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Arizona New Mexico Outfitters and Guides Coues Deer Hunting Articles The following is a collection of real life entries as written by the outfitter, guides, and past clients. Their purpose is to give potential hunters an idea of our hunts. Completing
The “Slam” By
Darrell Pardy
We knew
the eagle-like eyes of the buck wouldn’t spot us when we were shielded by this
hill, but now that we were in the drainage ditch and getting into more open
terrain that advantage was quickly disappearing. In addition our route was
strewn with loose gravel and sand and we had to navigate through a gauntlet with
prickly cactus bushes and mesquite trees. Trying to avoid the needle like plants
and remain stealthy was proving difficult. Pat
maintained radio contact with Keith who was still perched at the top of our
lookout, watching for any concern from the deer we were after. My intended
quarry, and a few of his buddies were behaving like sentries high above our
position. This is typical of Coues behavior as they are mostly nocturnal like
their eastern cousins. In the dawning hours of the day they will find a resting
place high on a hill and bed down under a mesquite tree, to escape the heat of
the Arizona day, and watch their surroundings for danger. As we
moved up the ditch Keith radioed that the deer on the hill seemed a little
spooked. Our deer was bedded down but his neighbor was getting a little antsy.
We decided we couldn’t venture any further without being busted and so we
climbed up out of our path and found an area to set up for a shooting
opportunity. I immediately started
to run through the mental checklist of points needed to make a shot in the
400-yard range. Yesterday I had missed two opportunities because of “rookie”
mistakes and I was determined not to do this again today. While Pat
maintained radio communication with Keith I set up my Sako .300 Win Mag using a
Harris Bi-pod and a butt rest. As I looked through my Leupold VX-3 6.5X20 50MM
scope my heart sank. It was fogged. I tried to wipe it clean but it appeared to
have some internal fog rendering it pretty much useless. I couldn’t believe my
luck… I had
booked this hunt with Pat Feldt and his Arizona Guided Hunts service back in
February. I am a week shy of my 52nd birthday and I have only been
hunting for a little over half a decade. I was fortunate enough to harvest a 220
pound 10 point whitetail on my first Maine deer hunt back in 2006. I shot a 325
pound 10 point Mule deer in 2007 in Wyoming, and last fall I harvested a nice
Blacktail deer in Washington State. The Coues deer was that last deer I needed
for my deer slam and everyone I communicated with told me that Pat was the way
to go if you wanted an opportunity to harvest a really nice Coues deer. So far
everything on this trip had lived up to the advance billing. I had been lucky
enough to draw a tag in the Arizona lottery for my preferred week and location,
and I had arrived in Tucson two days earlier. I was picked up by Pat at my hotel
the following morning and we then took a scenic drive to camp through the desert
area surrounded by majestic mountains. I was hopeful that my conditioning
program of the past seven months would pay off up in those mountains. We saw
lots of saguaro cactus and mesquite trees. Pat had already set up the camp and
the third member of his team; Elliot Anderson was already there out scouting. Camp
consisted of a main trailer that acted as a bunk and cookhouse for the guides, a
large army type Cabela’s tent for the hunters, a wash-up area, a fire ring for
nightly camp fires and conversation, and a portable privy located in a discrete
area not too far away from our tent. Inside the tent were army cots, a trash
bag, and a lamp. All the creature comforts necessary for a comfortable camp and
successful hunt. After
unpacking our gear and chatting with the local rancher we decided it was time to
spot-check our rifles. My co-hunters had driven here but since I arrived via two
flights from Portland Maine I knew I had to re-sight my rifle. Eliot set up a
target at 200 yards and broke out spotting binoculars. I set up on a tarp in the
prone position and after a few rounds felt confident that the gun was zeroed at
200 yards. My Leupold scope was a long-range scope that also had cross-wire hold
points for 300, 400, 500 and 550 yards. Hunting for Coues deer may require shots
out well beyond the 200-yard range. Dinner the
first night was steaks with potatoes and beans and we enjoyed the hearty meal
while we sat around a campfire. My guide, Keith Hubbard arrived just as we were
finishing up and we discussed plans for the next day’s hunt. We would be up
early and on the trail by 5:30. Keith and I were going to hunt deep into the
mountains near the western edge of our zone. There were usually a lot of deer in
the area and it would give us a good chance to spot a nice buck. After
turning in, the evening fell somewhat quite except for the occasional coyote
call in the distance and the sound of crickets. I got up around two o’clock
since I was still on eastern-time and walked out into a bright moonlight night.
