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

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






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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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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...

I was totally shocked the first time I saw my 150's exceed 3400 fps in my 300 WSM. I don't run them that fast but the cartridge is capable.

I love my .300wsm Montana with 150's at 3300fps and no pressure signs. I shoot a lot and over 500 yds wouldn't be my optimal choice on an I wounded game animal but I have ample rounds through it and feel very confident in a first round hit to 750yds assuming a good rest.

Same goes for my 257Roy with 100 TSX am .338 RUM and the 210 TSX. Have several other capable rifles/rounds but those 3 are my usual hunting sticks

MattMan-I totally concur with you on this. My experience with Coues has been they're not tough to kill. But, like any other crittr if you screw the pooch you may need track shoes. Maybe...

Casey seems to of experienced them being tough, that's not been my experience at all? A 22/250 with a 55 Horn is gonna stack them up quite fine for most sane ranges.

Just speaking about my experience is all.

Dober