Post by: CouesFanatic on January 06, 2013, 06:20:25 PM
We had chased the larger buck for a week, found him every morning and night. Pushed him around all over the place, luckily he was rutting like crazy. It is so noisy stalking that it is almost impossible to get under 120 yards. You can see from the picture that it's not the best country for stalking a buck with 20 does. I was stalking the larger buck one morning, with 8 javelinas 80 yards to my left covering up some of my noise. I was 120 yards from the bigger buck when I heard a deer walking to my right. I looked right and this buck was walking right for me. He walked behind a cedar and I drew. Grunted and made the shot. Didn't have time to range it, but he was only 35, didn't need to. He ran 30 yards and kicked over. He fell over so fast that I wasn't sure if he was done yet. Nice to get it done during Chiropractic School and with so little time to hunt.
Last picture is the best we got of the larger buck. He was pretty heavy for these small desert muleys and had deep forks with long tines.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi522.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw341%2Fcouesfanaticjeep%2Fphotocopy3-2_zps13ad4af3.jpg&hash=8908994c71949c013b8820bb11a34b24f2da3611)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi522.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw341%2Fcouesfanaticjeep%2Fphotocopy2-3_zps91d5490b.jpg&hash=b189751f349b8d8b16bbc0c499e8d6594509cef7)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi522.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw341%2Fcouesfanaticjeep%2Fphotocopy-6_zps351d616e.jpg&hash=ea8c1eb7f9aa22e55b724cca17e1cd66d0283e53)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi522.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw341%2Fcouesfanaticjeep%2Fphoto-14_zps37698a05.jpg&hash=fd3441ce357969cc35436f89a2ecc8284c45f202)
Post by: KopperBuck on January 06, 2013, 06:28:41 PM
Post by: CouesFanatic on January 06, 2013, 06:32:52 PM
Killed this Coues a few years back:
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi522.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw341%2Fcouesfanaticjeep%2FIMG_8902.jpg&hash=72b0f3d11c2f50a714c26bcc0aa22b5382db52ab)
Post by: KopperBuck on January 06, 2013, 06:51:47 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 06, 2013, 10:00:02 PM
Is that snow in the background of the last pic?
Post by: CouesFanatic on January 06, 2013, 10:17:11 PM
Post by: JLS on January 06, 2013, 10:21:47 PM
Post by: MLBowhunting on January 06, 2013, 10:40:20 PM
Post by: Bean Counter on January 07, 2013, 02:19:25 AM
Post by: deerslyr on January 09, 2013, 07:06:45 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 10, 2013, 09:43:03 AM
Nice buck :tup: public land? My brother just got stationed in the phoenix area so I need to start doing some research on this hunt for next year. Looks like a blast.
Private ground is not much of an issue down there, except in certain isolated areas (e.g. some of the antelope areas). AZ has very liberal access laws and most is public anyway.
To answer one of the prior questions, you need both a license and a tag. The NR license runs $151 and the OTC deer tag runs $225, so total license/tag cost to hunt OTC archery deer is $376.
Post by: KimberRich on January 10, 2013, 09:53:30 AM
So this tag was an OTC non-draw tag? That price seems affordable.
Would be great to do a hunt this late in the year down there. I've got some friends and family in AZ and I'm not sure why I've never really looked into the tags. Maybe do a xmas visit/hunt next year!!
Post by: boneaddict on January 10, 2013, 10:07:54 AM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 10, 2013, 04:38:14 PM
Talk about the real ghosts. Tough country, sly sneeky critters. Saw two nice bucks down there when I was Javelina hunting. I imagine the coues as one of the hardest hunts ever. Found a top 5 in the world shed though.
Let's see that shed!!!
Archery javelina is a great side show to the January deer hunts.
Post by: Bigshooter on January 10, 2013, 04:54:36 PM
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on January 10, 2013, 04:59:03 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 11, 2013, 09:50:01 AM
Nice buck. My grandma lives in buckeye and I have thought about doing this also. Or seeing if my 9pts would be enough to get me a late muzzy tag.
Your 9 points should get you just about anything you want for coues. They don't have much in the way of muzzy only seasons, but presumably you could draw one of the late general tags and hunt with your muzzy. My avatar came from a late tag in 2004. I've got 10 points, and will likely cash in this year if I'm not successful next week during the archery hunt.
