Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Coues Deer hunting in Arizona....San Carlos?

Hey Guys,

I was in Phoenix a few weeks ago on my way to Texas and I realized that I now have the 'itch' to shoot a Coues whitetail at one point in the next few years. They seem like a cool critter and would be very fun to hunt in the terrain they live in.

I've done a bit of reading so far, and am looking for my best bet on doing a hunt that will give me a good rate of success and a good representative of a trophy buck.

Is San Carlos tag a good way to go about this? Or should I start applying and see if I can draw an area? I've never applied down there but think that applying for Coues at the same time as sheep and pronghorn may be worth it.

Thoughts on areas? Guided vs unguided? I'd like to do it on my own if possible and just set up a wall tent camp somewhere.

Open to suggestions or ideas to make this happen!

Chance of getting a Coues tag for San Carlos Res. are slim, I was there this year for the non tribal tag sales. Only 30 Coues tags for all seasons and the first 10 tribal guides snapped them up for their clients, these guides wait in line for a week prior to the sale date. I spent 9 days last year hunting elk on the SCAT res. and saw some record book Coues bucks during that time. Will be back again this elk season. I can recomend a couple of guides if wanted.

I'll take you. I love hunting them.

Pm if interested

Coues would be a good candidate for a DIY hunt. Be in reasonable shape and have good optics and willingness to glass from a tripod. Units south of Tucson seem to have a leftover permits due to the fear of illegal invaders and drug smugglers. A leftover would be the quickest way to get a permit. If you are wanting to draw a late December permit, I would expect to wait 5+ years as a NR depending upon unit. The earliest/first hunts in October are also becoming more difficult to draw.

You might also consider Mexico as the success rates are higher and the trophy quality higher than AZ or SCA