Axis Deer vs. White tail (anatomy)

[dustoffer]

Not to hijack, but what time of the year's the best time to hunt axis (horn wise)?

Any time between Jan 1st and Dec 31st-- As someone already posted--their antlers will be in every stage all the time in the herd from just dropped to full hardened and polished.

[Stickslinga84]

Never shot one, not yet at least! New lease supposedly is full of them, i'll remember this thread when i finally draw on one!

[GARY]

I've killed two axis with my bow on back to back hunts. I shot a doe on a Saturday evening hunt. I put the arrow exactly where I intended to. I tracked her for 2+ hours in the dark to find her gut shot. The next morning I had a axis buck walk in front of me. He was walking and I placed what I thought was a bad shot into his shoulder (and higher than I wanted), only to hear him crash inside 50 yards with a truly lethal shot.

[Chisum]

I'm going after an axis doe in two weeks. If I get one it'll be my first bow kill. Darn glad I checked in with TBH today!

[aggieyoe91]

Due to their native enviorment most of your exotic species vitals are right in between their shoulders. Shoot em right in the shoulders break em down and watch em fall in sight (most the time) good luck and safe hunting.

[aggieyoe91]

Not to hijack, but what time of the year's the best time to hunt axis (horn wise)?

Axis deer rut is three months long, so to answer your question it depends on management at the location you are hunting. Some places have summer or winter herds some have both.

[CM Sackett]

Further forward on ungulates.
Further BACK on big cats.



AFRICAN/ASIATIC Ungulates... the line of vital shot is STRAIGHT UP THE (middle of) FRONT LEG LINE.

AFRICAN CATS... the line of vital shot is just forward of mid-body (at least on a leopard).

[Grumbler]

I've been around Axis for more than 20 years now and some of the "info" in this thread is...uh....different!
Hold tight to the shoulder on your shots is good advice.
Each animal is a schedule unto itself due to the equatorial region they came from. At any given time of the year you should be able to find animals in all stages of antler, and fawn, development. Good luck!

[CM Sackett]

Hmmmm... just found this shot-placement chart on a safari site. Their chart differs (on the cats) from what Dries Visser told me several years ago... the leopard is further back. But Dries showed in-field pictures to me of a leopard the skinner had removed part of the skin, meat and ribs of to show just how far back a leopard's heart/lungs actually lie.