You could almost read a book with the light and I marveled at the beauty of the
area. Shortly
after 7am the next morning we had crested the first major ridge and Keith and I
stopped to do some glassing. We had radios to stay in contact with the other
guides and hunters but we were getting deeper into the backcountry. We spotted a
few smaller buck and numerous does. It was the first day of the season so I
wasn’t in any hurry to shoot and besides at 350 yards I wasn’t too crazy
about trying my luck. Back in Maine it is rare to shoot anything beyond a 100
yards and the idea of shooting a deer half the size of a Maine buck at three and
a half times the distance was a little unsettling to me. I had practices at the
range pretty faithfully but that was only out to 200 yards. By mid day
the sun was getting pretty hot but we kept spotting the occasional deer so we
opted not to return to camp. A red tailed hawk that was playing on the thermals
that blew through these hills was entertaining us and we spotted a small family
of javelinas grazing on a hillside. A few hunters were also spotted from our
vantage point. Despite our perch I was having problems picking up the deer that
Keith seemed to be locating at a pretty consistent rate. He would exclaim,
“there’s a deer” and I would be scrambling to locate it. I now understand
why these deer have the nickname “grey ghost”. If I was out here by myself I
would have gone home and declared there were no deer in the area. With Keith’s
guidance and great optics I had already seen well in excess of twenty or so. After
lunch we decided to head further into backcountry. We spotted several nice
animals and formulated a strategy to try and get closer to one of the larger
bucks that Keith had spotted. This involved about a 30-minute hike up a narrow
trail where I managed to collect a nice assortment of cactus needles, both large
and small on various parts of my anatomy. I worked hard to keep up with Keith
and tried to keep my breathing controlled both due to the sudden physical
exertion and the excitement of the stalk. After we
finally reached our position I tried to find a good rest but could not get
comfortable. I tried various positions but just couldn’t get the gun as steady
as I would have liked. In the meantime the deer were on the move and as soon as
I would get somewhat ready to shoot they would move and I would be forced to
reposition myself. All of my practicing seemed to be going out the window and I
was forgetting all I had read and practiced about ballistics over the past six
months. I was getting more and more frustrated and I know Keith was concerned
that I would lose a good shooting opportunity. Finally I decided to take a shot. Our hike
out was initially subdued. The three empty cartridges in my gun belt and the
empty backpack confirmed that I was unsuccessful in my first attempt at a Coues
deer. I was upset at myself for not being calmer and taking my time with my
shooting. I was upset that I couldn’t spot the deer as quickly as my guide.
And, I felt that I had let down Keith, who managed to spot some really nice
deer, get us within 330 yards and then I couldn’t execute. Keith I
think understood my situation and did his best to cheer me up and talk about
tomorrow and the opportunities that would present themselves. Back at
camp we learned that one of my fellow hunters had tagged out. It was his first
deer ever and we were all very happy for him. There is nothing like your first
deer and he was grinning from ear to ear. Dinner consisted of chicken, rice, and
salad and strategizing about tomorrow’s hunt. Since
Pat’s hunter had tagged out yesterday he decided to join Keith and myself on
my second day. That’s how he managed to be with me when my scope failed. After
yesterday’s missed shots I felt confident about today’s setup but the fogged
scope meant the hunt was about to come to a crashing end. Pat mentioned that he
had a backup gun at camp but before hiking out I asked if he has some tissue
paper. I grabbed the paper and wiped both ends of the scope, and suddenly the
problem disappeared. Apparently there was a bit of oil on my glove and when I
attempted to clear the fog off the eyepiece I smudged it. Another lesson learned. Now we
were back in business. Pat told me that I needed to hold at 350 yards for the
angle of the shot. I put the 300-yard hold point on the back of the deer and
relaxed. Pat and Keith both waited for me to pull the trigger. I gently squeezed
my entire right hand, and the shot rang out. Later
Keith told me he saw the deer roll over before he heard the shot. Pat exclaimed
“you got him” and I was both relieved at the redemption from yesterday and
the fact that I had just completed my “deer slam”.
Pat told me the shot was actually 416 yards. By far the longest shot I
had ever made. The hike
up the steep side of the hill was seemingly effortless. The adrenaline rush kept
me going and pretty soon it was evident that not only had I completed my slam
but also I did it with a pretty impressive deer. He was a nice fat 8 pointer
that would score just under 100 inches. This
is why it’s always good to choose a reputable outfitter with a world of
experience. More
congratulations and much picture taking ensued before the inevitable quartering
and dividing up of the load necessary to get the deer back to camp. When we
broke camp the next day all three hunters had successfully tagged out. It was a
milestone for each of us. I had completed my deer slam, another hunter had
harvested his first deer, and our third hunter had returned for his second Coues
deer hunt and now had a matching trophy to accompany the deer he had shot a few
years back with Pat. With my
“slam” completed I am now thinking about new goals and hunts. At the top of
my list will be a return trip to Arizona to hunt with Pat again, this time for a
desert Mule deer. Darrell
Pardy Yarmouth
Maine October
2010
Visit our Coues deer page for rates and other info.
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As
we hiked up the desert drainage ditch I was trying to remember my mental
checklist to make a good shot. My outfitter, Pat Feldt, and I had just climbed
down from the top of the hill we had been glassing on for Coues whitetails. Pat
and my guide, Keith Hubbard, had spotted a nice buck on the adjacent hill and we
were trying to bleed off some of the 600 yards shooting distance between the
deer and my rifle.
Well
after a spectacular year hunting in CA I had decided to head to AZ for my
fourth leg of the deer slam with a pistol. Yep, I wanted to put a coues on my
wall. Being a hand gunner, a book buck was not necessary; rather a respectable
mature male would suffice. I have hunted coues with a bow (to no avail). This
would be my first time to handgun the very wary coues deer… Much more
elusive than the Mulies and the Black tails that I hunt every year. And
certainly more so than the Eastern whitetail species that I have harvested.
Anyway, the trip was planned and booked with “Arizona Guided Hunts.” I was
to leave for a week in November to chase Coues whitetail.