# Arizona Deer..



## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Who all put in for AZ deer? did you remember?

I put in for the October hunt this year for Whitetail instead of the late Nov like I usually do.
My uncle films some pretty stellar bucks during the October hunt every year so I'm hoping by having the first hunt I can put one on the ground!

Hope I draw or its just going to be OTC Utah Archery Elk and Waterfowl this year!!


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## reece_mess16 (Jun 18, 2017)

Good luck! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I thought about it but after chasing coues down on the border 2 straight years I figured that I would just put in for a point. 

Good luck on the draw.


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## 9er (Nov 12, 2007)

I’m in for some long shot mule deer tags. I’m getting up there in points and should be able to get a decent coues Hunt if I decide to go that route


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

9er said:


> I'm in for some long shot mule deer tags. I'm getting up there in points and should be able to get a decent coues Hunt if I decide to go that route


That late December Couse tag is a dang good one to have. Especially down on the southern portion of the state. That's when the 120+ bucks get stupid, rutting around chasing does


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

goosefreak said:


> That late December Couse tag is a dang good one to have. Especially down on the southern portion of the state. That's when the 120+ bucks get stupid, rutting around chasing does


I had that tag two years in a row. I spent 8 points on it the first year and then got lucky last year. The funny thing was that the bucks were a ways away from chasing the does and were really alert to what was going on around them both years.

The closest that I could get to the one that I have in my avatar was 400 yards and he was all by himself. Another one that we tried to put a stalk on a few day earlier didn't have any does with him either. The one that I shot was on December 29, but come the January archery hunt they really go crazy and don't care about anything other than the does.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Critter said:


> goosefreak said:
> 
> 
> > That late December Couse tag is a dang good one to have. Especially down on the southern portion of the state. That's when the 120+ bucks get stupid, rutting around chasing does
> ...


I'm sure that can happen. In the unit we hunt my uncle goes out and films every year during the late December hunt if he's not hunting with someone. When I come down he shows me all the film he's taken and they are some giants 120-130 bucks chasing does all around where we hunted them the month before..
Often we will see some pre rut action during the late November hunt.

I'm sure some of it might depend on the unit

I'd love to have that late December tag but there are only 50 tags for that unit and everyone and their dog is trying to get one!

But, yes during the January archery hunt both the mule deer and Couse deer are full on rutting. The big mule deer down in the flats get really stupid too!

This one my brother shot this last January.
Just how stupid are they? Well, they got on this deer 2 different days and missed it 3 times before they finally got an arrow in it!

Rookie bowhunters! Scored right at 180"

When I finally kill my wall hanger Couse, I'm gonna start hunting the January Archery


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Two years ago while we were headed to our hunting area we spotted a big and I mean big mainframe 4x4 mule deer just laying under a mesquite tree a hundred yards off of the road. He was one of the larges mule deer that I have ever seen and he was perfect. On a wild guess both my partner and I figured that he went well over 200". 

This was during the archery mule deer hunt and there wasn't a archery hunter in sight. This last year we actually saw more archery mule deer hunters than we saw coues hunters. But most of them were just glassing from the higher ridges of the roads 12 miles off of the Mexico border.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Critter said:


> Two years ago while we were headed to our hunting area we spotted a big and I mean big mainframe 4x4 mule deer just laying under a mesquite tree a hundred yards off of the road. He was one of the larges mule deer that I have ever seen and he was perfect. On a wild guess both my partner and I figured that he went well over 200".
> 
> This was during the archery mule deer hunt and there wasn't a archery hunter in sight. This last year we actually saw more archery mule deer hunters than we saw coues hunters. But most of them were just glassing from the higher ridges of the roads 12 miles off of the Mexico border.


Yeah, my uncles and cousins don't really chase muledeer. They are always after the Couse but, they have shot a few over the years. All basically from the road. They don't target them but, that doesn't mean they won't shoot them. They have killed a hand full of 180's literally from the road.

They tell me stories of big 200" mule deer chasing does, and I've seen myself some giants. It wasn't until this last January that we actually targeted them..
There are some BIG muledeer down in that country. So much that I'm my opinion your better off getting an archery tag and hunting them every year and shooting a 180-200" deer during the rut and saving your points for a late December whitetail.

But, that's just my opinion.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

I’m just too caught up on the Couse deer juice! Once i kill a big one, I’m converting over to archery muledeer until I kill a 180+


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I agree on the big coues deer. I haven't had mine actually scored but those that have looked at the pictures say that it looks to be in the 115" area. 

They are addictive.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Critter said:


> I agree on the big coues deer. I haven't had mine actually scored but those that have looked at the pictures say that it looks to be in the 115" area.
> 
> They are addictive.


Yeah! That's about what I would guess. I think 95-110 is big and 115+ is giant status.

Tell you what, I'd shoot that deer on opening day in the first 10 minuets of shootable light. &#128526;


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## 9er (Nov 12, 2007)

I’m sitting on 7 points right now. 8 after I get the unsuccessful notice. I’m really thinking about getting my hunter-Ed point this winter. Bump me up to 9 points for 2019 hunt. 

