Axis Deer in Texas - The Ultimate Guide to Axis Diets, Hunting, and competition with White-tail.
In this video I cover everything you've been wanting to know about Axis Deer; including, their origin, Axis Diets, Axis Hunting Information, Axis habits, and Axis reproductive cycles.
I cover several specific topics around Axis in Texas and answer questions around when they got here, how they compete with our White-tailed deer, and their current distribution in Texas.
To check out the full origanal article I've written on this topic, check out:
landassociation.org/axis-deer...
Axis deer are originally from India and Sri Lanka where they are referred to as Chital or spotted deer. The deer are thought by many to be the most beautiful deer as their coats are rust colored and covered with white spots, very similar to a White-tail fawn. They are a sizable Cervid species with Axis does weighing in from 110-135lbs while bucks can weight in at up to 200lbs.
Their native habitat ranges from the foothills of the Himalayas and stretches southward to the sub-tropical forests along the Southern tip of India, indicating a wide tolerance for habitat suitability.
On a side note, they are a well noted prey of the Bengal Tiger…..
Axis or Chital Deer Home Range
Home range of the Axis Deer in India and Sri Lanka.
Their first introduction to the United States was actually in Hawaii where they were imported in the 1860’s as a gift to the Hawaiian King from Hong Kong. The deer now inhabit several of the Hawaiian Islands including Hawaii, Lanai, and Maui as a feral species.
Axis Deer in Texas
Axis have been roaming in Texas since the 1932 when they were brought in as a game species in South Texas. Over several decades these deer were transported throughout Texas as other private ranchers wanted to include them on their property as a year-round hunting option. In time, many Axis escaped and eventually created feral populations.
Axis Deer Range in Texas
In 1988 they were noted as having self-sustaining populations in 27 counties within Central and South Texas. They have since expanded into 92 Counties and have a current estimated population of up to 125,000 animals according to Exotic Wildlife Association. The highest populations of Axis Deer in Texas are now centered around the Edwards Plateau.
For the purposes of writing this article, I found it surprisingly difficult to find any data documenting the spread of Axis deer over time or any recent scientific data that would indicate an accurate population estimate. There are several high quality institutions that offer anecdotal references to Axis populations. For example, according to Texas Tech University, Axis deer are now the most abundant exotic ungulate in Texas.
If you are aware of any studies or resources that show better population data please reach out to me and I’ll gladly update this portion of the article.
Anyone driving through the Texas Hill Country can believe in their abundance. Although Axis are still no where near as common as White-tailed deer overall, it is still a common occurrence to see them crossing roads and grazing/browsing along tree lines.
To finish the article, head to LandAssociation.org!
Resources & Literature Cited
Several conservationists, wildlife experts, scientists, ranches, and breeders contributed to the information in this article. Check out their contributions below:
Axis Deer: By Ernest Ables
Axis Deer: North American Deer Farmers Association
Axis Deer: Texas Invasive Species Institute
Axis Deer Population Control in Texas - Hill Country Alliance
Dietary overlap among axis, fallow, sika, and white-tailed deer in the edwards plateau region of Texas, JAMES J. JACKLEY, Master’s Thesis, Texas Tech University
Digestive Capacity and Diets of White-Tailed Deer and Exotic Ruminants, Scott E. Henke, Stephen Demarais and James A. Pfister , The Journal of Wildlife ManagementVol. 52, No. 4 (Oct., 1988), pp. 595-598
An Economic Assessment of Axis Deer (Axis axis) farming in South Texas, Thesis by: Gregory Wayne Smith, Texas A&M University Kingsville, 1996
Exotics in Texas (Max Traweek and Roy Welch)- Texas Parks & Wildlife
Formal Paper About Axis Deer, Compiled By Comanche Spring Ranch, Eden Texas
Habitat Interference by Axis Deer on White‐Tailed Deer, CLINTON J. FAASFLOYD W. WECKERLY, Journal of Wildlife Management, 13 December 2010
The Status of Exotic Big Game in Texas, Gregory L. Butts , Rangelands 1(4), August 1979
What You May Not Know About the Axis Deer- Exotic Wildlife Association
White-tailed Deer v.s. Exotics - Texas Parks and Wildlife
White-tailed Deer Habitat: Ecology & Management on Rangelands (Fulbright & Ortega)
Great video. So informative.
