My Funky Coues Buck

[Big Fin]

This hunt was December, 2023. It's been out on Fresh Tracks+ for many months. Today, it hit YouTube.

This is the first time in all my years of applying for deer in Arizona that I drew my first choice. I always make my first choice an unlikely possibility for whatever point total I have, using my second choice as whatever has the best probability. In this draw I had four points and I when my credit card got hit I was sure it was the early season. Nope, a late December rifle Coues hunt.

It was hard to pass this buck. We got him aged at Matson's Lab. I missed my guess on his age.

 

[ismith]

This hunt was December, 2023. It's been out on Fresh Tracks+ for many months. Today, it hit YouTube.

This is the first time in all my years of applying for deer in Arizona that I drew my first choice. I always make my first choice an unlikely possibility for whatever point total I have, using my second choice as whatever has the best probability. In this draw I had four points and I when my credit card got hit I was sure it was the early season. Nope, a late December rifle Coues hunt.

It was hard to pass this buck. We got him aged at Matson's Lab. I missed my guess on his age.

Very cool buck, looks like an old timer for sure.

 

[idelkslayer]

This hunt was December, 2023. It's been out on Fresh Tracks+ for many months. Today, it hit YouTube.

This is the first time in all my years of applying for deer in Arizona that I drew my first choice. I always make my first choice an unlikely possibility for whatever point total I have, using my second choice as whatever has the best probability. In this draw I had four points and I when my credit card got hit I was sure it was the early season. Nope, a late December rifle Coues hunt.

It was hard to pass this buck. We got him aged at Matson's Lab. I missed my guess on his age.

Did I miss it in the video? You guessed 5 or older, what was the age?

 

[Big Fin]

I guessed him at 5+, based on antler formation and amount of mass and burrs. His teeth were in very good shape, so when he came back at 3.5 maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. But, using the antlers to judge age, I missed it by a good margin.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Very cool Coues!!!
Never age by antler is hard to do sometimes!

 

[LopeHunter]

That buck was going to funky town.

AZ Coues I harvested with a rifle in 2015. My favorite mount in our home which has pronghorn, elk, deer, moose, sheep and goat.

 

[NY_BLUES]

Neat deer, congrats Randy. It fascinates me that no 2 deer are a like, and are as unique as snowflakes. I would have guessed older than 3.5 as well.

 

[5yearcoueshunter]

I guessed him at 5+, based on antler formation and amount of mass and burrs. His teeth were in very good shape, so when he came back at 3.5 maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. But, using the antlers to judge age, I missed it by a good margin.

Yes! That was my guess, although I have no receipts to show my guess was right. haha His face and body size just didn't make me think it was an old buck. I'm assuming just for some reason, his antlers genetics or early development damage caused that funky shape and gave him that mass. Either way, amazing buck Randy! I've hunted that spot once before, neat area and hard to draw as a NR.

 

[pabearhunter]

Congratulations Randy.