I researched The Mountain Project on YouTube’s search engine. One of the highest volume searches is “Mountain Project Coues Deer.”

Over the last several years, our trips to hunt Coues deer in Sonora have become part of what we’re known for. We look forward to the hunt every year, and we always look forward to the video.

So I started to ask, what is it about the hunt in Sonora that makes it the trip none of us are willing to miss? And I asked the rest of the group.

Here’s what I heard.

Josh Smith

“Coming from a guy that’s hunted Coues deer in southern Arizona for the better part of his life, a trip to Sonora, Mexico, is far more than a Coues deer hunt.

The family traditions, food, and lifestyle that Mexico brings must be experienced by all. If you have not seen it or been a part of it, check out a film…. Maybe this will be all you need to try it on your own.”

Jaime Duenas

“I love hunting in Sonora every year not only because of the potential for a big mature buck but more for the opportunity to hunt with friends knowing we all have a tag in our pocket. It also gives me the opportunity to de-stress for a week and share stories of the past while at the same time making new memories that will last a lifetime.”

Chase Christopher

“Mexico is more than a Coues deer hunt for me. It could be because I would choose to hunt mule deer 11 times out of 10 in Arizona. I grew up hunting whitetail in Texas, and a 160-inch, two-hundred pound deer was the dream. Jay says it best when he tells me, “you don’t even like Coues deer.”

So when I moved to Arizona, the new dream was big, wide muley racks. Not a miniature version of the deer I had left behind.

Then I learned about Mexico and the mountains these Coues deer live in. Even the flat lands in some areas.

But mostly, it’s the people we meet along the way. For me, Coues deer hunting in Mexico is a culture. It’s not just a hunt, not a tag, not a kill. It’s a culture. It is friends, family, food, laughter, music, dancing, hiking, hunting, adventures, and the unknown. Mexico is why I love Coues deer.”

Chase’s spin on the hunt reminds me of the saying, “you can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can never take the trailer park out of the girl.”

It’s not the Coues deer in Mexico that we look for; it’s Mexico in the Coues deer that keeps us coming back.