The area where Munyan hunted, 36b in southern Arizona, is mostly dry, mountainous, rolling hills. While most hunters hunt from trails using 4x4s, Munyan chose to hunt on foot. The hunt began at first light, with a mid-day break and a return to hunting later in the afternoon. According to Munyan, water tanks in the area attract the deer at mid-day. "They come sneaking down through the gullies, but, often you don't see them until they are back up to the high ground, clear of the brush," he says.
Munyan tells us this smaller subspecies of whitetail deserves its reputation for being able to disappear, even when there's little cover: "The Coues are really hard to spot unless they are moving. They blend in with the ground and are shorter than the bushes. But my guide, Armando, was amazing at spotting the deer and could pick them out in a nano-second." Munyan says that it was important to him that Ward's Outfitters use full-time guides. He says they know the area, pre-scout and know the habits of the deer.
They spotted Munyan's deer at first light. He says Armando went looking for a bigger one, leaving him to keep his eye on the one they'd already spotted. Munyan says, "I was looking right at him, and it was still hard to see him." Munyan shot his trophy at 250 yards with a handgun, after a lengthy stalk. While they originally estimated the deer at about 95 inches, and Munyan feels he could have gotten a bigger one had he waited, he is happy with his nearly 90-inch trophy. Munyan says that the other hunter who was out at the same time chose to glass from roads and shoot at longer ranges with a rifle.
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