Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting First AZ whitetail (Coues) hunt

Some friends and I got drawn for a whitetail rifle hunt in 6B this year. This is not the well-known whitetail area of Arizona, but they are there. 3 of the 4 of us were up at various times throughout the summer scouting. That did not reveal much. At all. So, I was hoping for at least a nice camping trip with friends.

We were able to go up a couple days early and do a bit more scouting, and 2 of our party saw a few does in a couple places, but no bucks. Saw some mule deer, too, but our tags were for whitetail/Coues only. I only saw elk. In fact, elk was all I saw on any of my scouting trips. I couldn't hardly get them out of the way, LOL!

However, on opening morning I decided to hunt a more rugged and remote area. I saw a few whitetail does shortly after departing our rendezvous point, but no bucks. Working my way to the place I wanted to have a look at, I was starting to get discouraged. It was _so_ rugged, _so_ difficult to get through in places, _so_ loud, and the wind shifted around so that it was coming from exactly behind me...

I regained my composure, though, and tried to really hunt it. I was rewarded with a group of whitetails! With bucks in it!!

Here's my very poor phone-cam picture:


This was a very fun hunt with good friends, and it was tough(!) but rewarding.

Nice.
Looks like it has some mass to it.
I hunted down south last year. I can second the 'tough'.

Nice buck! Sounds like you earned it, but very few of them come easy. Congratulations!

Well done! That's a very good looking buck to me. Congrats.

Thank you!
Yes, those antler beams are very heavy. This buck is much larger than I expected for a Coues deer. After my partners got to me and helped me haul him the 1,000 - 1,200 feet up and 2 or 3 miles to the nearest vehicle access, it was late dusk and we were about done in!

I took him to Flagstaff the next day, to Coconino Game Processing. Dennis there was very friendly and honestly excited to see this guy. He already has him butchered and is going to send the meat to me once I return from my work trip. Dennis suggested that I really should have him officially scored, so the taxidermist was doing that this week. I'll know more about that when I return, too.

That's really a great coues buck. Really a nice one especially for northern AZ. I've hunted 6B a lot mostly for mulies and bear and that canyon country that the whitetails are in is nasty. I know exactly what you are talking about. Thick, rugged, noisy walking with all the pine needles and oak leaves... I've seen some whitetails out there but not any bucks that big. Awesome coues buck!

I think you'll be happy with how they taste too. In general, a lot better than the average mule deer in my opinion.

More pics!!!

The man with the actual cam didn't arrive until the buck was dressed and skinned, so pics are limited. Here are a couple pics of the general area. It's a beautiful area for hiking.

nice buck

congrats

Wow, great buck! Fantastic looking territory-looks like a good place to spend some time. Congrats on your first Coues deer, and a good one at that.

Congrats on a Great Hunt!

Really nice buck... looks like he has a little muley genes... cool.

Kent

Great mass on that one! Congrats!

Neat buck. Congrats!

Congrats, you're hard work really paid off!

That is an AWESOME buck!

Cool buck and write up. You definitely earned that one!

MZ5,
Nice non-typical Coues. Looks like he has nice mass, sounds like you had a fun time, and definitely a nice first Coues buck.

Like someone mentioned, I too think they taste better than a mule deer. I personally think better than a bull elk.

Be careful, Coues deer can become addicting. It is my favorite game animal. I jokingly offered to trade my archery bull tag I had this fall for a buddy's Coues permit! I like hunting them because the ruggedness of the country they live in (like your pictures indicate), and just the great challenge they present.

You did well with your first Coues buck. Congratulations.

That is a really nice Coues buck! Congratulations....

Congratulations!