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
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