The Coues Deer is the smallest huntable deer in North America. It weighs 70 – 100 lbs dressed out. That’s why there’s a separate category for this unique deer species. The Coues whitetail is 32-34 inches tall at the shoulder. It seldom weighs over 100 pounds live. Its large ears and tail make it suited to hot, arid areas. Stateside, Coues deer live in Arizona and New Mexico. Their range extends into Mexico too.
Dr. Elliott Coues first described the Coues deer in 1866. Locals often call it the Arizona whitetail or “fantail” deer. Coues deer flock to high elevations with summer rain and a mix of open desert and woods. Although small, Coues deer are challenging big game. A typical Coues buck scores 144 inches (Boone and Crockett). Hunters spend lots of time glassing the same small areas. Coues deer have tiny home ranges, less than one square mile. So once you locate one, it likely won’t go far.
Fred Bohm hunts Coues deer each year. He covers where to find them and how to hunt them effectively. Coues deer are why you need to hunt them. Their limited range gives hunters the only advantage in chasing these invisible deer. Hunters need top quality tripod-mounted optics. Subpar gear makes hunting Coues deer even harder. So bring the best gear you can afford. Then learn their limited home ranges.
Are Coues deer good to eat?
Coues deer have become increasingly popular among hunters due to their elusive nature and challenging behavior. One unique characteristic of coues deer is their small size compared to other members of the white-tailed family. In addition to hunting, coues deer are also studied by researchers for their adaptability to arid environments and their role in ecosystem management.
Coues deer need a ready supply of fresh water. Some research suggests that the highest Coues deer populations are found where water is plentiful. Space Needs. The Coues whitetail is an elfin deer, standing 32-34 inches at the shoulder and seldom exceeding 100 pounds live weight. Locally the deer is often referred to as Arizona whitetail, or “fantail” (due to their habit of flaring their large tails when alarmed).
Including a lightly gamey hint mixed with a background of earthy deepness, Coues Deer meat asks your taste buds to a dance where the tough desert meets the quiet talks of the pines. A creature with a grand look and royal behavior, the Red Deer gives us meat that tastes kingly and warmly welcoming. Eating in the green highlands and thick woods, their food of heathers and wild grasses softly shapes a meat that’s at the same time lean, slightly wild-tasting, and freshly lively.
Coues deer can be chased on huge parcels of public land in the desert mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. These areas support strong populations of Coues deer, and provide hunters with a good chance of filling their tags at a fraction of the cost of a Mexican hunt. Coues deer are hunted via spot and stalk. The majority of the hunt is spent spotting rather than stalking, as the grey ghosts frequently live up to their name.
Two species of deer occur in the Sonoran Desert: the Mule deer and the smaller White-tailed deer. The subspecies of White-tailed deer in southern Arizona is called the Coues’ White-tailed deer. Coues deer are most common in Arizona’s southeastern mountains, but range up on to the Mogollon Rim and into the White Mountains.
Ask an old Arizonan desert deer hunter what he likes best to hunt, and the answer will likely surprise you. According to many lifelong Coues devotees, bucks build a harem during the rut and tend it much like elk, rather than briefly locking up with an individual doe before moving on as a common whitetail does. Bucks are quite territorial.
What is the nickname for Coues deer?
Coues deer, known as Odocoileus virginianus couesi, are perhaps the most fascinating whitetail subspecies. Called fan-tailed deer or just Arizona whitetails by old-timers, the little desert deer behave differently than common whitetails. They live and thrive in dramatically different habitat than what is typically considered optimal for whitetails.
Coues deer rarely drink, absorbing moisture through the plants they eat. They live in desert canyons and crags, thriving in harsh and forbidding habitat. According to lifelong Coues devotees, bucks build a harem during the rut and tend it much like elk, rather than briefly locking up with an individual doe before moving on as a common whitetail does.
Coues deer earned the nickname “gray ghost” the genuine way, and you rarely see a full-body outline during the midday hours. The last Arizona hunt I did, my brother and I both shot mature bucks we found by glassing basins more than two miles away.