One about Sika would be so lovely. Finding any info about them in Texas is near impossible. Also finding info about axis and not just a video of someone hunting them is pretty hard too so thanks for all the great stuff. Cheers
I'll definitely try to do a video on Sika as well. You're right about finding info on exotics, it's very difficult to find unless they're hunting videos. I appreciate your comment!
Was hunting Axis on my friend's place last year and saw 2 Sika does. They used to be a lot more common. The ones I saw were the first he'd seen on the property in decades. On another note I've been seeing WAY more free range Axis to the point were they're starting to become a nuisance. It's a shame they're very pretty.
@@christiankneupper7011 I'd happily come take a few of those axis off your hands lol
ohhhhh very cool. thank you sir! I am so glad I stumbled across this video while scrolling the feed! Very interesting have always wondered as my dad hunts them a lot with his hunting ministry groups at various ranches in central Texas. Just realized about 30 minutes ago that was completely uneducated if an axis grunts because I myself have never hunted one, but I’ve heard whitetail grunts in real time before. So now the feed is suggesting me videos like this! Again, very cool.
Good video Bro !
Good video dude. Gettin hyped for this weekend's hunt.
Hope it went well, thanks for the comment!
@@LandownerTV snagged a free-range Buck!! 145 dressed. Whoop! Thanks again
When I clicked on this video I wasn’t expecting Junction to be mentioned since I hunt close to Junction
Thank you for the great information !!
I appreciate the nice comment! Happy to make this content!
Great information. Thank you. We have a lot on our place in Concho County and son just bagged a doe yesterday. Can't wait to taste the meat!
Thanks for the comment! Good luck!
Very informative 👏 👌
Thank you ! That was very informative! We had a female in a wooded area next door making the weirdest vocal sounds like a rooster, a whale and sounded little kids . And it hung around all day and today was not there. It was by herself all day. Seen as many as 30 passing over the street on Methodist Encampment rd in Kerrville, Tx.
Great video, and alot of info. Thx
Thank you Rolando, glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Rolando, glad you enjoyed it!
Hope you do more videos about hunting in texas
Great video
Thank you Kyle, I’m very glad you enjoyed it. Also, I appreciate the recommendation for the outfitters below.
There is a book by Gene Fuchs (Fox) which was his Masters Thesis whereby he spent a year on the Powderhorn Ranch . near Corpus Christi. He had a tame doe which he took out into a pasture and counted the "bites" she took and which vegetation she ate. This is usually for sale at the Hunt Store if you are in the neighborhood.
Thanks for the great tip William, I’ll definitely see if I can get a copy of that
This video has some great info. I’ve been hunting the Texas hill country and just took a nice Axis buck a couple weeks ago. These animals are just fascinating. Your video answered many questions I had including why axis are much bigger than Hill country whitetail.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Please let me know if there are any other topics you'd like me to cover in the future
Why is that? I don't think that question was answered in the video. I do know our whitetails in Texas are not considered big bodied deer like they have in the midwest and up into Canada.
@@bobgill4069 yah I don’t think they are actually much bigger in physical body size than whitetail. I think that maybe the way he typed his comment we just misunderstood. Like maybe it answered a question for himself that he had but the man making the video did not specifically address that exact question. Because their physical dimensions are not in fact much larger than a whitetail’s physical dimensions. I dunno maybe he meant the antlers? I’ve seen some monster axis racks that are well and truely amazing, like, for a whitetail equivalent, something you’d only find in a south south Texas buck, or a Kansas or Nebraska buck. But their actual body dimensions? Definitely not way larger than a whitetail, in the same way that, for example, an elk or a moose is wayeeeeeeeee bigger than a whitetail. So maybe the guy in his comment meant something else. That’s my guess.
