Coues’ Deer Ghosts in the desert

Coues’ deer are a subspecies of whitetail deer, a much smaller cousin that stands about 28-32 inches tall at the shoulder and measures about 56 inches from hear to tail. A field-dressed buck will rarely exceed 90 lbs., and if you hit 100 or better for score, you’ve found a whopper.

Coues’ deer are only found in Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, and Chihuahua. Mexico, making finding a trophy area to hunt a little easier than other species that are found in more locations. Coues’ deer occupy relatively rough, wooded terrain with steep canyons. Typical whitetail habitat is mixed oak woodland, but they can be found anywhere from ponderosa pine/mixed conifer forests at 10,000 feet down to the upper limits of semi-desert grassland. Typically, most Coues’ deer are found between 4,000 and 7,000 feet above sea level.

The Coues’ deer rut usually starts around the end of December and runs into February. That’s one of the great things about these little deer is that the best time to hunt them is after many of other hunts out West are over. Since it’s so far south, it is usually nice weather to boot.

Arizona has some fabulous Coues’ deer hunting, especially for DYI hunters who don’t want to hassle with going to Mexico. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you are staying in the U.S. that there won’t be hassles. If you apply for hunts along the Mexican border, immigration issues could impact the overall enjoyment of your hunt. Not all trophy units have immigration issues deal with, so if you want to avoid the potential headaches, look in units that aren’t located in that vicinity.

Arizona’s Top B&C Coues’ Counties