Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Best 600-750 yard Coues and Mule Deer Cartridge?

I just got off the phone with an AZ outfitter that mentioned, for the slightly easier draw unit in 2013, he can get me into some B&C-class bucks IF I'm able to pull off shots over 500 yards and in one area, between 600-750 yards across a mountain.

I have both a 270 Win. and a 300 Win Mag.; that said, both have 24" barrels and I was thinking of something different for next year.

Any other cartridges that might work even better at longer range? Maybe ballistically, a 6.5 or 7mm with lots of power?

Thoughts?

If you want to stick with what you've got, order some 165gr Matrix VLD's for your .270, and rock on. If you want a new rifle, a .243AI with 105gr Hornady HPBT or 115gr VLD, a 6.5 Creedmoor, .260AI, 6.5-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 7WSM, .280AI, 7SAUM, etc, would all to the trick very well at 750 yards.

As long as you have high-BC bullets available for whatever chambering you choose, I'd be more concerned with the rig being set up properly to facilitate LR shooting, and with getting enough practice in so that you're confident in your shooting ability at those ranges.

.257 weatherby mag.

A light recoiling death ray.

Get closer!

My thoughts too.

Is 750 yds ...getting into them?

Hmmm- good points.

My 270 is set up with 140 gr. TSX at about 3050 fps and my 300 Win mag is set up with 180 gr. Accubonds at about 3050 fps.

I haven't shot higher grain bullets than those two before and my max range at the range has been at our 500 yard marker. The 300 win mag seems to be more accurate and drop less than my 270 at that range.

Should I consider anything more fancy than the cartriges that you list, like a 6.5x68 or a wildcat or just hunker down with one of my rifles and see where I end up at the end of the summer?

Apparently, if we came up and over the ridge that they are on, we'd not see them and risk spooking them because of the loose rocks.

There are apparently great glassing points from the other side of the mountain and in some cases, shot opportunities from 500-750 yards (he said actually 761 yards max). Said that a 100+" coues would be very possible. He also has another unit that he hunts in where the mulies can get over 180" regularly (if you see one) and shots are also over 600 yards.

That said, most of his hunters get shots under 300 yards. It's just that for the best chances at the biggest deer, he's suggesting the above.

Getting closer is not always an option. In some of the areas I hunt, 400/500 is as close as you are going to get. Just my experience when chasing coues in bag areas, especially B&C type bucks.

If you want a new rifle, I would look at a 264 win mag with a high BC bullet. I shoot a 7mm Rem Mag With 154's, but am thinking of going to 168 bergers. With my 154's, I have my rifle set up to 650ish. Figure with the better BC of the Bergers, I can extend that range a bit. Plus I am looking at a better scope too.

Of the rifles you have, I would take the 300WM just cuz the ballistics would be better than the 270. A ton of Coues fall to the 270 each year, but not too many of those are shot at long range.
My buddy shoots a 300 Roy with 185 bergers and he has been practicing out to 800 busting milk jugs. Those deer fall flat when hit with that connon.

Hard to go wrong with any round really, but when you talk long range, I love the big 7's. I bet that 7mm Roy with the 180 bergers would be fantastic long range.

If you want sensible, stick to the 7RM, 264WM type stuff with a high BC bullet and that little coues will drop like a ton of bricks. Not saying a 257 Roy or 300 Roy would be bad, but the 6.5's and 7mm's have that high BC in a reasonably average bullet weight. I think the Berger BC in the 168's is .617ish and the Hornady Amax is around .625ish in the 7mm. With those weights flying at 3000/3100FPS, you can basically shoot to the moon.lol

Good luck on your decision and keep us posted. BTW you need any info on coues, send me a PM, I can try and help with what I can.

Kique

And find another outfitter.

If you must and there's no chance in getting closer, I'd opt for a 7mm mag of some sort. I'd feel comfy shooting my 300 wsm at that range myself but you already have a 300 winny and want/need another rifle so.........go with a fast and accurate 7 and call it a day......and start doing a lot of practice at the intended ranges.......make sure you feel 100% confident in your ablities before you pull the trigger on an animal at those ranges.....

Tell your lazy outfitter to get off his ass and get you closer. If he can't get you closer than 700 yards, he ain't much of a guide IMO. You're just as well off DIY.

I think you answered your own question with your earlier reply:



Spend a fraction of the new gun money on some cartridges, practice with either rifle through the summer and go hunting....