I used to live in a very small rural town of Yancey, Tx. Yancey actually is in the middle of nowhere. It sits on FM 462 between Hondo and Moore and FM 2200 between Devine and D'Hanis. If you drive on FM 2200 toward D'Hanis, it actually takes you to the backside of 777 Ranch. This particular 20 mile drive is very interesting, I have seen a little bit of everything out there, including antelopes. I came across a group of about 100+ of them one day.I never looked into this but I assume antelopes are not native Texas deer. One day as I was headed to Devine on FM 2200, I did not get very far, I say about 5 ,miles or so, a very large Axis deer trotted right in front me. Now at that time, I had a large 4 wheel drive truck with 44" tires and this Axis was literally within 50 feet or so and I was in awe of the size of this deer. It looked almost like a moose, but you said it better, more like an Elk. That was the only one I seen in the area. I was told a story long ago that when the King family ( Kingsville, Tx) was buying up many many acres of land so they could raise cattle for meat for the military. ( I do not even remember what year this took place) I understood that when the King family were selling cattle to the military at 3 cents per cow, they in turn were buying all that land between Kingsville and almost all the way down to Brownsville at 2 cents an acre. I mean there is litarally 60 miles of open road once you leave Kingsville south 77 and that is all their land. The family already owned 1 million acres in Spain. So the story is that they brought Axis deer from Spain to Kingsville. Of course many have apparently escaped and now roam Texas.
my uncle Wade brought me hunting for Axis at 777 ranch when I was a kid.. fun stuff
nazfan01, i think there may be a lot of legend in your story. Not saying about your own personal story but about the other stories. But of course I do not know either. Although it could, in theory, be possible that, if indeed they did own land in Spain that, axis were first brought from India to Spain. Then brought from there to here. It is plausible! The King Ranch has so much great history no doubt! But also, 3 cents a frikkin cow? Wow!!! I am not an economist, nor historian. But my degree was in finace so those things do interest me. And if that one were going to be true, that would DEFINITELY have had to have been in the very very early days of the King Ranch, like in the 1800s, when prices would have been that low. What is the average price of a cow nowadays? To compare? What like, $2,500? I do not know, I do not ranch. But it’s in the thousands I know that for sure. Three cents a cow?!?! Woah!😅 So therefore, sir, I like your stories! But also, I suspect there’s a lot of legend tied into it, and we’d need to go investigate the documented history in the actual history books to separate the real parts from the legend parts. Also 44” tires!!?? Hell yah dude I want YOUR truck!😅
@@nozrep - Well, I remember the story about the price of cattle from Kingsville long ago. Of course that had to been early 1800s. Of course that how King Ranch became King Ranch. I do recall that when they sold cattle at 3 cent each to the government for the military. (and perhaps my memory had slipped a bit and perhaps it was 3 cents a pound) Either way, the government was clueless in what they were doing at selling land at 2 cents an acre. No brainer business deal. I know King Ranch has or had a million acres of land in Spain. Not sure of the origin of the Axis deer but do know they brought Axis deer from Spain to raise at Kings Ranch Texas. Makes sese to raise and sell cattle and large deer to sell to the government. I have friends that lives in Kigsville and I really like the area..
Great video. I harvest an axis deer every few months in my backyard lol. Can’t keep a fruit tree to save my life.
Must be nice to have the opportunity to harvest Axis anytime you want. What part of the world are you in Brandon?
Put fishing line around it. That is what saved ours. We put 4to 5 rows of it. Ankle up to above head height. The line startles them. But this was used on whitetails. So good luck.
@@1kuhl1 Great Tip Roberta!
