Lets talk axis BOWhunting.

[rattler7696]

WHite dot is where you want to aim. Green is gut. Red is high and in no mans land- no vitals up there.


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[The Manager]

White dot it is. We have them on our place but they sure are hard to pattern. Had them every day for the last two weeks. Got in my stand last Friday and never saw a single axis on stand all weekend.

[jmiles95]

definitely agree on shot placement. i learned that the hard way on a couple of them with my bow. one was a doe at KJO's old place, then on a buck at our ranch that i thought i hit perfectly right behind the shoulder, but he was dead broadside, not quartering and i didn't hit vitals. hardly much blood, but trailed him close to 500 yards before it completely dried up.

straight through the shoulders smoked a "meat spike", and another one i shot quartering away. he laid down about 30 yards from where i hit him and i left him there cause his head was still up. came back couple hours later and he had gotten up, but luckily he only went another 20 yards before expiring.

wait for the premium quartering away shot or go straight through the shoulders if broadside is my suggestion as well. i have killed a couple nice bucks in recent years, but with my rifle. because they are so hard to pattern and bucks we see regularly in velvet go into hard antler and disappear for weeks/months at a time; so i decided to hunt them with rifle to improve my chances if i ever saw one. got lucky a couple of times now catching one moving through - never patterned.

only time i knew they were patterned was a really dry summer when we had a hay field planted that didn't do well enough to cut & bale - they were on it every night (until fall rains started greening things up). I kept trying to figure out the trails they were using to get to the field etc so i could catch them on the way. finally sort of figured it out, but didn't ever get one of the 2 good bucks in bow range during shooting light.

my bow kills were the meat spikes that just happened to come by my feeder. We have a feeder that holds axis better than the rest, but it's my brother's and so i don't have an archery stand there. we tend to see them at feeders when food is hard to find...but still not consistently. Just have to be persistent and stay after them! good luck!

[kd350]

White dot it is. We have them on our place but they sure are hard to pattern. Had them every day for the last two weeks. Got in my stand last Friday and never saw a single axis on stand all weekend.

Trying to pattern them is tough. Best way I've found is to have a constant source alfalfa and protein. sweet feed when you go hunt as well

But even then it's not a guarantee.... they don't do well with pressure. Once they feel pressured they usually leave the area for a little bit. The best hunts are usually the first or second time you go sit

[bowhunt-R]

I've only taken two axis, and both were from the Diamond C.

[The Manager]

For the morning axis hunters. Good info passed so far.

[giarcher]

Excellent thread. I'm hoping to chase after some axis this fall for my first time.

[nursejenn]

My Diamond C axis...

[eastxhunter]

Man I don't remember what the stand was called but it was almost due west of the campsite right on the fence line. Big oak tree with one of those hang on stands that he had.

Hunted that one. That's sick that you killed a goody out of the stand, when I went last summer he made it sound like all the good animals were killed by guys sitting random spots in brush off trails and near waterholes.

[Bowhunter1994]

Up !


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[Bowhunter1994]

Top


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[DuckDogTrainer]

I shot this one spot and stalk from 50 yards. Exit wound right through the shoulder as has already been mentioned. Ive shot three in the shoulder this summer and none have gone over 75 yards. They are hard to pattern but seem to like green fields where I hunt. They excite me more than whitetail these days!

[The Manager]

Some nice ones posted on this thread!

[BURTONboy]

My advice would be to figure out when they are rutting and roaring and book a hunt then. Our hunt at Baker 3 this year was much tougher with the bulls not talking near as much as last year. When they talk you can locate them much easier without getting busted. Just walking around looking for them in the blind we got busted quite a bit before we spotted them. They blend in pretty good and bed up in some thick stuff. Good luck, they are a blast to hunt. As Rattler said, pin them shoulders together and he won't go far.

[RLB]

In the subdivision bucks are the best!!