If nothing else, you'll learn alot about LR shooting, mirage and wind.

FWIW, I have a 270 that shoots like this at 300 meters:



And a 308 that shoots like this at 760 meters:

Then try a 270 WSM

Given your time constraints, I'd use your .270, order a bunch of 165gr Matrix VLD's, mount a scope that has repeatable, reliable turrets, and get to practising. Your .300WM will likely get pushed around in the wind a bit more, but if you want a quick and easy solution, just start practising with those 180gr AB out to 900 yards. The key word in all of this being "practice". Better bullets will increase the margin of error in your wind calls, but practice is going to be the biggest deciding factor in your ability to pull off a 750 yard shot on an animal.

If you had more time, you could get as fancy as you wanted with the chambering. They all work. The bullets, rifle setup, and optics are what make the difference.

You don't need another rifle to hunt deer, even at long range. But I understand the overwhelming urge to buy more guns.

I think it's kind of funny the east coast and out of country dudes who have probably never seen a coues deer let alone what some coues country looks like try to tell folks how it should be done -

Carry on with the advice gentlemen -

I'd get a fast moving 6.5 or 7, shooting a BC nearing or above 0.500, as fast as you accurately can if you need to get to 700 or 800 -

Jordan is, once again, spot on. He's consistently one of the most valuable posters on this forum, with real world experience and a pragmatic outlook.

Lots of good rounds to choose from that will get this done. I'd worry more about the shooter and the scope choice than any of the rest of the gack.

Dober

Thanks for the kind words, seven_miller

There are plenty of guys on this forum that have more experience and wisdom than I do, but I try to tell it like I see it, based on what I've seen

You know Marcos that 7mashedpotato you shoot I bet would be an awesome gun for long range coues as would your 6-06. Then again to find out you would have to come share a hill with my fat butt and your rifle(s) might not leave AZ.

Jordan,
I keep hearing about the matrix bullets. What speed could a 270 with a 24" barrel shoot em and how far? Seems like 165 grains is a lot of lead for a little 270.

Kique

I like that....I'm gonna get some mileage out of that...

Kique--you got that right, both the 7 Mashburn Super and the 6/06 are incredibly fine Coues deer rounds.

I have a 105 cola blanco venado sitting above me here that I took out @ 438 yrds in a high wind with a neck shot near Arizpe with my 6/06. The 6 aught also worked wonders on those Sonoran Perro's as well...

Perro

Love Arizpe. What ranch?
Banamichi was my stomping grounds when I was down there.
Bet that 105 berger in the 6-06 would save powder and kill good too. You think its a 600/700 yard rig to get a DRT done?

I'd use the 300 WM with som fat, heavy AMax and shoot a bunch before you go. Get in the field and practice in real world type shooting. The bench and the field are completely different.

Lacienega Kique, and yeah I have no doubt about those ranges with the 6/06.

Farthest I shot a deer with it was 633 and it was lights out! Course it was a head shot with a 95 NBT right up the snout and out the back of the head so things happened fairly quickly...grin

Perro

If I was to shoot coues deer over 500 yards, out to 600 (been there done that, multiple times) then I would shoot my .257 wby.

But, when you get past 600 yards, I would actually change to at a minimum 270 wsm, but I would lean more towards a 7 rem mag, or even better yet a 7 RUM with 160 Accubonds. I have been threatening for the past year or so to send my dads Leupold from his 7RUM to get the turret treatment, load up some 160 Accubonds and get to the 800 yard range.

sietesuper

Lots of folks use the 300WM for coues because of distance, since you have one, go with that. High BC bullets and practice.

I've killed more coues with a 270 but farthest was 420 yds.

Course, you'll probably kill one at 50 yds... lol

Kent

I hear that KRP, last year I worked a lot at long ranges with my 300 WSM with 155 Scenars and then shot my elk @ 17 yds and my venado @ 38 yds.......arg

Dober

In my experience, that's how life is.....you expect/anticipate one scenario and usually get something completely different.

Guilty! But I have hunted the west more than some westerners,and seen the little dudes on Arizona elk hunts,along with some AZ coues country..... and it struck me that they are small animals,prone to disappear,tough to see in that scabby looking country,and not always easy to approach.I doubt they take much killing,like antelope.

