Deer hunting in America is an institution that is practiced by millions and deer are hunted from coast to coast and border to border. They are hunted by a variety of methods depending on their habitat, be it grassy flatlands, rolling hills, dense forests, boggy swamps or steep mountains. They are still-hunted by hunters moving slowly and silently through the forest, they are spotted and stalked over more open ground and in many areas hunters sit in tree stands over game trails and feeding spots.
There are two species of deer in the US, the mule deer and the whitetail. Mule deer inhabit the western part of the country and can be found from the low desert to high forested mountains. In the Pacific Northwest, the blacktail, a cousin to the mule deer, inhabits the dripping temperate rainforest and another relative, the Sitka deer can be found in the southern reaches of Alaska. The whitetail deer can be found coast to coast inhabiting the eastern and mid-west forests, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and a relative, the diminutive Keys deer can be found in the Florida swamps.
All deer are formidable quarries, but if there is one that stands above the rest for alertness, wariness, cunning and a knack for survival, it is the Coues deer of the Arizona Sonoran Desert. The Coues deer is majesty in miniature with a big buck seldom weighing over 140 pounds. They carry a proper whitetail rack with tines growing off a main beam and if laid side by side with a huge eastern whitetail they might appear comical except for the fact that to collect them takes meticulous hard work, patient perseverance and a true hunter’s skill.
Coues deer are mountain animals and are seldom found below 3000 feet. At times they’ll venture up into the pine forests, but they much prefer the upper Sonoran zone from 4000 to 6000 feet. This is beautiful but rough country made up of rolling grasslands, deep canyons and craggy peaks and it is forested with stands of juniper, oak and pinon pine. Coues deer are foragers and seek out shrubs and forbs, sometimes feeding on the fruit of prickly pear and barrel cacti. Water plays a big part in hunting the little whitetails as the desert can be dry and the deer seldom stray far from available water.
Coues deer are hunted by several methods. Spot and stalk hunters are practice a pure art, but it is extremely difficult in the country the Coues inhabits. The terrain is usually steep with little cover and as soon as the wary buck is aware of your presence, he’s over the top of the closest ridge. Some hunters like to move up canyons where the deer like to bed down and jump the deer at close quarters. This is much like rabbit hunting and requires quick and accurate shooting. The majority of Coues deer are collected by long cross canyon shots requiring expert marksmanship and a flat shooting rifle. Most Coues deer hunters use calibers ranging from .243 to 30-06 and top them with a scope of very good optics.
The little Coues deer are a pleasure to hunt in a delightful environment and the hunter who collects a fine buck can take pride in the fact that they have outwitted one of the cagiest game animals on the planet.
Sources:
Arizona Game and Fish (http://www.azgfd.gov/video/CouesDeer.shtml)