Just returned on Thursday from a very successful hunt for Coues deer in Sonora, Mexico with Borderland Adventures.

Outfitter: Borderland Adventures

Guide: Mario Guisto

Dates: 11-16 January '13

Location: Rancho Agua Reuvo 35 minutes south of the border at Sasabe, AZ

Rifle: 300 RUM with Nightforce 5.5x22

Load: Custom loaded ammo with 200 Accubond

Special equipment needed: Great optics with 10X-15X binos. These deer are small and blend in with the enviroment perfectly. Heavy weight hard finish pants like Carharts. The cactus is incredibly bad. Boots fit for a sheep hunt. The country is rough, steep and the footing is challenging with lots of loose rock. BUT a hunter with a mobility problem can expect to have multiple opportunities from or near the excellent road system.

I am not really a deer hunter but I've shot a few and I want to take at least one good deer from the species that B&C recognizes so I booked this hunt with Matt Woodward/Borderland Adventures to add the Coues to the other deer species I've taken.

The hunt was everything Matt said it would be and more. I fully expected to see some good bucks but not several each day.

I told Mario my guide who I'd hunted with in '11 that I'd like to set the benchmark at 110 B&C gross (net 110 B&C makes the all time records). Mario thought with patience we would achieve that goal and perhaps find better. He was right.

The first day dawned cold at 19 F. The rut was on. We saw several bucks in the 95-105 range and did see a 110 plus but he slipped away before we could get set up. in this country the hunter and a spotter need to be both set up on the same deer or the trophy can be easily lost as I was to find out.

Day 2-3 were even colder and the bucks were really chasing the does. Once again both days we saw a number of mature bucks and a couple more over that 110 mark. We got set up on a big deer on both days but Mario was not sure they would go 110 so I passed.

Day 4 was once again cold. We spotted a big deer from the road and after a better look we set up on what we thought was a 120+ buck. Here I learned my lesson on this type of hunting. We decided this was the deer we wanted to shoot, Mario wanted to film it and ran to the truck for his video camera. Not having the experience with Coues that Mario did I told him I was not waiting and would shoot when I had the opportinity. Mario knew the big boy and the other two bucks woud hang around as long as the does stayed put. (Pay attention to your guide) About the timne Mario was sitting down next to me again I had an open quartering away shot and let one fly. Mario was not on his binos and I lost the spot the deer was standing in the recoil. Now deer were running all over the hillside and we could not determine which deer was which.

Now we had to climb up and look for the deer. We looked over the area where we determined from Sadies's video that the deer was standing and found zip. No blood, hair, nothing after a comprehenhive search.

Here's were a good guide comes in. Mario felt as long as the doe was hot the bucks would stay with her. Another hour of climbing in some nasty stuff put us 275 yards from 2 of the original bucks and one of these was very good. We got set up and this time I quartered the big Accubond through the buck dropping him in about 20 feet from where he was standing when I shot.

I was very happy to see when we got to the buck that it in fact was a very good buck eventhough noteably smaller than the one I missed.

After a handshake or two and a couple of quick snapshots we dragged the buck to the truck and back to the ranch where we found out that all 3 of the hunters had scored.

I could not have asked for a more trouble free hunt. There really were no problems from pick up at Tucson Intl. until drop of at hunts end. The total road trip including the border crossing only took about 2 hours in both directions.

The below picks are the bucks taken on my hunt. I do not have the pic of the 2 bucks from the previous week while scouting but they were very nice. One buck only scored net 103 but had incredible mass and another net scored 112 with a 21" spread.

If you want to go one time and take a good Coues or you've just been frutrated in the past by the trophy quality you've found this could be the hunt for you.


My buck


CJ's buck


Boon's buck





Contact me anytime if you'd like to talk about this hunt for '14.

Mark

What a great hunt. Your buck is a toad! Bet the food wasn't bad either.

Scott,

Thanks but you should have seen the one I missed. At least 3 more inches on the G2's. Saw another with 7 inch eye guards. A couple with 17"-18" inside spreads. The big boys were there.

Food was a combo of traditional Mexican tortillas with frijoles etc and some excellent frozen meals done up by Matt's wife. The chef that was supposed to work for us was poached by another outfitter. Luckily Matt and Mario are not only excellent guides but very talented in the kitchen also.

Mark

Hey Mark: Nice coues deer! Great to talk to you on the phone about it! We'll visit at SCI.

Mark - Good for you man, congrats on a nice hunt!

Well done on your Grande Coues. What does a hunt like this go for ? Are mule deer available also?

twilli,

All the details/pix are on my ad on the Outfitters Offered and Discounted Hunts forum. The mulies are there but not in any numbers in the hills we hunted. They are more common in the flatter terrain on some of the adjacent ranches we did not hunt. The mulies on these ranches are offered by another operator so a combo is really not practical. Too bad as the mulies are equally as goodas the Coues with a 240 plus buck being taken recently.

Mark

Nice buck Mark and it looks like great country. There's a definite romance to the Sierras and border country, always has been.

I've noticed that you don't screw around much with calibers when it comes to poking holes in things. None of this .257 or 7mm stuff.

Maybe next year. Price will be the same?

Mike,

I actually have a guy that's a friend here that might want to go down with you.

Mark

Well done Mark. I still want a good Coues buck one of these days.