Rutting Coues

  The Coues deer has taken a hold of the desert deer hunter of today.  It is not as easy to draw a tag for a Coues deer hunt as it used to be. The secret is out. These little bucks are just plain fun to hunt and they are a lot easier to pack out. The Coues rut falls in December but don’t expect the hunt to be easy if you have one of these coveted tags. This little cousin to the eastern whitetail deer is a cagey critter. I also think they have stealth capabilities.

  I know that this may  sound redundant but the most productive way to hunt Coues deer is to use your OPTICS!   Sitting behind good optics is the best way to get one these trophies. Get to some high peak and then pick the country apart.  Yes, this time of the year when those bigger bucks are out and moving a lot more than usual but scouting will still pay off. Find those little bands of mature does during preseason scouting and mark their locations. Just sit, glass and take notes. This way their daily routines won’t be messed up. These are the areas where the bucks will come to check for receptive does.  Remember to be methodical when glassing. Don’t just sit and look through your optics across the countryside, break it up into sections and look over every inch of each section. Now for another redundant statement, use the best optics you can afford.

See Louie's story "Behind the Glass" 

  Once you have located your buck and he is not disturbed, make a game plan for a stalk. Look for the most concealing route. Get down in those arroyos and depressions to conceal  your movement. Go slow being careful to look over the country. There is a good chance that there is a bigger buck in the area. Don’t forget about the wind. Hunting Coues deer in this manner stacks the deck in the hunter’s favor, time is on your side and so is the advantage of being able to plan out the stalk.

 Another tactic that is very  much over looked here in the west is the use of  calling techniques. Remember folks, a Coues deer is a whitetale. The same tactics that work for eastern whitetail work for our Coues. (With a little modification.)  If used correctly, calling tactics can be very effective. Strategies such as the grunt calls and rattling work for Coues. Arizona Coues is smaller so the sounds created need to be just a little higher in pitch. Modern Call Products has produced a call specifically for the Coues. You can call the shop or e-mail me for your nearest dealer. If you want to try rattling them in use a medium sized set of antlers. Remember, you are impersonating a diminutive Coues not an eastern whitetail. One more thing that I have discovered is that the Coues is a very aggressive deer. The competition for does is fiercer than his eastern kin. Don’t be afraid to get aggressive with rattling and calling. He may be small but he is mighty. You can get some excellent information on calling whitetail from the eastern whitetail deer tactic videotapes. Just remember the modifications that I have just discussed.

  The use of scents will also aid in increasing your success. I have been using deer lures for quite some time now and have gotten great results. Never underestimate the nose on a rutting buck. When it comes to his love life the nose knows. One effective way to use scents is to get into a Scent-Lok suit and work a crosswind with a drag rag of a “doe in heat” scent lure. Another very effective way to use a scent is to post up in a high traffic area while using the “figure 8” method of getting a buck to come into range. This is done by using some type of tree stand or blind set up. Before entering the stand area use a draggling soaked in a deer in estrus scent and walk out from your stand in a figure 8. The apex of the figure 8 ends should be at least 200 yards from the stand location. The theory is that the figure 8 pattern forces the buck to rely on his nose rather than sight to find the doe. This works well where cover is very thick and dense. There is a lot of habitat in our state that looks like jungle and holds many  good bucks.

  Here are 3 companies that provide some great scents; Harmon Deer scents, Buck Stop and Wildlife Research.

  I hope the information I have provided will improve you hunt success this year. Try them out and don’t forget to drop us a line and let us at AZOD know how you have done.

Good luck and best wishes,

Louis Urquides

AZOD Hunting Editor