am
Morning hunt
Lunch – 11 am to 1 pm
Afternoon hunt
Dinner – 7:30-8:30 pm
Sunday – Feb 14, 2016
Breakfast – 6 am to 7 am
Morning hunt
Lunch – 11 am to 1 pm
Pack-up and head home or Afternoon hunt for those who wish to stay
What you need to bring:
Personal Items: clothing, toiletries, sunscreen, hats, gloves, etc. It will likely be freezing at night and the early mornings, so please bring warm clothes. A camera is nice for recording some memories. A flashlight or headlamp will be useful at camp and during the hunt. Good hiking boots are recommended. If you are a light sleeper, you may want to bring earplugs as there may be people who stay up later than others at camp. We will also have generators running at times.
Camping equipment – tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. If you need some camping equipment, please let Amanda know(amanda@coueswhitetail.com) and we will see if we can find some to loan you. You will probably want to bring an ice chest in case you get a javelina and want to transport the meat and hide home.
Hunting Equipment — backpack, hunting clothes (camo is best), a weapon and ammunition (handgun, archery or muzzleloaders only), knife, binoculars. If you have a tripod for glassing, you will want to bring that too. A range finder is very helpful also for judging distance of the animals for a shot. You should also bring a gamebag, some large ziplock bags, and a cooler to put the meat in. You may also want to bring a pair of small rubber gloves to wear while cleaning the animal.
A Positive Attitude!! It is important that everyone come with a positive attitude and an open mind, ready to learn. We also ask that everyone be respectful and helpful to everyone attending this camp. We expect 60-100 people at this camp and so we ask that you go out of your way to maintain good relations with everyone. We want everyone to have a great time and a little courtesy will go along way.
- Photo of the Baboquivari Mountains
Photo of the Babaquivari Mountains.
Location of the camp:
We will be camping on the beautiful Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge. For more information about the refuge, visit their website:http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/buenosaires/
There are special rules that apply when hunting and camping on the refuge. Javelina hunting is allowed on the refuge, but you may not hunt quail or some other species. We will be hunting on both US Forest Service Land as well as the Refuge, so different rules apply depending on the agency that oversees the land.
- Map showing specific camp location on the Refuge. Click on image to see larger version
Directions from Tucson, AZ: From Tucson….go south on I-19 and go (about 33 miles from I-10) to the Arivaca Junction Exit 48. At the stop sign on the off ramp take a right to the next stop sign and then take another right and take your first left on to Arivaca Road and head west to the town of Arivaca about 23 miles or so, drive through Arivaca and stay to the right as the road drops down slightly after you pass the store with the only gas pumps, then drive for about 8-9 miles and take a right on to the High Gate North dirt road (there is not a sign, but there are some green fence poles there at the turn). The High Gate North road is between mile markers 3 and 4 on the Arivaca-Sassabe road, closer to mile marker 3. The main camp will be at or near camp spot 38. There will be numerous camping spots around there so we can spread out.
You may also reach the camp by coming south on highway 286 from Three Points. Around mile marker 12, you will see the Arivaca-Sassabe road that heads east from 286. Turn there and the High Gate North dirt road (there is not a sign, but there are some green fence poles there at the turn) will be located on the north side between mile markers 3 and 4 (closer to 3). The main camp will be at or near camp spot 38. There will be numerous camping spots around there so we can spread out. (see map above for more details).
Shed Antlerfest 2015
Alan and Shelly Ellsworth are inviting everyone to their home in Show Low/Linden to view one of the most amazing antler collections ever! If you haven’t seen Alan’s barn full of amazing mounts and sheds, you owe it to yourself to make time to come up on Friday May 22 to Sunday May 24 and enjoy his collection. Alan has been passionate about antlers his whole life and has amassed a world-class collection. In addition, Jim Reynolds will have his giant Coues buck and shed collection there on display.
If you are crazy about antlers, you NEED to come to this event.
Bring the wife and kids and make it a family trip. Bring your own antlers to sell or show and come spend time gawking at some of the worlds largest antlers.
AZ Shed Antlerfest – Friday May 22 (10 am to 5 pm), Saturday May 23 (8 am to 5 pm), Sunday May 24 (10 am to 5 pm)
Directions: From Show Low AZ, head West on highway 260 to Pearce Lane. Pearce Lane is located between mile markers 334 and 335. Turn north onto Pearce Lance and go to the end of the road to 1116 Pearce Lane, Show Low, AZ.
