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axis deer

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:00 am
by The Eradicator
How much do they really compete with cattle for grazing? I see this said on the Google, but there are axis in and around small towns I know of out west of San Antonio where there ain't much cattle grazing to begin with. I can't see 'em flourishing in town either seeing how there is little grass there either. So do they really eat a lot more forage than they say and compete less with the cattle for grazing?

Re: axis deer

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 5:40 am
by txspeck
Cows weigh a lot compared to an Axis deer. Obviously, a cow will consume more grass. If there is over population of Axis deer in that region I guess it's possible to have grass shortages.

Re: axis deer

Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:53 am
by LocoSeamonkey
I know this is a late reply. But Axis are not a native species to Texas. They probably don't compete with cattle as much for food sources as they do with the whitetail deer population. Axis are bigger and can be more aggressive than the whitetail deer.

Re: axis deer

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:12 pm
by Ron Mc
the best thing about axis deer is Djiuk's can sell you venison sausage
(which makes sense, because axis deer are thick around Castroville
Image
Camp Wood, Vance, Barksdale - you may see feral herds of black buck, Thompson's gazelles, and even camels.

Re: axis deer

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:48 am
by TexasJim
We lived outside of Ingram, in a pecan orchard, for two years. There was a small group of whitetails, maybe ten, that my wife fed deer corn every afternoon. There was also an Axis herd of about 35, mostly does and fawns, but always with two older bucks. Those went over 200 pounds! They are grazers. Whitetails will eat almost anything. The whitetails really hated the Axis, and would back away when the Axis showed up. There was a ranch that had a store in Ingram that sold Axis meat. Tenderloins were $33 a pound! TexasJim

Re: axis deer

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:20 pm
by karstopo
I hunt on a place that has both whitetail and axis. I almost never shoot either one, but I like the Axis much more at the table.
The Axis are big herd animals, much more than whitetail. I really don’t see them browsing like the whitetail. There’s a pecking order. It goes like this. Old whitetail does boss around the young ones. Bucks boss around the does. Bigger bucks boss around the smaller bucks. Whitetail bucks, no matter the size, give way to axis bucks in hard antlers.

Whitetails come to feeders in little groups. A bachelor herd of 3 little bucks. Several does with a yearling or two. Axis descend on a feeder with 20 or 30 animals. Might be mostly does, spikes and yearlings, might be a smaller bachelor herd.