Arizona Hunting Club & Outdoor Adventure Group

Arizona Coues Deer's Feeding,
Watering, Bedding and Traveling Habits

Coues Deer Description:

Arizona's smallest deer, the Coues, is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer. Coues deer are most common in Arizona's southeastern mountains, but range up to the edge of the Mogollon Rim and into the White Mountains. They are most abundant in areas of predictable summer precipitation. They prefer woodlands of chaparral, oak, and pine, with interspersed clearings.

The Coues Deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi) is a sub-species of the Whitetail Deer. It's also one of the smallest deer in America. Coues deer stand around 28-32 inches tall at the shoulder and measure about 56 inches from head to tail. A large field-dressed buck will rarely exceed 80-90 lbs. (some can exceed 100 pounds) and usually weighs about 65 lbs.

The Coues deer varies in color from a grayish coat in winter to a more reddish-brown color in the summer. Fawns are born with numerous white spots on their coat. The spots generally disappear after about 2 months. Coues deer have the classic white circles around its muzzle and eyes seen on other subspecies of whitetail. However, Coues deer don't have such a prominent white throat patch as do whitetail deer. The tail of the Coues deer is generally brown with a border of white on the topside and completely white on the underside. This is in contrast to a mule deer, which has white on the topside of the tail. Tail color can vary geographically. The topside of a Coues tail can be grayish, reddish brown, or black.

Coues Deer Distribution

Coues deer inhabit portions of Arizona, New Mexico and portions of Sonora Mexico and Chihuahua Mexico, and Southeastern California.

Arizona White Tail Coues Deer Distribution

Coues Deer Habitat

Woodland Areas, Desert and Semi-desert Grasslands, and Ponderosa Pine Forests.

The best Coues habitat will provide a large diversity of foods by having a mix of open areas and brushy areas. Coues are primarily browsers, so shrubs must be available for them. However, Coues highly prefer forbs and those grow more commonly in open areas such as a grassy meadow or grassland found at the edge of juniper woodland.

Coues deer seem to be most numerous in woodland areas about 4000-6500 feet in elevation that have Madrean evergreen oaks or areas of oak mixed with juniper and pinon pine. However, Coues deer can be found in the more open Sonoran Desert and in Semi-Desert Grasslands. They can also be found in Ponderosa Pine forests.

When seen at a distance, two distinguishing characteristics between the species are evident in their tails and gait. The Coues has a flagging white tail and a more natural run. Mule deer on the other hand 'run' using a stiff legged, bounding gait. When at a closer range, other differences include facial markings, ear size, and antler configuration. In addition to physical features, habitat preferences vary. In Arizona's southern mountain ranges whitetails are generally found at higher elevations than are mule deer.

In contrast to a mule deer's equally branching antlers, those of the whitetail consist of a number of tines arising from a main beam which curves forward. Mature bucks generally have three to four tines per side.

Coat color is grayish-brown salt-and-pepper with white underparts; the face is marked with white 'halos' around the eyes and a white band across the muzzle. The most distinguishing characteristic of the whitetail is its long, broad tail. The tail is all white on the underside, gray to reddish-black on top, and is often carried high as an alarm signal.

The Coues deer is much smaller than most of its eastern cousins. Bucks stand just over 30 inches at the shoulder and rarely weigh over 100 pounds. Does average 65 pounds.

A doe's first pregnancy usually results in a single fawn; thereafter she may bear twins. Fawn drop coincides with the new growth following the summer rains. Usually, a whitetail fawn will stay with its mother longer than a mule deer will.

Coues Deer Feeding Habits

Primarily browsers of shrubs, but they prefer forbs (A broad-leaved herb other than a grass, especially one growing in a field, prairie, or meadow) and those grow more commonly in open areas such as a grassy meadows or grassland.

The best Coues habitat will have several permanent water sources since these deer need them to survive. The home range of a Coues is about 1-2 square miles. Deer density is highest within 0.5 - 1 mile of a good water source. Maghini and Smith (1990) suggested that a density of 1 water source for every square kilometer (approx. 0.5 sq. miles) is best for female Coues. Based on their research in the Santa Ritas in Arizona, Ockenfels et al. (1991) suggested that a density of one water source every 2-3 sq. km would meet deer requirements. They also found that the first 400 m (roughly equal to a quarter mile) around a water source was used far more often than areas greater than 1200 m away from water.

If you are looking for an area that has a high density of Coues deer, look for a place that has a good mix of thick and open vegetation types between 4000-6500 feet in elevation and that has springs or water tanks scattered throughout the landscape within about a 1/2 to 1 mile of each other.

Coues Deer Hunt History

The Coues white-tailed deer is perhaps Arizona's finest game animal. Wary, and expert at using cover, whitetails rarely offer the hunter a standing shot once jumped. Perhaps for this reason, the species has become increasingly important in the harvest. Although the statewide take has varied from 1,500 to more than 7,000 whitetails a year, depending on the vagaries of drought and fawn survival, the recent trend has been for this species to constitute an ever greater proportion of the statewide harvest. For example, whitetails comprised less than 15 percent of Arizona's deer harvest in 1961 but nearly 40 percent in 1998.

Coues Deer Hunting Resources:

• CouesWhitetail.com
• How to Hunt Coues Deer by Dwayne Adams and Tony Mandile

Coues Deer Hunting Guides:

• Coues Deer Sanctuary
• Arizona Guided Hunts

Coues Deer Hunting Summary:

• Breeding Period: January
• Young Appear: August
• Average Number of Young: 2
• Distribution: 4K-10K ft in central and southeastern Arizona
• Habitat: Oak-grasslands, chaparral, and pine forests
• Food Preference: Weeds, shrubs, mast, grass, mistletoe, and cacti fruits in season
• Range: 4 sq. miles
• Live Weight: M-125lbs.; F-80lbs.
• Predators: Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Eagle, and Coyote