I hear the coues are really fun to hunt but do I continue to wait for a “bab tag or cash my points and go the coues Hunt route? I know once I spend my points I’ll be down there every few years hunting the little ghosts.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

9er said:


> I'm sitting on 7 points right now. 8 after I get the unsuccessful notice. I'm really thinking about getting my hunter-Ed point this winter. Bump me up to 9 points for 2019 hunt.
> 
> I hear the coues are really fun to hunt but do I continue to wait for a "bab tag or cash my points and go the coues Hunt route? I know once I spend my points I'll be down there every few years hunting the little ghosts.


It's up to you. Personal don't like to tell people what to do with their points but, Couse deer are or can be hard to hunt. Meaning, the grass is tall and a mature Couse buck weighs roughly 120lbs guts and all. They can disappear behind a blade of grass. This last season, my brother and I jumped up a nice buck and it ran into the only small clump of trees in the valley about 200 yards away.. we never took our eyes off of it, while I snuck around the side while my brother watched.... we never saw the deer again. It literally disappeared into thin air! 
I've watched Couse deer lay flat in the grass like a brushed up pheasant until you walk past them and they go bounding out.

In that sense they can be hard to hunt. Luckily for me, my family has lived in southern AZ for over 100 years so, we just know the country and deer really well over the generations.

Couse deer are so addicting to hunt. And they taste a lot better than muledeer.

If I had points, I would without question put in for the late December hunt as your likelihood of finding bigger deer increases.

Another thing to think about is shooting a 100" Couse deer is like shooting a 180" muledeer.

As for muledeer, that desert country holds some absolute giants. That's why I say, if you know an area, you can go down there during the January archery hunt when the deer are in full rut. Asssuming your a decent bowhunter and within 3 years you'll kill a 180+ buck. 
In our unit, there are lots of deer both muledeer and Couse and it doesn't seem like a whole lot of people hunt the muledeer.

So for me, since I know the area, I'd spend my points on a late December rifle whitetail tag and then hunt muledeer in January with my bow.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

9er said:


> I'm sitting on 7 points right now. 8 after I get the unsuccessful notice. I'm really thinking about getting my hunter-Ed point this winter. Bump me up to 9 points for 2019 hunt.
> 
> I hear the coues are really fun to hunt but do I continue to wait for a "bab tag or cash my points and go the coues Hunt route? I know once I spend my points I'll be down there every few years hunting the little ghosts.


One thing on a coues hunt is that it is a hard physical hunt, at least both of mine were. Then there is the hours of just glassing trying to pick one out of the brush where a lot of the time all you can see are the tips of his antlers at over 500 yards away. You also need to know the area. Some hunters go into a hunt for them blind never having set foot into the area that they are hunting and come home with a buck, but it usually takes a couple of years to learn the area before something nice happens.

This last December after the hunt I was just spent physically and close to mentally. For glassing them it is recommended that you have at least a 15x pair of binoculars backed up with a spotting scope. You find them with the bino's and then decide if you want to go after him with the spotter. Expect to be into the hunting area way before daylight and then sitting and glassing without saying a word to anyone until it is time to go. Sounds travels a long ways in the canyons that these animals like to live in. Then expect to hike out of the area after dark if hunting different areas.

Even after all the blood letting, hiking, glassing, disappointments, and everything else after a week at home I was ready to head after those little ghost all over again. It was hard this year just putting in for a point.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

For me personally (and I’m 31 years old) I seem to hike farther distances in AZ with the same amount of time I hike here in Utah but, I hike some nasty stuff in UT. If that makes sense BUT, I roll my ankles ALOT more in AZ. Some areas we hike are so covered in ankle rolling rocks it’s crazy but, the grass is 2-3 feet tall and you can’t see them, in some of those places there is no Peripheral vision hiking.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

One thing is for sure 9er. Everyone has to go on at least 1 Couse hunt.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Coues deer are like a trip to Africa. Once is not enough. 


On the rolling the ankles, if Arizona had any dirt instead of just rocks on rocks it would help a lot.


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## 9er (Nov 12, 2007)

I have a brother who has been living down there for 3-4 years now. I hear about how hard it can be and the never ending rocks you step on. 

He has been pretty successful hunting coues on either leftover tags or easy to draw units. He wants me to do a December rifle hunt in the near future.


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## 9er (Nov 12, 2007)

Anyone have any luck getting a tag? Looks like I’m 1 point higher now.


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## Roboz (May 30, 2018)

I wish i was hunting coues this year, just didn't have the money to put in, i drew 24B a few years back, saw a lot of deer but it just didn't happen. Amazing how you can glass an open hillside for an hour and see nothing then lookup again and they are standing there. Someday i am going to get me one of those little guys.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

My dad and I drew a late October Couse tag!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Cool, now go find that big brother to the one in my avatar.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Critter said:


> Cool, now go find that big brother to the one in my avatar.


I better have a Xanax ready in my pocket if I do!!


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## RemingtonCountry (Feb 17, 2016)

Where are you guys seeing the updated points? Mine still say the same..


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

RemingtonCountry said:


> Where are you guys seeing the updated points? Mine still say the same..


Well, I just looked on my CC account.. I only put in for the 1 hunt so I know it's an October tag


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## 9er (Nov 12, 2007)

Check the portal now


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