Really good info!! Finally. I got invited to go hunting in Texas this first week of June. Hoping that I get one with antlers like the one behind you, would you happen to know the possible lengths and widths of them with skull on(euro mount) I want to make sure my luggage bag is large enough to bring them back home with me as a checked bag or if I should send them via mail? Any advice via traveling with deer via plane would be helpful. Thank you!
Love it man! This helped a lot. We are trying to start an exotic ranch and this helped a bunch. Can you do one about black bucks
Thank you, I'm very glad you enjoyed it! I was actually thinking about that same topic. Yes, I'll put that next on my list for exotic species to cover! Where are you hoping to start an exotic ranch?
LandownerTV lampasas Tx
We have 20+ acres low fence in Leakey TX. We have a herd of about 35-40 Axis and about a dozen whitetail. When we can we put out alfalfa hay and feed corn year round. However to truly maintain the population of both you need to have the acorns and wild persimmons and the usual browse and forbes. With that being said when the feeders go off and the axis and whitetail come in I can see the axis will shoo away the WT. So there’s that. Great video
Thanks for the comment! Leakey is one of my favorite areas of the state, tons of deer and wildlife. How many bucks vs does are you seeing in that Axis heard?
I'm in livingston tx. I saw 1 one day about a year ago. I thought it looked different. Dam I wish I would have known then.
Thank you for all the info! I only own 16 acres is carrizo springs Tx . 5 years ago I had whitetail and axis , but then I got highfenced on two sides by big buck ranchers. Now I only get a couple occasional deer from my East during rut. I wish I knew how to draw more in
Thanks for leaving a comment! Carrizo Springs is a great area, especially for Whitetail. When trying to attract deer to a "Smaller" tract of land between larger ranches try do identify any limiting factors the deer have in the area. Then make your best efforts to provide whatever that limiting factor is on your property. In other words, if you look on google earth and see that there isn't much cover on surrounding ranches try to provide as much cover as possible on your 16 acres. Providing a combination of cover, water, and year round food should keep them coming back. Last tip, try to avoid excess shooting or running around on your land near season as it can easily run them off. I hope this was helpful.
I didn't know Axis were that far south. I have 12 acres in Pleasanton, haven't seen one out there yet. Theyre all over the place West of San Antonio. Huge herds out here in Roosevelt where we hunt. They're delicious! No gamey taste at all.
Would love to see information on scimitar oryx in the Hill Country
There needs to be more axis deer in the wild
I'd much rather have axis than whitetail, I can hunt them all year round and they're way bigger and taste better. As far as they're overpopulation, whitetails are way more overpopulated and sickly especially in Llano county. Horseshoe Bay, Sunrise Beach, Kingsland, Llano all have sick overpopulated whitetail herds. Increase the hunting season and number of tags, and do something about them within "city limits".
I would love to see your list of 50 ranches, been searching for the most economical hunting options and don't think I found 50 outfitters, lol
Thanks for the comment Aaron! There are actually many more than 50 ranches selling Axis hunts in Texas. I just limited the list. If even half of the counties that have Axis in Texas had a single ranch offering hunts you'd have close to 50. If you reply with your email I'll happily send it over to you.
Make a video on Sika
We have them on our exotic ranch In south texas
have had a “fantasy” for a real long time, lol, fantasy because I’ve not yet taken steps to make the plan. But an idea to acquire my WMA permit and head out to the Austin area or Central TX area WMAs after whitetail season to go axis hunting. Ever since I had heard that their populations are now big enough that they have established feral populations in some of the WMAs out that way. Live in htown so it would have to be a whole road trip thing for me and that’s my excuse for not having made the plan yet.
anyone know any good spots to hunt these on public land? or is everything all just guided? Im from colorado and use to just going out and figuring it out myself
New land owner, kinda, Do you still need a hunting license when hunting in private property? We live close to a hunting lease, since our land used to be part of that lease, if an animal dies in our property, and no one claims is, i doubt that would happen, but if it does, do we have to report it to anybody? How high should tree stand be?