I like Greg's advise and also Jordan's but not sure I'd run out and spend a pile on a new rifle if I had a 270 and a 300 Win Mag. Today you can find bullets for either coming within a knats hair of just about anything else.

I'd put the cash in a very top end optic,like a Nightforce or S&B rather than a new rifle,get to practicing with what you got and the best bullets for the chore,and be ready.It is really scopes and bullets which have made LR shooting practical today...not cartridges.

That said I would buy a 264 or 7Rem Mag if you want a new rifle for the hunt and don't mind spending the loot. 162 Amax's at 3200+ fps from the Mashburn makes things pretty easy to 600 yards,far as I can shoot,and that's what I would take,although I'd want more scope than the lightweight 6X it wears now.

Good luck!

Best to think of a coues hunt like a poor man's sheep hunt... rough vertical country, tough animals... and sometimes like sheep need long shots and 'breaking down'... Quality boots, pack and optics.

Kent

John-this is just me but my tuning fork tells me that the outfitter may be just a bit full of it or himself. I've been around Coues a fair bit and to date I've not seen a place/time where one had to go to that long of ranges to get things done.

It sure is helpful to have people come ready to rock, but I'd personally be concerned with them being able to plant them to 500 and not much more. IME, expecting hunters to come ready to go to 600-750 and do it right is expecting a bit much.

I gotta ask, who's the outfitter?

Many thx, and sorry if I sound a bit too skeptical this morn.

Coues are a fantastic critter, far and away in my top 3 right up there with bruins and yotes.

Dober

Sounds like the outfitter is preparing an excuse in advance..."if YOU (emphasis added) can pull off shots from 500 to 700 yds"

That ain't the way that I hunt Coues deer, but to each his own.

I did have a guest hunter one year that had bad legs thanks to a bout with polio when he was a kid. I glassed up a nice Coues buck at a little over 600 yds. While I was glued to the binocular, planning a route to get him as close as I could, his .257 Weatherby went "bang!" and the deer dropped like a rock. We were both draped over the hood of the truck and my ears rang for days.

Getting closer to Coues ain't always an option... or not a very good one at that. Can't fathom anyone who's never hunted them during an Oct AZ rifle hunt, or maybe even never been in the country he's likely to be hunting, musing about the ethics of shooting them at long range.

THAT said, back to the original question...
264 WM with 140 VLDs or AMAX is a tough combo to beat, delivering high BC bullets at high velocity with minimal recoil. I've had one or more since '02, and have since sold every 7mm mag and 300 in the safe. A buddy followed suit and last year got one, practiced all summer, and shot his buck at 672. To gain a notable increase in performance, you realistically have to belly up to the big 338s. That's a big jump.

Last couple of years, I've hunted Coues with a 22" 260, 140 AMAX. It's a good bit shorter and handier than the 264, and gets me to the 600 yard line with ease. And I've found that in most of the areas I hunt, I can get within 600.

Consider that military sniper rifles need to accurately take out targets at far greater distances than your deer hunt. And their choice is often the .300 Winchester Magnum...or larger! Maximum effective range INCREASES w/ bullet diameter. So why would you want a smaller bullet or feel inadequately armed using a world class, long range sniper cartridge?

You're better off scratching the spending itch by buying a sniper grade scope or working up a long range load and practicing w/ the long range rifle you already own.

I pride myself as a guide on getting it done with my client's ability. I'm not one of those guide's that says we have to get it done from here, hey if we have to get closer then let's try to get closer. Doesn't always work, especially on coues deer! It's their hunt!!!! First things that jumped into my head when reading this are a 115"+ coues buck at 600 and a 84" antelope buck at 300. Neither was comfortable with the shot so we attempted to get closer. Neither was brought to bag. I don't think either hunter was upset that he didn't try a shot but I KNOW both were upset that they weren't PREPARED for the shot. Oddly enough both were shooting a 7mm ultra mag and both were wanting shots around 200 yds and the whole time I kept thinking why the hell are we wasting all that power and burning that much powder for 200 yd shots?!?!?!

To the OP, like many have said already, If you want a new gun and have time to work up loads and get lots of long range time, then yes a 6.5 or fast seven would be great. If not the same process with your current rifles will yield the same results.