Toy Hauler-Weekend Warrior
’08 40ft Weekend Warrior Full Throttle Toy Hauler. Three slides and 12ft garage. Presently setup as a goose neck but can easily be changed back to a 5th wheel. 5.5 generator with 323 hrs, dual batteries, three propane tanks, electric landing gear, metal clad 21ft electric awning, 2000 watt inverter, external shower, two side and rear flood lights, two fuel tanks: twenty gallon-generator and forty gallon auxiliary for fueling station. Kitchen area has a convection/microwave oven, full size refrigerator, double sinks, island, under cabinet coffee maker, water filtering system. Living area has couch that folds out to a queen size bed, loft, TV and surround sound stereo with CD/DVD player, external controls and speakers. Bedroom has queen bed, TV, and tons of storage. Complete separate bathroom with nice size shower and more storage. Garage area cabinets, tie downs and pull down screen enclosure. 55K. Contact Richard 602-980-6121
Guess the Score of this White Mountain Apache Buck!
We are holding a Guess the Score Contest on this buck. To make a guess, please visit the following thread in the forum:
http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/56561-guess-the-score-of-this-white-mountain-apache-coues-buck/
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED! The spreadsheet with the measurements is shown below, along with results. We had over 200 entries and at least half were within four inches. We had 8 people guess within 1/8 of the gross score. Those who were in the top 8 guesses need to email me (amanda@coueswhitetail.com) with their user name, real name and address and desired tshirt style, size and color. You should probably send me your top two tshirt requests in case I am out of a particular size or color you want. To see tshirt styles, visit: http://store.coueswhitetail.com/coueswhitetail-com-t-shirts/
Top 8 guesses were within 1/8 of inch so they all win prizes:
| User | Guess | gross score | difference |
| coueser4 | 131 2/8 | 131 2/8 | 0 |
| JLW | 131 2/8 | 131 2/8 | 0 |
| Outlaw87 | 131 2/8 | 131 2/8 | 0 |
| BMart | 131 1/8 | 131 2/8 | 1/8 |
| Ghosthunter | 131 3/8 | 131 2/8 | 1/8 |
| PelaPapas | 131 3/8 | 131 2/8 | 1/8 |
| racks2466 | 131 3/8 | 131 2/8 | 1/8 |
| sherman | 131 3/8 | 131 2/8 | 1/8 |
Giant White Mountain Apache Coues buck
| NON-Typical Coues WT Scoresheet B&C | ||||||||
| Abnormals | ||||||||
| right | left | |||||||
| # pts rt | 7 | # pts lft | 6 | 2 3/8 | 3 6/8 | |||
| tip to tip | 8 | greatest spread | 19 1/8 | 1 2/8 | 1 1/8 | |||
| 1 | ||||||||
| inside spread | 14 3/8 | subtotals | 4 5/8 | 4 7/8 | ||||
| Right | Left | Differences | ||||||
| col 2 | col 3 | col 4 | total abnormals = | 9 4/8 | ||||
| total length of abnormals | ||||||||
| length of main beam | 19 4/8 | 19 4/8 | 0 | |||||
| first point | 4 | 4 4/8 | 4/8 | |||||
| second | 7 5/8 | 6 7/8 | 6/8 | |||||
| third | 6 6/8 | 6 1/8 | 5/8 | |||||
| fourth | 0 | |||||||
| fifth | 0 | |||||||
| sixth | 0 | |||||||
| seventh | 0 | |||||||
| circum. 1 | 4 4/8 | 4 4/8 | 0 | |||||
| circum 2 | 4 4/8 | 4 3/8 | 1/8 | |||||
| circum 3 | 3 7/8 | 3 7/8 | 0 | |||||
| circum 4 | 3 4/8 | 3 3/8 | 1/8 | |||||
| 54 2/8 | 53 1/8 | 2 1/8 | ||||||
| column 1 | 14 3/8 | |||||||
| column 2 | 54 2/8 | |||||||
| column 3 | 53 1/8 | |||||||
| subtotal | 121 6/8 | |||||||
| subtract column 4 | 2 1/8 | |||||||
| subtotal | 119 5/8 | |||||||
| add abnormals | 9 4/8 | |||||||
| final score | 129 1/8 | |||||||
| gross score = | 131 2/8 | |||||||
Finally arrowed 100+ inch buck
January 2015 I was fighting a cold and didn’t feel like hiking into some of my usual hunting areas, so I decided to hunt closer to the road. The area I was hunting was close to Rosevelt Lake. I made my way up on a small ridgetop not far from my truck, next to a scrape line. I decided to sit all day in hopes a buck would stroll by looking for a doe. About 1:30 pm, right when I thought nothing was going to come in, I spotted a deer quickly making its way toward me. I could tell it was a shooter, but didn’t have time to see its rack very well. As he walked into a small clearing 32 yards out, I stopped him with a grunt and sent an arrow on its way. The arrow disappeared into his side. Not sure exactly where I had hit him, I got down to look for my arrow. No arrow and little blood sign made me worry. I found some long white hair, intestinal matter and a chunk of bone that I could tell had come from a leg. I figured the arrow must have hit a little far back in the paunch and angled back into the leg. Unsure of the shot, I decided