The Coues deer is the smallest species of the whitetail family and also known as the "Gray Ghost" of the desert. Since the Coues deer is so small, they will vanish before your eyes, even in the Arizona open terrain. Due to their natural predators within their habitat, Coues deer are always on edge. In order to hunt this elusive animal, a great pair of high power 15x binoculars with a tripod for glassing is a must. Make sure you are in good physically hiking condition to endure the rugged Arizona terrain. Rifle seasons are in October, November, and December. Late December these rutting bucks will be busy rut mode chasing other bucks away from their doe and will make the hunt somewhat easier. The rifle season will be cool to cold temperatures and the bucks can be up and about all day. You will mostly see them up in the mornings sunbathing and during the days bedded up in the shadows. Shots can be as close as 300 yards out to 800+ yards. Knowing this, the hunter must start practicing long range practice before the season starts. It would be wise to shoot with a bi-pod or shooting stick in different positions—you never know where that huge buck will appear and you must be ready. 6-day hunt