Hello Mark,

No worries, it's an outfitter that I found via Google search before realizing I'm just better off asking names of some good outfitter here

I don't want to single him out. In the discussion, it basically came down to, well, if you really want to increase your chances at B&C- class bucks, then with those ranges in mind, we'd have all of our bases covered. Again, he told me most clients luck-out under 300 yards, but of the few really huge bucks they've seen, most were spotted at 500 and up to 750 yards away and the hunters were unable to shoot at that range, get to them in time or spooked them.

Thanks for all the advice so far! I'll do the best I can this year with my 270 and 300. Maybe next year it will be with a 264 win mag and longer barrel

You'd think after "practicing all summer" the barrel would be toast on that 264......

Why? I like to hunt deer. Not take pot shots from 600 yards away, that is not hunting, that is shooting. Coues deer are pretty skittish but you can get within 400 yards of them. How in heck do hunters get them with the bow and ML?

Can't see how a guy would think that if he'd actually owned and shot a 264 barreled with modern steel in an action less than 30 years old...

I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent so bear with me....


One can search my past posts or click on my signature to see where I stand on this, but ignoring anyones personal ethics, sportiness, etc., if you really want to be able to consistently make 600+/- shots it isn't going to be a cartridge change. The first question is what scopes/mounts are on your rifles? What are the average 5 round groups at 100 and 300 yards? That's average, not every once and a while but what your rifle will do every single time with no excused flyers? What is your distance shooting experience?


I do not have any experience with the new 27 caliber bullets such as Matrix, but I do with just about every other caliber and given your two choices and the small size of Coues I would lean heavily to the 300Win with 155 Scenars. As I'm sure you know, Coues are small deer and I would say that an 8-10 inch target would be target size to work with. Given that, while not the most important criteria, drop will be important. The 155 Scenars will give a good balance between drift/drop at your ranges. Then get a scope that is truly built for shooting at long range. Not a rebadged hunting scope.

The most important piece of it, and the one that will have more bearing on whether you will actually have the skill to make 600-700 yard hits vice just talking about it, will be going to a course and getting taught how to do it by someone that honestly understands LR shooting at animals, and honestly knows what they're doing.

The cartridges that the military selects for sniping is not based on ballistic performance first. In fact it is rarely a factor at all. All one needs to do is compare the standard issued military ammo for the 300WN (A191) to a 7/08 with a 162 AMAX at 500 yards..... It's illuminating.


The no fuss, no muss, top choice for med-long range is a 7mm Rem Mag (or like cartridge) with a 162 AMAX. It is a plug and play performer.

John_Gregori,

Still a lot of good common-sense info in this post from Jan. 2012. Keep in mind, even a big Coues Whitetail buck has a vital zone about the size of a football, and a rifle that can consistently make first-round lethal hits at the ranges you are talking about is not one you are going to get very far from a vehicle with, unless you are a world-class athlete or equivalent, or maybe have a couple of sherpas (and a spotter with high-powered optics who knows what to look for).

They are very wary, blend in perfectly, and the wind can be all over the map. If you don't make a good hit, how many aimed shots do you anticipate as they are getting away? It can take an hour just to get to where the buck was when you fired, to look for blood or hair.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._foolin_best_factory_rifle_s#Post6084758

Best of luck,

forepaw

One GOOD thing about Coues deer, is their comfort zone seems to be right about 300 yards. I killed a coues deer a couple years ago at 296 yards. He knew we were there, but wasn't bothered... Until he stood up and got a 100 TTSX through the lungs.

On the other hand, a 100 pound Coues deer can take up lead like you would not believe. I hunted with a guy in Mexico a few years ago who was shooting a (it was either a 338 win mag, or 300 RUM, cant recall). Anyways, his statement was "As long as I nick him, hes dead..." 5 shots later, the buck falls over dead.

How many hits in the vitals?

He finally managed to get one into the lungs.

I put 3 into the lungs with a .270 wsm before a spike finally died, and this buck, hit with a .257 wby, 115 VLD at 575 yards took about 25 minutes to die.

The answer to this question is fairly simple-

Can you, with any rifle you own, consistently hit a Coues-size vital organ area, at 600-750 yards? How about in a 10 mph crosswind? Maybe a 20 mph crosswind? How about uphill or downhill, say, at a 30 degree slope?

If you can pull off a killing shot, with 99 percent confidence of a clean kill, under the above conditions, then go for it.
If you can't answer this question with confidence, then don't even think about it.
Either find a new, more competent, outfitter, or just get closer.

