Coues deer/Mule deer conundrum

[gamehauler]

Can't say I know Rex but maybe.
My Daughters Boyfriend works for Ty on hunts.

[gamehauler]

OK Michael and Ron and all others.
Here is something to make the decision a little easier.
This photo was just posted on CWT.Com and since it is on the web
it is free play for me to post here.
I do not know anything about this pair of pick ups from just a few days ago
and they appear to be a year maybe two old.
One guy said he heard 138" with average spread but also said he could not
verifie that either so take that with a grain of salt.
Non the less this is a world class Coues.
For you not familiar with Coues Deer this non-typ set has awesome mass
and split points are not the Norm. just like the Eastern whitetail.
They are very close to Eastern WT but with a much smaller frame.
A 100# Coues Buck (on the hoof) is a big boy.
See you in December Michael, doubt you will be up on the strip

[Michael Eichele]

That is one freakin monster. A coues that big is beyond words. The mass is super impressive. I would feel priviledged to just see such a buck, nevermind harvesting one. Harvesting one like that would be cool too! Hoenesty, I have never seen one even close to that size on the hoof.

Now, youre right, I wont be on the strip! I have not been planning on applying there this year period. This is why I have so many freakin points in the first place. I have been applying for strip hunts over the last umpteen years. This year I am going to cash in on my points. The choice was either 22 late coues or a ML december hunt not too far out of phoenix. I have made up my mind though, I will apply for 22 coues. I dont have enough points to even have a mathematical chance at the strip yet plenty of points for anything I want south of the Colorado river.

I will be looking for a 100" or better. Sure 110-120 is nice but I have to be realistic. These are few and far between, even in the wilderness which is where I will be hunting. IMHO, 22 is very forgiving when it comes to 100" bucks for guys who are willing to go the extra mile. I know that 100" bucks are not around every bush, but with time, patience and glassing till it hurts, they can be had. I will be using a pair of tri-pod mounted 10x42 EL's and my cousin will be using tr-pod mounted 15x SCL's.

Unless a "better" load manifests itself between now and then, I will be using my 308 with 178 AMAX's @ 2753 and consistent .38 MOA accuracy.

[Good]

Michael, have you tried Reloader 17 and 208 AMAXs yet? A friend is shooting the combo from his 308 with eye opening results. Not sure of the speed, but out of a 26" barrel it's probably in the mid 26s and he's grouping .662 MOA at 750yds which is just over 5". 48.4g is where his gun likes it. I've seen that load shoot under a quarter MOA at 200 meters. He's going to work on shrinking his current OAL of 3.050 next for mag feeding.

Oh yeah, 31 is my stomping grounds. It's been a few years since I've killed anything, but 31 is home. A friend and guide once told me if you just want to shoot a deer, 29 is where you go but if you want a trophy, your chances are better in 31 for the local areas anyway. I don't know anything about 22 or up north of me.

[Michael Eichele]

Originally Posted by Good

Michael, have you tried Reloader 17 and 208 AMAXs yet? A friend is shooting the combo from his 308 with eye opening results. Not sure of the speed, but out of a 26" barrel it's probably in the mid 26s and he's grouping .662 MOA at 750yds which is just over 5". 48.4g is where his gun likes it. I've seen that load shoot under a quarter MOA at 200 meters. He's going to work on shrinking his current OAL of 3.050 next for mag feeding.

Oh yeah, 31 is my stomping grounds. It's been a few years since I've killed anything, but 31 is home. A friend and guide once told me if you just want to shoot a deer, 29 is where you go but if you want a trophy, your chances are better in 31 for the local areas anyway. I don't know anything about 22 or up north of me.

Got a 109-1/8" buck in 22 on December 20th. Yes I have played around with RL17/208. Great load. I gave up on it for magazine feeding. I switched to VV N550. I am getting 2600 FPS with a few grains less. It is also a bit finer than RL17. Getting them down to 2.975" for a Wyatt box mag is easy. Using 46.0

[Topgun 30-06]

Nice looking little feller you got there Michael! Just kidding, LOL! They are a pretty neat little deer, but I have to go after the big old mulie bucks to get the adrenaline going!!!

[Good]

Yeah, nice buck. I'll try to dig up pics of the little guy I got last. He's only like 85", but 3 deer were on the run. The previous two sightings of these deer a few minutes earlier, the big 4 point similar to yours was in the lead, this time they jumped out, I saw horns and shot the lead buck at 98yds as they ran through a clearing, and it was this little second year non typical. I wish I'd've let him live a few more years. I wonder if his daddy is still up there... I'll try to dig up pictures later.