Axis to the East?

[jt400]

I saw a nice buck and doe in Leon County near centerville a few weeks ago.

[BubbaHFD]

I'd be willing to bet to the contrary, it's not like game management was well practiced in the western hill country back in the 70s and 80s when they really started to take hold. I think having them further east is just going to be a matter of time. You've only started to see significant growth in exotic ranches east of 35 in the last 10-15 years. As those fences get old and pig holes get left unchecked, you're going to have a lot more escapees.

Add to that more and more 'sanctuary' properties where they either wouldn't get hunted, or the owners are amiable to them, you have an environment where they can take hold. Seen that in the Boerne area, as more country land turned residential, the axis really took hold.

One limiting factor will likely be terrain - I just don't see axis doing that great in the thickest stuff and piney woods in Far East tx - that's just not their preferred habitat. The more open stuff west and north of Houston, absolutely.

Now Sika is a different story - if they start getting out, I can see them reAlly taking hold in east Texas. They are also nocturnal and prolific enough to make it even with really heavy hunting pressure. You don't know you even have Sika until you have a bunch of them.

I hear that Fallow deer do really well in heavy wooded areas.......I have no idea if that's true or no as I've never seen or had an opportunity to see/hunt exotics. Anyone shed some light on that?

[MenardCountyBow]

We have seen them on our place in bosque county

[rednecktbrizz7]

I swear I got a TC pic of one in Montalba in between Palestine and athens

[cz762]

My dad swears he saw an axis doe in the Big Thicket near Saratoga.

[sleepymedic1]

Ive seen some inside the city limits of College Station.

[BosqueTech]

We have seen them on our place in bosque county

Great! Hope they come to my place! Where abouts?!

[unclefish]

Lots of axis just north of Columbus near Frelsburg. The Falls golf course has a ton of them.

[Mongo45]

We had a herd of about 12 in Vienna (Lavaca county) 4 years ago. Last one I saw was a young buck in velvet 2 years ago. We hoped they would gain some ground and stick around but slowly disappeared. A local has a scull screwed to his fence I'm sure other had there way with'm as well

[BRust]

There have been some seen in Washington off of 36 south, one hit by a truck on 36. The word was they got out of a high fence due to heavy rain. I think they will be all over South Texas before long.

[JW]

Don't know but they need to be shot n stopped.

[JW]

there are some in hardin county also, but i will not say were,,,,, i am hoping they make it to my property!!!!

You better not let me find em. I'll kill everyone of those **** things. Ranch not far from our place had some get out. I kept telling him for a month to come trap em. He wouldn't. So I gave em lead injection before they could breed.

[A&M 90]

Don't know but they need to be shot n stopped.

Why so? Competitors with whitetails?

[SouthTX1911]

Saw a huge axis buck in Magnolia off 1486 years ago. Use to have a good herd on our ranch before we bought it, also in Magnolia. The folks who leased it shot everyone of them off. Saw a sika once going to pick my dad up at the stand. He was awesome! I was the idiot who didn't take my gun with me. Still beat myself to death over that. Sika, axis and fallow all do very well in East TX.

There was a sika bull sighted off 242 and I 45 last year and Im sure yall have seen the thread about the sika and fallow in tomball yesterday. One of my good friends was with his cousin and they shot a big axis buck off 2920 last fall. I think they are definitely starting to populate more. Who knows what will happen in the next few years.

[skeeter]

I've seen em as far east as florida!