to back out and come back in the morning. I called my wife, who was anxious to come help, along with my 12 year old son Ethan. We woke up the next morning and started the search. Sign was scarce and after about 150 yards we couldn’t tell where the deer had ran. I was about to start a grid search when I noticed that Ethan had disappeared. I yelled but no answer. I yelled again and thought I could hear him so I walked in the direction I thought the sound came from, and walked right into my deer! I was very surprised to see how big the antlers were with all the extra points. What a special trophy this deer is to me. I’ve been fortunate to have killed 3 other 90-100 inch bucks with my bow in the past 4 years and have wanted to harvest a Coues that would surpass 100 inches. This buck grosses 115 and nets 105. Thanks for this awesome Web site. I’ve spent many hours enjoying all of the pictures and stories and decided it was past time to do my part and share a bit. And a super big thanks to my wife Trina, who often joins me on a lot of my crazy hunting and scouting adventures. Hope you all enjoy.
WMAT 3a mule deer
2014 WMAT 3a mule deer
December Coues 2014
My paps glassed this guy up about a mile away and he looked like a dandy so we made a great stalk on him and well the rest is history. 280 yard shot with the 300 ultra mag.
Gotta love that rut hunt!
3×3 whitetail
Another picture of my buck, sorry for no shirt was soaked in blood and had to remove to get to our destination. 3X3 az whitetail. Has 3 extra eye guards on right side and 2 eztra in left
January 2014 Coues hunt
Hey guys, love this site and just wanted to share a bit about our January hunt. My brothers and I make a yearly trip from Michigan to hunt for 2 weeks in the January archery season. I’ve been meaning to post this all summer and I finally got around to it. We generally make our base camp somewhere in Tucson Region but we have hunted everywhere from the 15s to the Payson/Show Low area. In recent years we have focused more on Coues hunting and the quest to take a 100″+ buck. After many close encounters over the past two seasons, our goal was finally realized as my brother was able to take a great buck on the final day of the season in 30a. I have a few pics to go along with the story.
As always, we spent our first week chasing mule deer around 31 and 32. And as always, we had some great encounters and saw some really great bucks but we weren’t able to get the job done. We did get this trail cam pic of a muley at a tank though. Sadly we had been glassing this area all morning before he strolled through just before lunch.
So after a week of climbing, hiking, glassing and failure we decided to head south for some Coues action. And action was exactly what we found! From the first night, we had bucks to watch non stop. I won’t go into detail about our many different opportunities… mainly to save myself the embarrassment 🙂 But on our second to last day my youngest brother missed a great 100″+ buck when he wasn’t able to get an accurate range on him. It was a long drive back to camp that night and a feeling of deja vu from our 2013 hunt.
I can’t say we had been completely unsuccessful up to our final day of hunting, since I had shot a jack that was delicious after a couple days marinating…
But let’s be honest, we don’t put 5,000 miles on the truck to shoot a rabbit. So it was a tense morning getting dressed and packed up for the final hunt. After spending the morning watching some smaller bucks my two brothers located a good buck and set out to put a stalk on him. While they made their way towards the buck, the fourth member of our group and I set out to glass another area that we had been seeing deer in regularly. After only a short time we were suprised and disappointed to see them hiking towards us. Assuming they had been unsuccessful, we all hiked back to the truck and were getting ready to leave for another area. Finally my brother said we had better drive up the mountain another mile so we didn’t have to drag his buck all the way down to the truck! A few minutes of confusion, laughter, story telling and tears followed. It was a moment I’ll never forget, and this was before I had even seen the deer. They had stalked within 50yds of the buck who was with a doe, but weren’t able to get a clear shot until she took a few steps and he followed. At 50yds his arrow broke both of the bucks shoulders and dropped him where he stood. And even though my brother had said it was a good buck, walking up to him was a surreal moment for all of us.
