My first AZ coues tag!

AT Hiker

AT Hiker

Very Active Member
Aug 2, 2012
638
0
Tennessee
Well its official, I received my AZ coues tag in the mail last week. It totally surprised me that I drew, had one bonus point and the odds were not good. I chose the area because there was a slight chance to draw in the random, lucky me!

Anyways, hunt dates start Dec 11, area is 31 and its a whitetail tag only.

My wife and daughter are riding out with me a week before season opens to do a SW road trip/family vacation. We are hoping to hit up some National Parks on the way along with some other "must see" sites in addition to good eateries and local breweries (I hope I can locate some). They are then flying out of Tuscon and I will make my way back East to begin hunting. Tentatively I have a buddy that is planning to fly in and tag along for moral and glassing support and God willing he will be helping me pack out a deer!

This will be my first time ever hunting AZ and coues deer. I have been planning to go out for the Archery OTC hunt but this nice little surprise is allowing me to hunt with a gun.

Right now Im leaning toward the Pinalenos and planning to backpack in for a few days. I hear its rugged country and Im OK with that but what has me a little concerned is water. Will I have access to water?

Im willing to accept any advice one might have for 31 coues but Im really interested in hearing what there is to say about hunting there in Dec. Roads, weather, pressure, quality of deer, problems, etc.

Regardless expect to have an update from me come late winter. I will have more pictures than you will care to look at and my photo bucket album will be cleaned out and later filled with this much anticipated adventure.


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AT Hiker

AT Hiker

Very Active Member
Aug 2, 2012
638
0
Tennessee
Alabama said:
Congrats AT! Are you still going to Montana as well? If so it looks like it's going to be a busy fall/winter for you again. Good luck!
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Yes, it has become a tradition for me and my grandfather. He is in his 70's so Im not missing a chance to make memories. We head there for the late Oct opener, hoping to avoid the blizzard like conditions we had last year!

I watched the AZ coues Meateater episode online last night, aside from being a great episode it gave a fantastic perspective of the landscape. Its not exactly where I will be hunting but Im think the topography is somewhat similar.


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coatimundi01

coatimundi01

Member
Mar 31, 2015
81
0
Awesome, good luck! I'm born and raised in Tucson but haven't hunted 31 or else I'd give you some tips. But you can find coues lot higher AND lower than you'd expect. Here's a teaser pic for you of a buck I ALMOST got with my bow yesterday morning just outside of Tucson. Got to inside of 90yd of him and a big 2x2 before they busted me! [emoji31]
 
UB-AZ

UB-AZ

New Member
Dec 17, 2013
42
0
AZ
AT Hiker,
Make sure you have good optics and tripod. The key to Cous and most everything in AZ is good optics, patience and a rifle/scope combination that can reach out and touch at a long distance.

Even though most consider this a “rut” hunt it is the very, very, very beginning. The bucks are just starting to come out from hiding. Regardless the December hunt is a great tag. Have you tried going on Couswhitetail.com and seeing what advice they have?

Good luck and post pics…..
 
AT Hiker

AT Hiker

Very Active Member
Aug 2, 2012
638
0
Tennessee
Thanks, I am actually in the market for new binocs. Im draining my savings and buying some Swarovskis.

I did register at the website last week actually and I have received a lot of help. Great group over there.

Right now Im looking at backpacking into the Santa Teresa Wilderness and my backup is the Pinalenos.

My max shooting range is 400 yards but I would prefer a lot closer. Im just not set up, nor have I much experience at long range shooting.
 
P

Predatore

Member
Oct 12, 2015
52
0
Loveland, CO
Nice tag! I have spent a lot of time in the mountains all around Arizona and was fortunate enough to shoot a coues in 34A (Nov), help my friend bag one in 34B (Dec rut hunt), and got one up in 6A (Nov). I can't help you specifically with unit 31 but given my experience with much of AZ, I may be of help to you. Looking at the Santa Teresas, the elevation ranges from 4000-6000' and the Pinalenos from 5000' to 9000'+. I'm definitely more familiar with the habitat types in the Santa Teresa range for coues hunting.

I shot my nice 6A coues at 6000' by still hunting some thick pinion pine/scrub oak/brushy country. For that hunt, despite glassing and glassing miles of fairly open hills with 4 people, most of the deer were in the thick stuff due mostly to the hot temps (80's). Down in 34A and 34B, the terrain is open desert, nasty rocky, cactus-covered, arid, Palo Verdes, and ~3000-4000' elevation, so I assume you're not quite hunting this kind of country. During the 34B hunt I was on in Dec, the temps were up in the 70s, and the bucks were running around like crazy all over the hills. We glassed up a bunch from an average distance of 1/2 to 1 mile away (w/ 10x50s and tripod). My coues enthusiast friend swears that the rut doesn't usually start up until late in Dec, so he doesn't even go out until the 2nd or 3rd weekend (he's odd). I would agree with UB-AZ on the good optics and tripod for almost anywhere in Arizona. In my areas there was truly no safe drinking water at any time of the year- if you were in a survival situation with a water filter, cattle tanks might work. I have backpack hunted mule deer in 19B at ~6000' and packed in 6 gallons of water for 3 days of hunting for 2 people. I have never relied on natural sources of water in Arizona unless there is a known perennial creek (rare) or lake, which you must determine beforehand. I also have not paid much attention to water sources for the wildlife since they always seem to find seeps and sources that I can never locate, so I just look for good tracks/scat.

So, I may have rambled a bit...Assuming you hunt at 5000', I would bet on the following conditions: highs in the upper 60's, hunting pressure to be minimal if >1 mile from roads (check for pesky quad roads though), no drinking water to be found, and deer quality to depend on the known area genetics which I'm not familiar with in 31 (if mediocre genetics, even 3 mi from the nearest road may not yield a booner). I hope someone familiar with 31 can help you - check the forum on coueswhitetail.com. If at all possible, I would highly encourage scouting the area for a few days so you don't waste your hunt in unproductive areas or hope for water that isn't there. AZ hunting is a challenge for many easterners from what I've heard because of the vast area. I grew up in AZ so I don't know anything else.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your hunt.
 
AT Hiker

AT Hiker

Very Active Member
Aug 2, 2012
638
0
Tennessee
Made it back, battled blizzard like conditions but managed to kill a nice 80" buck. Of course I missed one that would easily go over 100", doesnt everybody?

I will get a write up and some pics up after the new yea. But for now take my word that I had a freaking blast and Im
now addicted to those grey ghost.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1451487515.186840.jpg

Oh yea, the deer!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1451487546.374890.jpg


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DRUSS

DRUSS

Very Active Member
Jun 22, 2014
536
157
nw oregon
congratulations! cant wait to read your write up. I have 9 pts and have been trying to decide about the gray ghosts??????
 
UB-AZ

UB-AZ

New Member
Dec 17, 2013
42
0
AZ
AT Hiker,
Glad to hear you enjoyed AZ. It is truely a great place to hunt. Congrats on the deer!!! Nothing wrong with a 80" class Coues.... I've seen a lot of spikes taken... lol

Can't wait to hear the story. How did your Tenn friends take the story when you mentioned snow??? LOL
 
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