January Coues and Javelina hunt

CAelknuts

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My son and I are planning on doing a deer and javelina hunt in January, and will most likely be hunting in units 33 & 37B. We've already applied for the javi tags, and will purchase deer archery non-permits if we draw the javi tags. I've talked to a few guys who've said that 33 has great deer populations, and that there are more javelina in 37B, so we're thinking of hunting around Oracle or thereabouts. We'll probably do a five day hunt during the first two weeks of January.

Can anyone share any general advice? We haven't bowhunted coues deer before, though I've rifle hunted them once.
 
I can't give you any advice on those two units your looking at but if you ever decide to go more south to 35a unit let me know... But if you come across some info on 33 for coues dont hesitate to share. I will most likely be heading down to 35a dec and jan for archery coues. Anyways, good luck to you and your son.
 
You are in the right neighborhood. There are plenty of pigs and deer in both units. The main difference as I see it is that the muleys will be in 37B and the coues in 33. Just depends on what you want to hunt. In 33 the pigs will be in the foothills while the coues can be anywhere from the base on up to the top.
 
Thanks BigPig, we haven't given much thought to the mule deer hunting, but several people have messaged me to suggest we think about that aspect. They say I'll see some muley bucks that rival some of the stuff growing north of the ditch, but that they'll be surrounded by lots of alert does. Sounds like fun to say the least.

One question, we're thinking of tent camping. We've got a 12x17 wall tent, so figure we can make a nice camp. Some people have suggested we stay in a motel instead. What would you guys recommend?
 
Don't see the problem with a wall tent over a motel other then it will be a little chilly. I stayed in a wall tent for the first time this year and I am a big fan but then again it wasn't in cold weather. Maybe a little more hassle but it would save you some money. At any rate, good luck and don't be afraid to send me a message when you go. I just might be down in 33 later on this year.
 
We don't mid cold weather. We tent camped on the Kaibab two years ago, and we had a few mornings that were below zero. I am curious though, how cold does it get down in the desert in Janaury? I know it can get cold, but does it get below 10 or 15 degrees?
 
That's kind of what I would expect, but I've had guys telling me it gets cold down there in January. Cold to me is something below 20 degrees. It isn't really cold until it gets below zero.

An average low of 39 is warmer than what I sit out in duck hunting at that time of year, and it's a wet cold out duck hunting. 39 and dry will seem downright balmy!
 
Dan,

Your mileage may vary. ;-)

On my last Dec. Coues hunt in 36B about 6 years ago, we woke one morning to 17. Ice on several puddles around camp stayed put all day.

A few years before in the same unit on a Mearns' hunt in Jan., my dog's dish full of water froze solid overnight. That means the ice was at least 3-4" thick! On that trip, I didn't have a thermonter in my truck to check the temps, but I'll guess it was close to zero for a few hours to make ice that thick.

And both of these trips were at fairly low elevations. If you go high up the mountain in 33, it could get even colder.

TONY MANDILE
48e63dfa482a34a9.jpg

How To Hunt Coues Deer
 
I would be hoping for cold temps, as I'd think this would force those little deer to seek out warm sunny spots. The little bit that I hunted them in Sonora, we keyed on finding them on sunny south slopes in the sun. I expect that'll be the case, but even more so on these hunts if it gets that cold.

Am I on the wrong track?
 
Dan,

While glassing sunlit hillsides for the reason you state holds some water, the main reason to do so is two-fold.

First, the sun isn't shinning into your binocs or spotting scope. Second, the sun on the hillside makes it easier to spot deer, especially if they are bedded. Often, the only hint a deer is there is the sunlight glinting off an antler.

Here's the section in the HOW TO HUNT COUES DEER book that sorta covers it:


Duwane has honed his glassing skill into an art and often jokes about his method. "I spend so much time in the woods, I can get worn out covering several miles every day. Besides, most of my hunters would die if they had to climb up and down the hills all day.?

?So for many years now, I've let my eyes do the walking and call it my ?three B? method. The first two Bs represent my binoculars and backside. The last stands for the brains for figuring out how to use the first two,? he said.

If Duwane hasn't hunted an area before, he likes to scout it prior to the season and locate several possible glassing spots overlooking prime whitetail hangouts. Sometimes those places will be small, isolated basins, and at other times it might be a mile-long canyon with a wide-sweeping panorama of a ridge.

Deer are easier to spot when they're moving early or late, but glassing is an excellent way to spot bedded bucks any time of day, as well. If you do find a bedded buck, the stalk is frequently easier than going after one that's feeding because the bedded deer normally stays in one place for while.

One key aspect to good glassing is patience, according to Duwane. ?Too many guys try to cover the terrain quickly and probably miss more deer than they see. Just slow down. Every time you move that tripod head, spend at least five to 10 minutes picking the new view apart. Thoroughly search under and behind every tree and investigate anything that remotely resembles a deer or a part of deer. Especially keep your eyes open for the sun glinting off an object; it could be horns or a deer?s back,? he said.

Devising a consistent system is a good idea, too. If Duwane is glassing a ridge, he starts at the top and either at the right or left end. Once he completely checks his first view, he pans the tripod head just far enough to get a new view that slightly overlaps the area he had just looked at. He continues doing the same thing until he reaches the opposite end of the ridge from the one he started at. Then it's time to vertically lower the binoculars a tad so the very top of the field of view overlaps the first horizontal zone by a bit. He then repeats the panning process across the length of the ridge. By making multiple horizontal passes, he eventually makes his way from top to the bottom. Then he does it again.

Focus is another critical factor. Depending on the distance to the area you're glassing and the power of your binoculars, you might have to refocus quite a bit to compensate for the slope angle as you move from the top to the bottom. This holds especially true with high-power binoculars and short distances.

Duwane suggests glassing slopes that face south, east and southeast early in the day, then switching to the north, west and northwest slopes later on. That way the sun isn't shinning into your binoculars. Instead, the sunlight hits the area you're glassing.

TONY MANDILE
48e63dfa482a34a9.jpg

How To Hunt Coues Deer
 
I've seen everything from snow and 12 degrees to warm in the 70's. We camp in a wall tent with a wood stove. It's cold in the morning if you let that fire go out, but it usually warms up throughought the day to be very pleasant.
 
Late last December we hunted 36B and the temp dropped as low as 11 degrees. We were camping but I loved it. I've hunted 36B for many years and most times its cold mornings and warm days.
 
Well, we're going to 33/37B, as I found out yesterday that is what we drew for javelina. Probably going to hunt for 5-6 days in first half of January. Need to check for the full moon, as I don't like to hunt then, but otherwise we'll be there either the first or second week. Either way, I know the moon will be large.
 

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