Arizona Coues 2021-No one should be this lucky

[Skunk_Sheriff]

Well Arizona deer results have officially been posted for the 2021 season, as I am sure many of you know and are now planning your hunts. For me, I only expected to get my very first preference point for Arizona deer. What I saw on Friday morning as I lay under a broken down side by side trying to escape the sun while I waited for a co worker to come get me left me speechless. It's official.....late season (Dec 10-31) Coues here I come. Not only will this be my very first Coues deer hunt, this is my first out of state hunt of any kind.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Big Fin for all his amazing content and the sound advise, throw your name in the hat and maybe this is your lucky year. So even when Go Hunt tells you there's only a 1.2% chance, there's still a chance.

If anyone has any good information you would like to share on unit 32 I would greatly appreciate it. There are a few things that I have already started to think about:
1)How is the drought right now? Have the monsoons started to hit at all? Probably will be more focused on what water there is left to find deer
2)Should I buy some 15x binoculars or will I be able to make my 10x42's and spotter work?
3)How are things going to be safety wise in that unit with the current state of the border? and how should I be adjusting my hunt plan for that?

Thanks to all you guys on this platform for all the great info that is here and all the great help that you all give each other.

 

[Wallydeuce]

Good for you! Have a great time!

My wife and I are planning on going in January for an OTC journey. I'll archery hunt while my wife and Kasey (Maltese) explore adjacent towns.

 

[Bigjay73]

You can always rent Swarovski 15x56s online, I'd take a pair either way. Congrats on a cool tag

 

[Bigjay73]

I've hunted 31, not 32, but have spent time in Aravaipa canyon and don't recall seeing any WT. I'd find water sources in Galiuro and go from there.

 

[CouesKelly]

Congrats on the tag. 32 is great Coues country. There is a reasonable population there but for some reason the numbers are not as high as adjacent 33. One theory is the population of mtn lions is higher in the Galiuro mtns. Pick up a lion tag incase you see one. You should still be able to get into deer though.
- Monsoons have been kicking off and we have been getting scattered storms last week and this week. I was out today and there is some nice green grass and all the Ocotillo have green leaves.
-Water holes that have been dry are filling and holding water for now. No idea if it will continue or if any of it will last till your December hunt.
- Little to worry about with border traffic north of I-10. Almost all activity happens south of the 10.
-Quality 10x42s will be fine but 15s or 18s are better. I would make sure you have a good tripod to mount them on so you can get stable and pick up small movements. Coues Deer are notoriously hard to spot but very rewarding when you do. You should be able to glass them up with your 10s and then get the spotter on them for a closer look to see if it is something you want to go after.

 

[FlatlanderAZ]

Kelly is spot on. This unit really doesn’t have border issues. But it does have private property challenges. Reach out to AZGFD and see if the WM will send you a map that indicates which roads have locked gates on them, cause there are a bunch. There is plenty of public, you just have to work a little to get to some of it. Spend your time on OnX ahead of time.

Also, keep in mind this isn’t a rut hunt. When I have had December tags there might be some limited rut activity but as the hunt progresses it will pick up a bit. The week after Christmas has always been the very best for me.

Good luck and enjoy. Coues are addicting.

 

[dihardhunter]

CouesKelly is spot on, troubleshooting your access around private is the key. Solid unit though, zero doubt about that. Late season I'd focus down on the southern end of the unit shading towards the east. So few tags on the late hunt that pressure will be non existent and you shouldnt have to press into the wilderness to find action.

 

[Bluffgruff]

No safety issues in regards to the border. Should be nice weather, but it could be cold or even snow. I'd call the biologist/CO for the area with a couple spots to ask about. Read the azgfd entry on the unit in "where to hunt" before hand. Plan on glassing with a tripod with your 10x42s. Take water in specialized water bag if you hike into roadless spots. No rut action as mentioned before on these hunts, and I think the early to mid season is probably better, before bucks get out of their patterns. Deer will be generally in range of water sources. Keep the sun at your back when glassing. Man, so much stuff to tell you... it is a lot of fun if you get into a good pocket of deer. Goodluck!