We taped him at roughly 104″. He isn’t the biggest buck we’ve seen in that area, but he was an old deer with a lot of character.
I’m sure some of you guys have passed bucks like this, but to us it was all we could have asked for and then some. We might shoot bucks that score better than this one, but they won’t ever take it’s place. This buck was bigger than a number for us. Bigger than we could measure with a tape.
I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone that contributes their knowledge and experiences to this site. Hours of looking and reading on here have given us immeasurable insight into hunting Coues and hunting AZ in general.
Also, thanks for a forum to share our story! Hope you enjoyed as much as I have enjoyed the countless posts I’ve read on here.
Good luck everybody, shoot straight.
My First Coues Deer
I’ve been hunting for deer a handful of times with my buddy Sy but never put in to try and draw my own tag. This year he talked me into putting in and assured me he would take me out to a great spot. Once I found out I was drawn I started asking on opinions for rifles, binos, packs, etc… making sure I was geared up.
The hunt finally came around and we headed out. Friday morning rolled around and we were hiking the hills and getting to our spot just as the sun came up. It didn’t take but 15 minutes for me to glass 2 deer flagging us about 2 hills over. I couldn’t see either one before they vanished. So much for being stealthy. We weren’t too worried because 2 weeks prior we came and scouted this spot and glassed 4 bucks within 30 mins. We knew they were in there.
About an hour later my buddy Sy says “I got one, I got one.” He glassed him at about 1000 yards! Deep spot. Only thing he saw was his ass shining in the sun. He’s been hunting for years and said this was his best glass – for as deep as it was. A few minutes pass and Sy finally says “He’s a buck! A nice buck, he’s wide!” Being so far out we couldn’t really tell how big but when the sun hit his rack you could tell he was worth the chase. We moved back and around to a closer point where we could get a better look and range a shot. We glassed him up easily. This time he was out for a full view. Broadside. Sy took his pack and laid it on a rock and I went belly down to take a shot. He ranged him @ 500 yards. Now, I had been to the range a handful of times making sure I was comfortable with my new rifle! And I was shooting – up to 300 yards. Sy guided me through the process of how high to aim. Low, low, low, high…JUST LOW…Amazingly he just stood there after 5 shots! But after the 5th he decided to go behind the same bush as before. Didn’t see him for about 10 minutes and Sy told me I need make a decision to move after him or stay and glass. Well, with adrenalin rushing I headed out! From where I shot I knew the marking points that we were marking him with and ‘thought’ I knew where to sneak up at. Once I dove off the hill and moved up the creek I came to a point where I knew I was close but wasn’t sure which spot I needed to move up at… A little frustrated and having the sense that I was close I decided to move up this hill. I was gassed from the hike and didn’t think to try and move over quietly. I got to the top and looked across (150 yards) and to my surprise saw him standing, stoved up and starring right at me. With no hesitation I took aim and put him down. I put my binos up and looked back at Sy… He was busy doing something else but came running to his binos and looked and threw his hands up and yelled ‘Hell ya!!!’ I hollered back and waited till he made the hike down. Turns out that 5th shot hit him in the lower gut and injured him. When I left to chase after him Sy said he came out and was laying down in the open – trying to bite at his hind leg – standing funny. Sure woulda been nice to have remembered those WALKIE TALKIES! Glad it worked out…
The rest is history and needless to say I’m hooked. Sy says I got spoiled. I enjoyed the entire hunt! Icing on the cake was tagging out and being back @ camp by 2pm Friday – just in time to hear UofA handle ASU! Can’t wait till next year.
Couescrazy31 and his 2014 buck
Forum member Couescrazy31 shot this fine buck on his 2014 hunt.
you can see more pics in his post in the forum:
http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/53960-oct-coues-2014/
coues buck
5a rifle elk hunt. Any ideas
Never hunted 5a before. Any ideas of what roads and or canyons to hunt?
Thanks
Hunter4life09 got a great buck on his Oct 2014 hunt.
You can read more about this buck in the forum.
http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/53314-unit-27-buck/
111 inch coues buck
First Coues Buck
I was fortunate to take my first Coues buck on opening day! Big thanks to Dan Adler of AZ Diamond Outfitters, my guide Pat Romero, and my hunting buddy Glen Pyne. Can’t wait for my next Coues hunt!
2014 Coues
This was my second year hunting Coues dear and got this buck on Sat afternoon. I’m hooked. 
