Jordan Voigt

Coues deer make their home in the Southwest and provide a unique opportunity for serious deer hunters who are willing to spend hours behind their optics and brave vegetation that pokes, cuts, or stings, warm temperatures, and ghost-like deer habits under the semblance of fun.

Most hunters who get their kicks from type two fun aren’t going to let a little weather get in their way and with the right gear, they can stay in the game longer to achieve it.

One of the most important skills an outdoorsman can practice and hone to a fine edge is the ability to glass a specific piece of country and pick it apart for the game species that call it home.

Two caribou tags, three guys, and two days to do it in. No pressure.

While I gathered information and advice from different people throughout the last several months, from lifelong Alaskan residents to gun writers, I tried to follow the old adage: Get the best you can afford.

Once I had picked up the rifle from a local sporting goods store, it was time to add a scope and the various accouterments to turn it into a legitimate all-weather hunting rifle, capable of holding its own no matter what Mother Nature throws at it.

Hunting in the West is full of unique challenges that need to be prepared for. Here are a few lessons I had to learn the hard way.

You wouldn’t buy a sports car then outfit it with discount tires, the same should go for your feet; footwear is literally where the rubber meets the rocks. Enter the Danner Thorofare.

In the middle of a hunt, it’s easy to forget to ask whether the effort is worth the reward…but forgetting comes at a price.