I’ve been looking for a place to hunt Axis deer on public land because I’m from Upshur county in deep east Texas and we just don’t have them around him. If anyone knows of where to hunt them public I’d love to hear
This is a Great video, I was wondering if you could make more videos just like this on black bucks, Red Deer, and ram species. Your videos are very informative and their isn’t anything out their on other animals land owners can start breeding in breeding pens and introducing into their high fence ranches. Thanks again for your videos!
Thank you Grant! I'm certainly glad you enjoyed it, I'll get to work on a video on other exotic species in Texas.
I’m
Great video. I'm planning an axis deer hunt. Any suggested ranches?
Hey David, very glad you enjoyed the video! I’ve personally hunted Record Buck and Big Easy Ranch and would recommend both. They’re both on the more expensive side but have great accommodations. Another ranch I’ve come to know but never hunted is called High Divide, the owners are amazing to work with.
David LaHaie A7 Outfitters has some unbelievable Axis at affordable rate.
Uvalde,Tx
Have you tried horse and mule or alpfalpha pellets or protein? What works best as far as pellets?
Hello Robert, thank you for the comment! I haven't tried mule or alfalfa pellets but I think it will depend on what your goal for feeding is. Are you trying to bait or provide a year round nutritional supplement. If baiting, I would suggest corn as it's cheaper and attracts them well. However, if you're serious about providing a nutritional supplement year round I would contact the folks at PurinaMills. They have a solid reputation in the deer nutrition world and should be responsive if you give them a call. Best of luck on this!
Hello from Argentina!!! Have you ever tried to hunt them down using an ezy axis caller or are those callers a lie? Thanks for the videos !!
Hello from Texas! I haven't tried the Ezy Axis caller but you have me interested. Perhaps another viewer here has tried one? I normally have hunted out of a blind or from a vehicle moving safari style. I've never actually tried calling them in. I can imagine the challenge on calling them is that they don't go through a cyclical rut as White-tailed Deer do. It'll be hit or miss as to which bucks will respond. I am interested in learning more about them though and would like to hear if anyone has experience with this.
Hi I have a question. I’ve been trying to do some axis management but I’ve run into a problem. The does are outnumbered by bucks and spikes. About four are pushing velvet and the rest have dropped horns. What should I do? Harvest ones with dropped horns or harvest spikes and wait for the others to get hard horned? Thanks
Bucks are only virile when in hard antler. Leave them alone to service the does.
so, I have heard anecdotally also that in some parts they are now outcompeting whitetail. But I am curious like, if they taste better than whitetail, which they do imo, although as a Texan with Texas pride I hate to admit it😅because whitetail is one of our native species. Haha anyways, if they are a completely unregulated species that tastes better and you can also hunt them year round with no limit then, how and why in the world would more people not be hunting them also year round?! Thoughts like this perplex me. I mean it’s a deer it’s not like hogs, which can also be hunted year round but which kind of also have some of the “filthy animal” stigma attached to it even though their meat is more organic than any pork you could find at HEB or Kroger. Anyways…
Good thing axis tastes so good or it would be a tragedy
No kidding, it is nice to have them as a hunting option when white-tail are out of season.
i’m that many many comments guy. Sorry. 😂Also heard anecdotally how many of them died off in the 2021 winter storm/freeze. But then you say here in the video that they range all the way to northern India himalayan foothills? didn’t know that. And they hae freeze temps there? So then, it seems to stand to reason that, their species is not actually any less cold tolerant than a whitetail or a mule? Hmmmmmm now I am wondering about this. But also some ranches did lose a lot of axis in that 2021 freeze. So are they then actually less cold tolerant or was it just extenuating and or other factors?
What is an Axis Deer favorite food?
Wow to go hunt a axis deer we can just drive down a road and see hundreds of axis deer here in hawaii there are thousands of axis deer in Hawaii
Wow, you really do have it all in Hawaii. Makes me want to move there even more!
Deer shed antlers business is banned only in india from 1998....