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John's Journal... Entry 121, Day 3

CHRIS DENHAM OF ARIZONA -- HUNTING COUES DEER

How the Hunt for the Coues Deer Usually Progresses

EDITOR'S NOTE: Chris Denham of Chandler, Arizona, has lived in Arizona for 38 years and started hunting seriously in Arizona when he was about 14. Denham, an outfitter and expert hunter, took his first Coues deer when only 16-years old. A colonel, Elliott Coues, back in the 1800s, first discovered the Coues deer, and the deer were named after him. This week we'll take a trip with Denham to the mountains of
Arizona to hunt Coues deer.

QUESTION: Chris, we've talked about using binoculars and spotting scopes to see Coues deer. Once a hunter spots a Coues deer, how does the hunt progress from there?
ANSWER: Well, typically what I'll do, depending on where the deer is, is look at the deer. If I think that deer isn't going to bed down for quite awhile and instead will be feeding on that hillside for some time, we may just make a mad dash and try to get closer to the deer to make our next decision. But a lot of times, you'll see the deer at 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. going into a bedding area. If we had found a good buck this morning when we saw the deer going to their bedding area, I would have watched that buck for an hour to make sure that he stayed bedded-down. Next I'd try to locate a good spot to take a shot right when the deer got out of their beds. You can sit or lay somewhere and wait for deer to get up. And sometimes three or four hours may pass before any of the deer actually stand up. Then you can try to take the shot when they stand up to leave their beds.

QUESTION: How close will you get to the deer?
ANSWER: Typically on a bedded-down deer or even on a feeding deer, I'll have had my dream come true if I can get within 100 yards of a Coues deer. However, typically you'll be 150 to 250 yards, sometimes 300 yards, away.

QUESTION: And these deer stand how tall and weigh how much?
ANSWER: Coues deer are about 28 inches at the shoulder. Does weigh 60 to 80 pounds, and a mature buck will go 80 to 120 pounds.

QUESTION: What scopes are you using? And what scopes do you suggest?
ANSWER: Swarovski and Kahles both make quality riflescopes. And the key with riflescopes is being able to see what you want to shoot. Often guys will come out West and have a really good pair of binoculars and riflescope. But then when they have to shoot with an angle to the sun, their scopes won't cut the glare. Literally in this situation, the hunter can't see the deer through his scope. I do recommend using high-powered scopes. I would say get a minimum 9X to 10X on the upper end and preferably a 3.5-10X or a 4-16X scope. Many hunters use 20X or 24X scopes when they hunt Coues deer.

QUESTION: Why is a sling on your gun so important when you hunt Coues deer?
ANSWER: You need a sling in these mountains because you need your hands free to constantly pick up your binoculars and glass and to free up your hands when you're climbing in and out rocks. In some places out here in the mountains, you may have to do hand-over-hand to reach the perch where you'll be glassing.

QUESTION: So having a sling is important for you?
ANSWER: Having a sling on your gun is mandatory. If someone showed up without a sling, we'd have to figure out how to tie a rope on the gun to keep the gun off their hands and on their shoulders.

To learn more about Coues deer hunting, you can contact Chris Denham at 1814 West Oriole Way, Chandler, AZ 85248, (480) 857-3057, or email him at c.denham@prodigy.net. For more information about Denham's equipment, contact Kahles in Cranston, Rhode Island, for binoculars at (800) 426-3089; Outdoorsmans in Phoenix, Arizona, for Denham's tripod at (800) 291-8065 or go to www.outdoorsmans.com; and Swarovski Optik in Barrington, Rhode Island for binoculars at (401) 245-4461;

TOMORROW: ANOTHER WAY TO HUNT COUES DEER



 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Hunting Coues Deer...

Day 1 - Acquainting Yourself With the Area Where You Hunt Coues Deer
Day 2 - The Equipment You Need to Hunt Coues Deer
Day 3 - How the Hunt for the Coues Deer Usually Progresses
Day 4 - Another Way to Hunt Coues Deer
Day 5 - Denham's Toughest Coues Hunt and General Information about Applying to Hunt Coues Deer

John's Journal