Shed antlers displayed on the porch of the ranch house testify to the quality of bucks roaming the expansive Chairababi Ranch.

THIS ADVENTURE STARTED two years earlier when fellow Pope and Young member Dennis Dunn told me about the Chairababi Ranch in Mexico owned by Enrique Molina. Mike Whelan, from Sedona, Arizona, working with Enrique, guided hunters on this 12,000-acre, bow-only ranch. The success rate during dry years ran high, and after hearing Dennis's first-hand accounts of some great bowhunts, I accepted his invitation to hunt in the "Dennis & Friends 5th Annual Invitational Coues Deer Hunt."

Prior to the hunt I chatted with two friends with lots of Coues deer experience. Chuck Adams cautioned me not to take close shots, because Coues deer are notorious "string jumpers." Outdoor writing buddy Bob Robb told me to practice out to 50 yards, because getting close to these diminutive deer is tough. Both Adams and Robb hinted that Coues deer just might be the toughest of all the North American big game to take with a bow.

At the Tucson airport I met Dennis and a third bowhunter, Mark Colosi, from New York. Enrique Molina picked us up and we talked Coues deer during the 3 1/2-hour drive south into Mexico. I've always been puzzled about how to pronounce the name of this deer and asked Enrique about that. "A few folks call them 'cows' deer, but most say 'coos,'" Enrique said. He noted that Elliott Coues, the American military man after whom the deer are named, pronounced his name "cows."

"But cows are 'cows,'" Enrique concluded. "Deer are 'coos.'"

That's good enough for me. "Coos" deer it is.

Regardless of pronunciation, the Coues deer is a small version -- a really big buck will weigh 100 pounds -- of the whitetail. These deer live in the dry pine/oak hills and mesas of southern Arizona and New Mexico, and northern Mexico. While jaguars, coyotes, and bobcats prey on Coues deer, mountain lions are the major threat, and an abundant lion population keeps these deer wired. Combine that with the rather open habitat punctuated with lots of thorny, scrubby trees and brush, and stalking takes on a whole new meaning. It's tough.

However, when the weather is right -- meaning dry -- sitting at a waterhole can be a great way to get within range. Even then, however, getting a clean bow shot at a jumpy Coues deer can be a challenge. The latest edition of the Pope and Young record book lists about 275 Coues deer, a relatively low number. Limited geographic range partially explains that, but difficulty of hunting has a lot to do with it.

DURING OUR DRIVE, Enrique said, "We've had only trace amounts of rain since August. Some waterholes are dry, but we've got treestands on others that are seeing lots of deer visits each day."

When we arrived at Chairababi, Mike Whelan greeted us and showed us around the lodge and bunkhouse. There were hot showers and lots of good food -- all the comforts of home.

With the land so dry, we obviously would be hunting over waterholes. Mike noted that Coues deer are like whitetails back home, in that they come to rattling and grunt calls, but he advised us to spend the first couple of days just sitting quietly at water. "There is so much activity at these holes that if you stay perfectly still, eventually you will get a chance at a good buck."

Continued -- click on page link below.