 

[Blackcats06]

Previous posts hit almost everything on the head but water in 32 is limited compared to other units. Something to think about if you are going to hike into the wilderness.

 

[AZBridger]

Congrats on the tag. I have hunted 32 a lot and have been lucky to kill 6-8 coues bucks in there over the years. I stopped hunting it probably 8 years ago because the lions and access got really bad. As others said there is still plenty of public land but the easy to get to places have seen a huge increase in pressure. The genetics in 32 don't seem to be the best for some reason either but we always killed respectable representative bucks (80-90"). 15X binos definitely help but don't think that you can't kill a buck without them. Fell free to PM me if you want to bounce any ideas off me or need any advice.

 

[Shangobango]

Awesome. Hope you have a heck if a hunt.

 

[Taxidermy Services Tucson]

Winchester Mountains west of Willcox. Access can be had on the west side by way of Allen Flats. Like others before me, good glasses on a tripod.

 

[dihardhunter]

Winchester Mountains west of Willcox. Access can be had on the west side by way of Allen Flats. Like others before me, good glasses on a tripod.

This is exactly the portion of the unit I was subtly hinting at above (southern portion, eastern side of the unit)

 

[donald250]

Congrat on a cool tag, have a nice time

 

[Bassf123]

Look up the land access coordinator for that area and he can help you with access info

 

[Skunk_Sheriff]

Well my first coues hunt is officially in the books. Because of family and work obligations I was only able to schedule the first 7 days of season. Long story short, my girlfriend and I had a great time...but I missed.

The long version is: Got worked into a group and had a 280 yard shot (couldn't believe I was actually that close), but couldn't get into a good prone position due to the abundance of grass so I used my tripod to take a seated shot. I get set up, get my breathing right, and squeeze off the shot. Shot felt great but all I see is a big cloud of dust where the buck was and he is at a dead run down hill. He stops after about a hundred yard run and is looking straight at us. Shortly after the four does with him took off away from the area but he just stood there staring in our direction. After maybe 5-10 minutes he starts acting like he is gonna bed down, I am getting all set if he gives me a broadside shot (which he does for a about half a second). Once he beds down...poof...he's just gone. If I hadn't watched him bed down I would have no idea that he was there. So now I am questioning why would he not leave with the does, in my experience a buck will follow his does unless he's hurt. Did I wound him? Did I just miss? What is going on!? I decide in my mind that I must have made a bad hit and the dust was the pass through (this is even though my girlfriend is telling me she watched the shot and I was just high over his back, you can tell where this is going). I work my way over there and find the tree he bedded under. As I come over the brush I am at maybe 10 yards and I see his head is straight up and he is looking at me. He takes off, I check his bed and there isn't a drop of blood anywhere. Needless to say I am feeling a little foolish but also very excited that I was able to get an opportunity having never hunted coues deer before.

I learned a ton and will definitely be back in southern Arizona again. We ended up seeing 40ish coues, 40-50 mule deer, 5 javalina, 1 turantula, 0 rattle snakes (thank goodness), and more birds than I could possibly count.

We did get some great advice from some local hunters while we were there. I didn't get your name but if you're on here thank you, you gave us some great advice on an area where we found the most deer of our trip.

And thanks to everyone in this thread for the advice I would not have been as successful without you!

 

[FlatlanderAZ]

Congrats on a new adventure.

If you aren’t going to make it back out, donate that tag to OE4A. They can sign it over to a child with a disability and they can hunt for the rest of the hunt.

Eddie Corona is the guy who runs it.
+1 (480) 529-8340

 

[kevinbethje]

Did you hunt near water all the time and if so, how far from the water source were the deer hanging out?

 

[Skunk_Sheriff]

Did you hunt near water all the time and if so, how far from the water source were the deer hanging out?

Water wasn't much of an issue last year with all the summer monsoons, almost all the tanks were full of water. The biggest challenge was all the grass being waist height and being able to spot any deer unless they were up and moving. The main thing we found to look for was the mahogany and cholla with the bright yellow growth. Anywhere we found those two plants in abundance there were plenty of deer hanging around.