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Arizona Coues deer

I am going to hunt Coues deer in Arizona in the next year or two. I am just wanting to get some Intel on good areas, what to expect, some bow hunting tactics, best time of year to hunt, etc. This will complete my deer slam if I can be successful. Thanks for any input!

bow hunting only season in January during the rut. I gave up on the spot and stalk so I use ground or tree stand blinds.

Brett, tough to get intel out of guys that hunt them a lot. Mostly because most hunting is on public land with tags that can be bought over the counter for archery and long seasons. Nobody wants to give up a hot spot that can get overrun in short order with only a few "pointers" given out. There are lots of great areas down there - some near the border can be scary, though. Treestands and popups over water, trails, scrapes or fence crossings are your best bet.

I've killed P&Y bucks 8 years in a row DIY, public land in the Catalina Mountains out of Oracle, AZ. Two of those bucks also made B&C. Get off the road, find sign, set up a ladder stand, sit and wait. If you have persistence, patience and can calmly shoot out to 35 yards, you'll kill a nice buck.

The attached link is a good place to start.

For rut activity, best time to hunt is the last three days of December and the first 3 days of January. That is not what the majority will tell you, but they are typically engulfed in family holiday activities, partying the New Year or recovering from their New Year celebration. I spend that time hunting.

Awesome replies and some awesome bucks! Thank you and congratulations on some fantastic deer!!

If you can't hunt the first cycle of the rut, does will come into estrus a second time, if they weren’t bred in the first cycle, approximately 3 weeks later. So, if I couldn't hunt the last days of December and the first few days of January, I'd be there the last week of January.

Want 100% opportunity? Contact Ward's Outfitters.

Brett, I'll be trying to do the same next January and wish you luck. Ron

A Coues in the snow...that’s something you don’t see a lot!!! Congratulations!!!!

Thanks Ron! Good luck to you too!!!

Not sure if you have a place to stay yet but Blacktail Bob has a rental not far from some good hunting... I stayed there in January. Great place and wonderful people...

I’m going to pull the camper down and do some glamping with the family!??

If you do have an interest in the Catalina's and the area around Oracle, certainly not the only place to hunt, send me a PM. I know of a camp ground that would work for you. Make sure you have a four-wheel drive truck and an ATV would not hurt.

This past year I hunted with Larry D. Jones and killed this buck. Larry killed a buck too. He was hampered somewhat by a shoulder injury and limited his shots to 15 yards. Otherwise he would have killed a bigger buck earlier than the one he did kill.

Do the estrous dates vary much or at all throughout the state or pretty uniform? Coues are high on my list and definitely going to be a rut hunt.

I cant say for anywhere but where I've witnessed it for myself, but in the Catalina's its been the same time every year since I've hunted it.

By the way, if you do want a guided hunt, Ward's is by far your best option for a Bow Hunt.

Bob has a great location. Lots of deer in 33 and some good ones! There is plenty of public land around that area and some places that you can get away from everyone. Guys in AZ call 33 the "deer factory".

Maybe you should shout your favorite elk unit from the mountain tops.

It has already been pretty well noted above. Cross reference to units is easy enough.

My favorite elk units are not in Colorado...

I have hunted that country quite a bit and still do a bit, but it is already more crowded than I want to deal with due to its proximity to Tucson. Still, even with lots of rifle seasons fielding the highest numbers of hunters in the state and unlimited archery seasons, great bucks come out of there every year.

Noted, I pretty much skimmed above.

Yup, definitely go to the Catalinas. There's no Coues anywhere else in AZ ;)

I hunted with Ward's last year and will be back again this year. I am going in late August/early September. The rut isn't on but it's the perfect opportunity to get a Coues in full velvet. Beautiful deer. Spot and stock along with some sits in a natural or man made ground blind are the norm that time of year. You don't have to be super fit but being able to do lots of hiking is definitely a plus and will get you way more opportunities at a nice buck. Good luck.

The Catalinas are my backyard. I worked for Forest Service in those mountains and some of the other ranger districts of the Coronado NF. Statistically, the Catalinas are one of the most heavily visited Nat Forests as far as recreational utilization is concerned. Some areas are still less accessible on the backside but even there numerous people are recreating on and off trails. This is especially so during the cooler months when many snow birds are here (usually during hunting seasons). It can be a virtual circus out there with motor cross rallies, mountain bikers, ATV and 4x4 trail rider clubs, hikers, birders, horseback riders, and of course us hunters which descend upon these areas by the thousands each season. Yes, there are deer and other game still surviving in the habitat to hunt; but only if you don't mind the constant buzz of human intrusions that occur in many areas. We get plenty of bowhunters in there from all over the State in addition to nonresidents. I've counted as many as 14 trucks (hunters) on a January morning pull into one of my old Javelina/deer hunting locations which is already overrun with mt bikers, hikers and horseback riders. Every year it seems to get worse. Where I used to see four or five herds of javelina a day, now many times we cannot locate a single pig. Its all the price you pay for having a nice popular place.... Pretty soon it becomes not so nice.

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