Has anyone been on a quality Coues Deer hunt in the southwestern U.S.? Also what sort of rifle did you use and what is the approximate cost for a hunt of this type?
Thanks for the input

Happy Holidays,
HBB

Leaving Dec. 28 for Arizona. Archery season starts the first. Deer tag $130 havalina $63.

Let you know the quality of hunting when we return.

Dennis

NV Guide:
Good luck and have a great trip
HBB

NV. I hunted area 32 just north of Willcox not too far from the wilderness area. This was a rifle hunt and quality of the racks was very poor. I saw only spikes and forked horns during my hunt. Other friends who hunted the second season had the same results. One friend who hunted area 31 got a 3 point, western count, and his partner got a spike. That was the best I heard of.The two areas have mixed Mule and Coues Deer.
According to a game warden I talked to, up in northern AZ, elk racks were very poor this year due to the drought conditions, and apparently, they did not even go into a rut according to him.
Can't say what it will be like in the other areas, but there's two you might want to avoid.
I don't know how familiar you are to the area down here, and frankly, I'm not too familiar to it myself, always prefering to hunt the Kaibab when I can draw it. I hear that the Kaibab will have to be on a draw basis for archery as well as rifle from now on, and they have dropped antlerless deer for the early (January) season, or are thinking about it. I'd have to check into that though.
Wish I could give you more promising info, but that's what it looks like right now. I wish you all the luck on your hunt.
Paul B.

hillbillybear,

you might try this Coues deer forum, plenty of Coues hunters there.

There's a couple of guides who hang out there who can fill you in on a guided hunt. They are EnriqueAZ and coueshunter.

http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/forums/index.php?act=SF&f=63

Unit 23 in Az is top notch! I would say use a flat shooting caliber or even a good 06 and you will be fine, weight is the biggest consideration. Go to monstermuleys.com and there is alot of western hunters in there. I live in NM now, but chased them in AZ for 9-years. Good shoot'n!

This is one type of deer hunting I have always wanted to do. I guess I best get on the stick before they are put on an endangered spieces list.

Hillbillybear,
I've lived in AZ for 50 years and chased them for most of that. Quality has slipped, not as bad as mule deer but it's down. The only thing AZ has managed to improve is elk and they are suffering too with the last two years of bad drought across the state. The state is growing like crazy so tags are tough to draw for rifle. I recommend you call Duwane Adams, (520) 385-4995, he has a book coming out on this great deer and also has a book out on hunting the Kiabab. I've not used a guide here at home but have known Duwane and his family from many years working with him and he's a straight shooter. I've also talked with guys who have used Duwane and they enjoyed their time with him, which is important in my book. I think if you want a trophy you may have to go higher than the typical $2000 to $3000 grand guys are getting. All the stuff the guys on the web say about endless hours of glassing, up and down mountains, and long shots are the rule unless you just want a meat buck. I can't imagin the skill and dedication it must take to take one of these deer with a bow!
Take care

Thanks for the information everybody. The more I check into it the better I like the looks of it. A Coues hunt would probably be as close as I can ever afford to sheep hunting.

Bye the way, has anyone else read Ron Spomer's article on Coues in old Mexico in the latest issue of American Hunter? What did you think of it?
I think the article is typical of what's wrong with the gun writers of today. Short on substance and long on prostituting high dollar equipment and very expensive hunts.

Good Shooting,
HBB

[ 12-28-2002, 17:36: Message edited by: hillbillybear ]

Hillbilly,
Agreed, as in too masny things these days you just have to follow the money to see where people are coming from.