John,

The humble .308win is used reliably out to 1000m by the tactical crowd and even at that distance, i am sure it has a enough steam left to deal with a small bodied Coues deer.

Truth is, distance shouldn't really be too big a factor in this choice. With high BC bullets, both the .270win and the 300win mag are more than capable of reaching out to 800yards.

The problem at extended ranges is estimating the wind, and you can't "buy" that type of experience, it only comes with practice.

Again, high BC bullets help and help considerably, but reading the wind is still very tricky..

Assuming both rifles are accurate enough,unless you have a suitable scope already, and I'd look at getting a decent scope with turrets and a mil dot reticle of some sort to match, preferably one where the reticle is in the FFP, plus a range finder and a Kestral wind meter.

I would then set up steel gongs out to 800yards, and practice, practice, practice like crazy.

Take a note book and record all the conditions for each shot, ie wind strength direction, turret settings and the result, even (or especially) for misses. That record will be an invaluable learning tool as you progress.

Best of luck,

Peter

WTF?! Seriously? You can't get closer than 500-750 yds? Sounds more like prairie dog shooting rather than hunting.

Good idea. If you can hit prairie dogs at 750, then a deer is no sweat

I've seen Coues take longer to expire with monometals or hits outside the heart/lung area. I can't honestly say they're any tougher or different than any other game, other than that is a smaller area to hit, on average.

Absolutely they're not any tougher, I can't imagine anyone thinking anything to the sort.

A quick twist 22/250 or Swift is about ideal for them to most sane ranges.

Dober

the one with krieger barrel.

the one that you win the f-class matches at 600 yards with. the one that shoots a 5 inch groups at 700 yards.

obiviously you have never hunted coues.

I have hunted Coues every year for 33 years now. To each their own, but I have to chuckle at the thought that you "need" to shoot them at 500+ yards, or that they could take 3 lung hits to put down. Go ahead and shoot them from as far as your skills allow, but be able to finish what you started, it's often more likely to wound at long range than miss clean.

After 33 years... Lets see some pix.

So now I've got to figure out photobucket again... great.
Let me see what I can do.

Why does he need to prove anything to you?

In this era of increasing long range hunting popularity, this is very sound advice no matter the animal you're hunting IMO.

TOtally depends on your ability. The key here is to know that you are or are not capable at X range. Beyond that its no ones business how you go about doing it.

If your stupid rich, and want to drop around $10-15000, call Kirby Allen, and have him build you a 338 Allen Mag. 700 yds is just warming them up.

Toby Joe

Or better yet, a 375 AM. 700 yards would be where you zero one of those beasts

Or get closer. Zero cost.

If the guide is saying he can put you on a good buck for certain but you have to be able to shoot at least 500 yards it's because he's got a honey hole and you just can't hunt that spot any other way. From what I gather the guide isn't saying you have to be able to kill at those ranges but if you want a sure chance at an above average buck this is what it's going to take. The guide also isn't saying he can't put him on a deer at closer range, just if he can shoot that far it opens up a really good option.

It is not uncommon to glass up a nice Coues buck at 600-1,000 yards across a canyon, bedded comfortably in the shade of an oak or a juniper. Personally, neither I nor anyone I have hunted with, have ever unlimbered the tripod (preferably mounted with "the Claw") or got prone with the rifle over a day pack and proceeded to blast away at the distant animal.

What you do is plan the best stalk that you can and proceed. If you have a companion or companions, they stay and watch the animal, so that if it moves before you get over there, you at least know which way it went. Often as not, some of these stalks end up with the deer having disappeared before you get there. In the latter circumstance, about half the time, the observer(s) don't even see the deer move out--he just won't be there when you get there. That's why they call them the "grey ghosts" and why it's called "hunting", not "shooting".

An outfitter that tells you to be prepared for 600-750 yard shots is more interested in being able to say something like, "Ninety-five percent of our hunters get shots--if you can shoot we can put you on a trophy".

The above statement is an opinion. Just like mine.

Some of us like the thrill of close, some don't. Both are challenges of their own kind. Both can be ethical or not. Both can result in quick clean kills or not.

FWIW every animal at this point in my life, that I've shot at beyond 500 yards has died very quickly. And I have yet to miss, but only have shot out to just over 800 on game so far, though almost had a shot around 950 IIRC that would have been DRT to because the check shot was spot on... but the sheep moved after that and never presented an ethical, to me, target.

