Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Where to go for axis deer hunt in Texas?

Thank you sir, I was once a big Muley fan like yourself but when it got so danged expensive to hunt them I defalted to Axis deer. While not always cheap I can normally get in a couple hunts a summer. I’ve probably got several thousand Axis photos at home on my computer but these were just a few from my laptop. Take care, Baker

It's a little hard to tell, but I'd say those were probably 30"+ with the exception of the one in the center of the top picture. Again I could be wrong, but it would still make a very good first trophy. I haven't trophy hunted axis in quite a few years, but wouldn't you say my prices were on par with what you have found? Captdavid
BTW, the one in the middle photo is a whopper, if it has a brow tine on his left antler. Captdavid

Elkhunter49,
Do you have any background on that big axis? That's probably the most impressive axis I've ever seen. He's got it all, including age. I've never actually seen one that is a true 40" but he can't be far off. The wide ones always look bigger but he looks like a conservative 37-38".

Yes sir he is a beast for sure. I took the photo in 2013 off a state highway near Vanderpool, Texas. I was taking my wife to lunch that day in Kerrville but I always carried my camera with me so when I saw him I circled back and got about 20 fair to poor photos of him before the wind switched and he busted me. He was incredible to see in person and as long as I've been hunting Axis (20+) years I've never seen anything that has what he's got. I've had multiple very experienced Axis guides tell me he is likely 40" in length. His mass and width make him look almost like an elk.

I contacted the land owner of the place to see if he would sell me a hunt for him but he wasn't interested in hunting the place. The buck lived in a very thick 1200 acre pasture with multiple creek bottoms and the land owner had only seen him 3 or 4 times in in the last 5 years. He looked to be 10+ years old and was likely pushing 300lb live weight. After I offered the guy all I could afford to let me hunt him the old man just laughed and said "son if I let you hunt everyday for a month you still wouldn't see him again". I feel lucky to have got close to such an incredible animal at least with my camera! I'm sure father time has taken him out by now.

Here are couple more shots of him. Take care, Baker

That's an amazing axis! He looks like an elk!

I love that area from Bandera to Leakey. You never know what you'll see around all those creek bottoms.

Big son of a gun

Those are great pics! I am excited and I am just going after the does!

Never judge them from behind.

http://aguavidaranch.com
If you contact Diane Sodoro on this website she will go out of her way to hook you up. You'll see her name on the right side of the web page.

www.baker3ranch.com
Another good choice for more of a DIY hunt. Talk to Bonnie.

I agree but he still looks pretty damn good from the front!

That Axis will look good no matter what angle he's at. That's a freaking monster deer.

Yep. Horns that long are a lot closer to the camera than the animules body.

I've caught, and had my hands on A LOT of Axis deer... I'd have to agree with some others, that's a STUD no matter the angle.

No doubt!

Had one like him I was going to let my daughter whack in 2003. I knew where he would be so we set up on him at 0430. Sure enough when it came light he emerged. Turned out, he had but one antler beam. She decided to wait until the following season. We never saw him again, though we had seen him several times annually since our first encounter.

I called him Goal Post. He had to be 40" at least. Learned after the fact that if Axis experience a late freeze after antlers are shed they will either have stunted brow tines or only one antler beam for that year. The Axis she did whack that day had stunted brow tines and both beams were otherwise normal.