They take their name from a former army doctor called Dr. Elliot Coues. Dr. Coues was stationed at an army base in the Arizona territory in the late 1800s. He was the first to record a description of the species.
Coues deer were first identified by Dr. Elliott Coues, an army physician stationed in Arizona in the late 19th century. The full species name of the Coues deer is Odocoileus virginianus couesi.
When I began chasing Coues deer also known as the “Grey Ghost,” I quickly found out how they acquired that nickname. These deer seem to simply vanish into thin air. For the first couple of years living in Arizona, I had the pleasure of stalking Coues deer and learning more and more about them every time. Finally, in January 2016, I was able to fill my over-the-counter archery deer tag on my first Coues deer. It took me several years, and I felt so accomplished when it all came together and I was holding my buck, which scored just over 106″. Though I have never been able to get Coues deer off my mind or out of my blood, once you hunt these animals, it becomes a love or hate relationship. You either end up hating it, or if you’re like me, it becomes an addiction.
The Coues whitetail is an elfin deer, standing 32-34 inches at the shoulder and seldom exceeding 100 pounds live weight. Coues sport ears and tails appearing out of proportion to their small bodies, with hides generally lighter in hue than other deer species. Coues deer bucks (males) are only about 30 inches tall at the shoulder, and only the biggest bodied specimens will attain weights of over 100 pounds. As is commonly seen with other types of deer, Coues deer does (females) are somewhat smaller, and adults average about 65 pounds. The vast majority (usually greater than 95 percent) of spike bucks are yearlings (1-year-old deer) and nearly all yearling spikes grow substantially larger antlers later in life.
In terms of geographic area, numbers and size, Arizona is the clear front runner for a Coues deer hunt destination. Coues range over much of the state with highest densities occurring in the south. Five of the top 10 typical archery records come from Arizona with only two from Mexico (Sonora) All 10 non-typicals were taken in Arizona. Within Arizona, Pima and Gila Counties dominate the record books but trophy class animals are taken throughout the range.
Seven, old-school taxidermy, Coues deer heads and a crudely tanned mountain lion skin were proudly displayed haphazardly on the living area’s stucco walls above the multi-generations of the ranching family’s portraits. The air smelt of warm corn tortillas and freshly mopped salito tile floors. One bathroom for the house was shared by all, and in the evenings, a generator hummed.
The Coues deer, scientifically known as Odocoileus virginianus couesi, is a subspecies of white-tailed deer found primarily in the southwestern United States.
How do you pronounce Coues?
Most hunters pronounce the name “cooz.” Don’t sweat too much about the pronunciation. Other hunters should know what you’re talking about. This deer species is found in the deserts of the North American southwest, specifically Arizona and New Mexico. Arizona has the largest population of these deer. Mexico has an even larger population of coues. The first, most eye-catching difference between Coues whitetails and their other whitetail cousins is the size. The ears and tails of Coues deer may seem proportionately larger than the whitetails you’re used to back home. Their large ears are used to help dissipate heat during the hot summer months. The Coues whitetail is an elfin deer, standing 32-34 inches at the shoulder and seldom exceeding 100 pounds live weight. Coues sport ears and tails appearing out of proportion to their small bodies, with hides generally lighter in hue than other deer species. Coues deer bucks (males) are only about 30 inches tall at the shoulder, and only the biggest bodied specimens will attain weights of over 100 pounds. As is commonly seen with other types of deer, Coues deer does (females) are somewhat smaller, and adults average about 65 pounds. The vast majority (usually greater than 95 percent) of spike bucks are yearlings (1-year-old deer) and nearly all yearling spikes grow substantially larger antlers later in life. Eliot Coues, a Harvard naturalist and taxonomist for whom the subspecies is named, pronounced his name “cows”. Unfortunately, even among deer biologists and some taxonomists, you will get a questioning look and a pause before recognition sets in if you pronounce the common name (“Coues deer”) that way. Once I moved to the desert southwest, I just decided to go with the flow–it makes for fewer pauses in a conversation. I have often had to explain what a “cows deer” or “cows whitetail” is but have never had to explain what a “Koos whitetail” is.