I hunted one of their desert mountain ranches, located in the foothills near Hermosillo. In one morning, I saw seven bucks and two does while riding around the ranch. Two of the bucks were mature deer with nice headgear - one was exceptional at an estimated 120 points. He had very good mass and long tines. I watched him for about 15 minutes through a spotting scope as he sparred with a smaller buck, which also would have met the B & C minimum. Unfortunately, they were on a neighboring property. I only hunted that one morning, but I took a nice representative Coues buck that field scored 96-6/8 B & C.
I spent the rest of my trip visiting other ranches, meeting the landowners and spotting game. Unseasonable weather with overcast skies and a persistent wind kept the deer in their beds most of the time on several days, and I didn't get to see much more in the way of Coues deer. When the sun finally came out and the wind laid down, I was visiting the Camous' desert mule deer properties close to Hermosillo. Again, I saw two possible Booners on two different properties.
The Camou Brothers use several techniques to conduct their hunts, depending on the ranch and species you are hunting. On the Coues deer ranches I visited, the Camous prefer to use a high seat on the back of a truck, much like those used in parts of Texas and Africa. This is very effective for spotting deer in brushy, hilly areas. Once a buck is spotted, the guide and hunter can usually get a good look at the antlers to decide whether he is worth pursuing. If it's a good buck, they can strategize and approach on foot. On very mountainous properties, located several........(continued)
