Benjamin Fogelson AZ Coues Buck

Got this in from JSO Blog follower, Ben Fogelson:

Applying for the fall draw I never thought I would be writing this story now. I had decided that I was going to put in for a premier Arizona trophy Coues whitetail tag, thinking I would be waiting up to 10 years. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the words “draw success.

My tag started December 9^th and ended December 31^st. However, due to school I had to wait till the 15^th to begin hunting. Scouting was difficult because of a full school schedule so I scouted maybe three times before the hunt. I hunted a few days with my dad opening week and saw no big bucks.

 A couple friends that had been wanting to come help me on the hunt were getting jammed up with work and other obligations. I headed back down on the 22^nd and 23^rd to hunt a few mores days before Christmas. I saw a few smaller bucks and one decent buck.

Now, I cannot tell you how many people had told me that the week after Christmas the big bucks begin to go crazy and start coming out of the wood work. Thursday the 29^th we woke up usual time (6:00am) and met with my other friends who drove down to help us with the remaining of the hunt. We started glassing and saw a few smaller bucks but nothing worth chasing. Just before we were going to call it and head in for lunch we glassed up a small buck feeding. We ran off to sneak in for my dad to get a shot at the buck when a bigger buck reveled himself. The moment had finally come, it was all starting to unfold. We were a good distance away from the buck and got all our optics on him. Taking one look through the spotter I knew he was the one. The buck bedded down under a mesquite tree, which triggered the beginning of our stalk. It only took us 10 minutes to get into position for the shot. The buck was chasing a doe 250 yards up the hill. My first shot I missed low and then at 275 yards he presented a perfect quartering away shot and down he went.  My dad followed up, “He’s down”. All the way up to him millions of things were going through my mind. Making it up to the top I looked over and saw the buck pilled up at the base of a small juniper. I went over to him and pick up his rack and was in disbelief. All my hard work had paid off in the end.

            I am very appreciative the have harvest such a beautiful trophy animal and to have shared it with my friends and my dad. He scores 93 7/8. My biggest to date. "

Great Buck Ben!  Thanks for sending!