There's a Kaibab muzzy muley tag (hunt code 1170) that you might hold out for - looks like it took 12 points for NR's to draw this year.
http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/documents/bonus/2012%20Fall%20Draw%20-%20Bonus%20Point%20Report%20-%20Bonus%20Pass%20by%20Hunt%20Number.pdf (http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/documents/bonus/2012%20Fall%20Draw%20-%20Bonus%20Point%20Report%20-%20Bonus%20Pass%20by%20Hunt%20Number.pdf)
Post by: BLDtraLR on January 11, 2013, 06:52:42 PM
Post by: CouesFanatic on January 12, 2013, 11:53:46 AM
Nice buck. My grandma lives in buckeye and I have thought about doing this also. Or seeing if my 9pts would be enough to get me a late muzzy tag.
Your 9 points should get you just about anything you want for coues. They don't have much in the way of muzzy only seasons, but presumably you could draw one of the late general tags and hunt with your muzzy. My avatar came from a late tag in 2004. I've got 10 points, and will likely cash in this year if I'm not successful next week during the archery hunt.
There's a Kaibab muzzy muley tag (hunt code 1170) that you might hold out for - looks like it took 12 points for NR's to draw this year.
http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/documents/bonus/2012%20Fall%20Draw%20-%20Bonus%20Point%20Report%20-%20Bonus%20Pass%20by%20Hunt%20Number.pdf (http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/documents/bonus/2012%20Fall%20Draw%20-%20Bonus%20Point%20Report%20-%20Bonus%20Pass%20by%20Hunt%20Number.pdf)
I think he's referring to the late Muley Muzz hunt in the 40's units. Thanks for the comments guys, the desert has a unique beauty to it. It seems every single brush and tree will grab and poke you.
Post by: Bigshooter on January 13, 2013, 06:32:06 PM
Post by: Titan-1 on January 13, 2013, 08:15:43 PM
Post by: EDT on January 13, 2013, 09:51:43 PM
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,100491.msg1306579.html#msg1306579 (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,100491.msg1306579.html#msg1306579)
Post by: JCKILLSHOT on January 30, 2013, 07:13:10 AM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 30, 2013, 11:03:37 AM
Nice buck! I cant wait I'm going down there Feb 9-14 for javelina and a buddy of mine still has his deer tag. Does that kuiu vias pattern work good out there? I have the Verde camo and I'm wondering how well that will blend in?
Sweet, you'll have a great time!
I wouldn't worry too much about the camo pattern. Deer closes tomorrow (Jan. 31), and Javelina have poor eyesight and rely primarily on their nose. The desert is full of prickly things - for a Javelina hunt, I'd wear stuff you don't mind getting full of snags, or a tough fabric like denim that will be snag resistant. :twocents:
Post by: CouesFanatic on January 30, 2013, 02:44:59 PM
Post by: JCKILLSHOT on January 30, 2013, 03:05:57 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 30, 2013, 04:35:12 PM
Seriously though, the "cat's claw" in the area we hunt is some nasty stuff, and there's really no avoiding it in certain areas. It's just brutal on your clothes (and arms, legs, etc.). The cactus themselves are easier on clothes, although that doesn't make your shins feel any better when you walk into a low growing prickly pair.
One other unsolicited bit of advice - leave your goretex boots at home. The cactus will penetrate the leather and punch holes in the goretex booty.
Post by: pd on January 30, 2013, 04:44:36 PM
I've been back for 10 days and am still picking cactus out of my arms and legs. :chuckle:[/i][/color]
Seriously though, the "cat's claw" in the area we hunt is some nasty stuff, and there's really no avoiding it in certain areas. It's just brutal on your clothes (and arms, legs, etc.). The cactus themselves are easier on clothes, although that doesn't make your shins feel any better when you walk into a low growing prickly pair. One other unsolicited bit of advice - leave your goretex boots at home. The cactus will penetrate the leather and punch holes in the goretex booty.
This reminds me of hunting geese in Wallula in the 1970's. We didn't have a boat (or a dog :'() so we had to stalk the Canada geese who were close to shore. This required us to crawl downhill over the snow, with out shotguns in one hand. Yep, snow does a terrible job of covering the spines on pear cactus. Most painful hunt ever.
Residents of Washington are so lucky--we have every type of ecological zone on earth (except the tropics and tundra).
Post by: Austrian Hunter on January 30, 2013, 04:49:18 PM
Post by: Bean Counter on January 31, 2013, 01:03:49 PM
I'm exhausted today.
Post by: yote on January 31, 2013, 02:41:26 PM