Arizona Unit 32 Coues

My brother and I drew coues deer tags for unit 32 for the Nov 30-Dec 9 hunt. We put in for the unit intending to go on our first wilderness backpack hunt. Looking at the maps, I am trying to get a realistic plan together. The trails into the Galiuro look like they could eat your lunch in hurry. I was hoping someone who has hunted the unit could share some advice. I am looking for an area were we could get 2-4 miles in for a base camp to hunt from with reliable water to filter. Also what type of vegetation should I be looking for to locate coues in early December? I would appreciate any advice on the unit.

Thanks

Bob

I've only hunted 32 for javelina, so no help with coues, but you may want to check out coueswhitetail.com. Calling the local GW would also answer your questions. Every Az GW I ever talked to was extremely helpful

32 is a good unit with some quality deer. Unfortunately access is an issue. Access is good on the south end and frustrating at best the rest of the unit. There is plenty of room to hunt though. I'd look at the Muleshoe Ranch area, The Winchester Mountains, and Redfield Canyon area, or even the little Dragoon Mts. Its close to Tucson so opening weekend is busy but the crowd usually clears out Sunday afternoon. You don't really need to pack in 2-4 miles, alot of hunters barely leave the road, Get out of sight of the roads and your doing more than most. But if your hell bent on packing in; the trailhead by jackson cabin (32.472, -110.308) or at the end of FR 660 (32.507, -110.234) would be your best bet. There are some good springs in that area and most of the canyon bottoms should have some water. I think access is still open on FR 6607 on the west side, that'll take you up to the forest boundary. That time of the year the deer are about 3 weeks away from the start of the rut. Big bucks like the thick stuff, Oak, Ocotillo, and Mesquite/grassland all have deer. For the most part the south slopes will be more open and the buck will feed over the ridges to bed. You should be glassing north slopes by about 9am, and stick with it for the rest of the day. The low country is often overlooked and has A LOT of deer and some really huge bucks can be found there. My advice would be to either hunt the high ridge tops or the rolling country because 90 percent of the hunters will be in between.
Don't leave your house without a tripod and good bino's. You will also want a map that shows land ownership for that unit, access is a PITA! A local fella makes good maps. I would start with him www.gameplannermaps.com or another local option is www.flatlinemaps.com

Hope this helps

Thank you for the insight fellas. 65swede, thanks for taking the time to respond, I will get those marked on my map.

Some great advice from 65swede. One thing I would add is don't get caught up in having to backpack hunt. Backpack hunting is my passion but what I've discovered with coues hunting a more efficient strategy is mobile truck camping. (FYI, I'm speaking from experience during archery season). What I mean is wake up early in the morning, hike in ~0.5-2 miles in the dark to a good vantage point, glass, find bucks, make a stalk or get to a new vantage or work a ridge and glass those north slopes. Hike out in the dark, and head to a new area in the morning. Heading to a new area may mean heading south when you hiked north from the truck or driving to a spot. Look for spots off a road with a nasty climb. I can tell you not many, actually zero, people are on the top or other side looking for deer. Hitting the same area every three days allows things reset and you get to explore more territory and see different deer. Just my two cents. Best of luck!

high_rise_hunter said:

Some great advice from 65swede. One thing I would add is don't get caught up in having to backpack hunt. Backpack hunting is my passion but what I've discovered with coues hunting a more efficient strategy is mobile truck camping. (FYI, I'm speaking from experience during archery season). What I mean is wake up early in the morning, hike in ~0.5-2 miles in the dark to a good vantage point, glass, find bucks, make a stalk or get to a new vantage or work a ridge and glass those north slopes. Hike out in the dark, and head to a new area in the morning. Heading to a new area may mean heading south when you hiked north from the truck or driving to a spot. Look for spots off a road with a nasty climb. I can tell you not many, actually zero, people are on the top or other side looking for deer. Hitting the same area every three days allows things reset and you get to explore more territory and see different deer. Just my two cents. Best of luck!

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Great advice right here

Thank you for the insight fellas. I will let you know how it goes.

How did it go?