I"m about tired of folks that get on their high horse and preach about the only way to do it is there way.

Me... I've had fun from 3 yards out to 802 yards so far and everything in between so I fail to see what use folks get out of preaching that if you don't get closer you ain't worth a flip and so on..

I don't own a high horse. I just think the odds are better if you're closer than 750yds.

I think very few can make that shot consistently in all conditions.

Quite substantial claims, especially taking credit for shots you never even took.

The rest of us might as well go home.

I dont know about you, dickhead, but I like seeing pictures of dead stuff. Especially 33 years worth of Coues hunting. Is that ok with you, or do I need permission?

Typical.

Ain't nothing like someone back east telling us out west how it hould be done. Last time I hunted Southern AZ I watched a Coues Deer doe and her fawn for several hours before it got too hot and they bedded down. I was hunting Desert Mule Deer so even if she'd been a buck I couldn't have taken the shot. She was maybe 450 to 500 yards out from where I was sitting and there was absolutely no way I could have pulled off a stalk had she been legal game. Still, it was fun to watch her and her fawn and they meandered about. I had better luck seeing game that day unlike my two hunting partners who were hiking all over hell and gone in that heat and used up all their water supply When we hooked back up they were badly dehydrated. It can get quite hot down here even in October and Novemeber. the Sonoran desert can be quite unforgiving.
Paul B.

I like extending my range. I have killed coues spot and stalk at 10 yards with a bow, 90 yards with a 308, 517 yards with a 308 and 70 yards with a 25-06. I have also killed Mule deer from 32 yards with a bow to over 300 with my 308. However I like knowing I can shoot my rifle 650 yards effectively incase I find a huge buck on the flats that I have no options other than pass or shoot long range or if I am hunting a long wide canyon. For example, I guided with a friend at the Kaibab once that we were hunting a certain buck. the Canyon was over 600 yards. We did everything in our power to get as close as we could, but to get within the 400 yards meant we were invading the bucks bedding area. So we decided to get as close as we could cross canyon and it turned out to be 425 if I recall. There was no other option so we set up a plan and we killed him the following morning. He was prepared. As a guide all you can hope for is ask for a client to be prepared.

Kique

As a guide, I would much prefer a client who was capable and confident in his shooting out to 700 yards, than one who could only shoot to 200 yards. Sometimes there are situations and shot opportunities that even the guide cannot control, and the result lies with the shooter Contrary to popular belief, guides don't design and create shooting situations. Stalking skills are invaluable, but even guides take what the mountain offers.

Yep. Act like a dick head for no reason, I'm going to call you a dick head. That's how I am.

Funny, but I thought you were the dickhead.

Now what?

I sure can be, but I did nothing here to be a dick head besides ask a guy who has 33 years experience to post pictures. I never said he had to, I never challenged him, I never triple dog dared him, hell, I never said I didn't believe him on anything. Asked for pictures, and you were there talking schit, so yeah, you're the dick head.

Let's see if this works Casey, I'm a techtard...






[img]http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h473/samer257/a.jpg[/img]

That last picture is a buddy of mine I took out for his first coues hunt and what he tagged early the first morning. Some people have all the luck. I'll need to dig around and look for additional field shots I can scan.

I am not against longer range shots, in fact I now have an LRF and just added a CDS dial to my .270 rig. It's just that most of my kills have been at 200 yards or less in situations such as Mudhen outlined...

Casey

This one, was DRT, didn't require more than one shot, and was no harder to kill than anything else. 264 WM, 140 VLD, 80 yards. In behind left ear, out right eyeball. Likely knockin' on 110, if a guy was countin', and it was October, not the rut. FWIW.



I could post up more dead pics... if your heart desires?

Coues are NOT hard to kill. Shoot 'em where they live, and they die.

Your 257 Roy pic was likely quartered to, exited guts, nicked lung, and was likely a liver shot, at best, btw.

[bleep]... this was a few years... and wasn't all that was in the freezer.

Post up, dickheads.













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[img]http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad268/boxerluvjen/100_0195.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i942.photobucket.com/albums/ad268/boxerluvjen/103_0013.jpg[/img]

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Tell me again how hard Coues are to kill.... I forget.

Thats a really nice buck!

Nope, was 100% broadside (had two witnesses). Didn't do a full autopsy so I'm not sure the path of the bullet but both lungs had wholes in them, I did check that.

Im sticking to my guns and saying Coues are tough critters for being 100 pounds +/- on the hoof. Im not at all saying they are impossible to kill, I have had most of my deer die on the spot but I had a spike take three to the lungs (of course, what was in a matter of about 15 seconds, so didnt give him much of a chance), a 2x2 take a 140 Accubond from a 7RUM through the left ham, shatter the leg bone, travel the lenght of the body and exit near that side shoulder and not even flinch! He was found about 1/2 or less a mile away dead in his bed, I had a 92" buck take three shots from a 270 wsm although he only needed two, the third one blew his head apart.

MikeS, I really like that first buck, nice and wide with hard turning in beams. Pretty buck!

I'd say Coues aren't any tougher than anything else if hit in the vitals... but... they are tough bastards if you don't and can travel through some of the roughest country making recovery slim. I like to bust the shoulders and get them on the ground if possible.

Kent

Ok, a misunderstanding. It's so typical on this forum to not believe someone if they don't show pictures. If that wasn't your intention. I apologize.

Casey just wanted to see coues pics, heck even I wanted to see coues pics... Mike definitely has some nice ones.

Kent

He sure does. I'm also loving those fat good eating cows too.

Coues are like anything else. Drain the blood out of them or wreck CNS and they're done. Miss one of those two, and they run off.

Every big game animal I've hunted and seen hunted displays the same tendencies. I can remember a calf elk shot poorly that took us for a flippin 6 mile walkabout before it was brought to bag. Hunter jerked the trigger and shot it in front of the shoulders, which dropped in it's tracks. Then it got up and HAULED AZZ. If I didn't know it was a bad shot, I'd be here swearing how hard calf elk are to kill...

And for Coues especially, I DON'T like monometals. All else equal, the additional wound channels and damage from an expanding projectile increase the odds of damaging something vital and contribute to rapid loss of blood pressure... I've seen one Coues shot right about where Casey's pic is, but from the other side. Bullet (120 TSX, 3350 MV, about 2500 @ impact, 391 yards) nicked the lungs and shattered the liver. Like big cracks in it shattered. Blood loss was slow and it took several minutes for the buck to expire. Damage was minimal other than right at the hole. This was the final straw in a long love affair I had with monometal, which spanned from about 1995 to 2005. Animals seemed tougher when I was shooting those damn things than they did with an expanding bullet... I got tired of it so moved on.

Did you get to taste that calf? I've heard it's the best meat you can get.

Nope. Not that one. Was helping a friend and it was her tag.

I have eaten a calf before, and yearlings. They've all been VERY GOOD.

Awesome pics!!

I shot this dude last year from about 320'ish yards if I can recall. Waited prone in the sun for 3 1/2 hours for him to switch shade but after looking at his bed, he didn't have to. Finally after getting on him at 10:30AM, he got up at about 2 PM. 100 grain TTSX through front shoulders. Trotted with his tail between his legs for about 30 yards and gave it up fast.

Bedded here in shade.


Exit side from slight downhill shot angle.




Sorry about the tongue -


Only been in AZ for one season but I've got my eye on a few bucks now. Really, really love hunting these dudes.

One thing I don't think anyone will argue... Is Greg's an ugly bastid!

Simply put, in MY opinion, coues deer are tough for their size. They dont give up the ghose easily. If you hit them wrong, they will go and go and go. Put a bullet in the vitals and they are dead. I think what I am trying to get across is that, again this is only my opinion/experience... Breaking bones of Coues deer doesn't seem to bother them like other animals. Hell, I shot my 2nd largest (at the time it was my largest) buck in the head because he had TWO broken shoulders, tried to get up and put his eye ball in front of a 140 Accubond at about 20 yards. Blew him to pieces.

"most were spotted at 500 and up to 750 yards away and the hunters were unable to shoot at that range, get to them in time or spooked them."

That's why it's called hunting and not killing. The whole experience is of hunting is getting within range of a deer where you are comfortable of making a killing shot . Sometimes the deer win or it's no fun and the stories are just boring.

Nope, nope. 7 Mashed Potato it is.

you have the best already...your 300 win..with 150 grain Nosler BTBT or 165's...with 150's it will shoot 3400fps, less than 2 foot drop at 500 and hit harder than any 25 caliber...