Daylight is a good 30 minutes away, and I’m trying hard not to laugh out loud at the circus show taking place in front of my South Texas deer blind. Let me just put it this way: If you’ve never seen an Eastern lubber grasshopper at work (or is it play?) you’re missing out on one of the most colorful and comical insects of North America.
The orange-green-yellow-and brown hoppers are everywhere — crawling the walls of my blind, flipping over themselves in the caliche dirt in the distance and literally falling from the shrubs. They’re harmless, or so I’m told, but they are making this blistering hot predawn tick by a little bit quicker.
It’s the middle of June, and, yeah, it might sound odd, but I’m sweating it out in this blind in search of one of the wariest bucks in North America. That’s right, I’m deer hunting.
You can tell by the photo on this page that it’s not the typical white-tailed deer I’m pursuing on this hot Texas morning, not even a cousin. It’s the elusive chital buck (most commonly known as “axis”) and from past experiences, mature ones are next to impossible to find when you’re actually looking for them. What might also surprise you is this hunt is not in a “high fence” or anything even remotely close. It’s free-range habitat, and although the deer are plentiful, they’re about as skittish as the whitetails I grew up hunting in the vast public forests of northern Wisconsin.
Daylight filters across the landscape, and several antlerless deer materialize on the horizon. There’s a protein feeder about 100 yards away and a water hole.
The does have numerous grown fawns in tow as they head toward both, looking to grab a snack and a drink before seeking shelter in the shade of mesquite and live oak draws to my east. I shoulder my binoculars and watch in amazement as axis, sitka and white-tailed does filter past my blind. Before long, a very odd sound pierces the calm morning air.
“Reeoooarrrrr!”
It’s the roar of an axis buck, and he’s close. I only know that because I’ve hunted them before. How far … I can’t tell. It’s kind of like trying to gauge the distance of a spring gobbler. All I know is that he’s close enough that I need to get my shooting sticks and video camera ready to roll.
A Different Kind of Deer
Venture outside the typical range for white-tailed deer in North America, and you’ll discover some things that are as odd as they are fascinating. Wild free-ranging axis deer are on that list, and they can be found in small parts of South Texas and Hawaii.
They were introduced to Molokai, Hawaii in the 1860s, Maui years after that, and Texas in 1932, intended as a game animal, but axis are indigenous to places like India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Their presence dates all the way back to the Pleistocene age. The axis deer is its own species of deer.
Axis were introduced to Texas in 1932 as an exotic species for hunting ranches. Although most of those ranches were high-fence operations, most of those were huge landholdings, encompassing tens of thousands of acres of South Texas brush country habitat. Over the years, some of the axis deer escaped the massive enclosures and now range freely across southern parts of the state.
Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune of hunting wild, free-ranging axis deer on three occasions — twice in Texas and once in Hawaii. Of the things I’ve learned, these deer — especially bucks — are among the smartest, most wary deer I’ve ever encountered. Their sense of smell is many times that of a whitetail, and their eyesight is as good if not better.
Their behavior is markedly different than a whitetail in that the bucks roar much like an elk during the rut, and they also tend to harems of does during breeding season. Because they are a hot-weather species, they have no internal breeding clock. Although the classic axis rut occurs in the warm months of May, June and July, these deer will breed throughout the year, and it’s not uncommon to see young fawns while hunting. Does can breed up to two times a year (spring and fall), but most adult females will only give birth to one fawn per year.
The same kooky natural clock causes bucks to enter and exit their antler growing process at varying times throughout the year. It’s quite common to see both velvet and hard-antlered bucks while hunting during the prime months of May, June and July.
Granted, sitting in an enclosed blind during June in Texas might not seem overly appealing, it is actually a nice reprieve during what we normally view as nonhunting months. Once you get used to the heat — and aptly prepare for it by bringing plenty of cold beverages — you’ll discover a brand-new way of hunting that you wished you’d experienced years earlier. Well, that’s the way I viewed it!
Extremely Wary
Axis deer are so skittish in nature that seasoned hunters call the mature bucks “spotted ghosts.” Some even go as far as saying that a mature axis buck is a “deer of 100 sits.” And when they do show up, they invariably know they are being hunted (near feeders, ponds, etc.), so they usually keep their distance by remembering where the most human activity is located. This means the buck typically shows up at the far reaches of shooting range. In the case of bowhunting, it’s typical to expect nothing less than a 40-yard shot.
Axis also have their own unique language. It’s deer-like, but quite different than whitetails. For example, instead of snorting/blowing like a whitetail, the axis will emit a high-pitched bark. I liken it to the sound of a small lapdog — a sharp, shrill “woof” that, once you hear it, you’ll not only know what it is, you’ll know that the jig is up and your chances of seeing a mature buck are slim to none. Axis does are notorious barkers and, unlike old bucks, they don’t seem to mind to investigate the perceived danger.
The bark is usually preceded by hoof stamping and lip curling. As stated, the axis deer’s sense of smell is incredible. I’ve had deer wind me and start barking even though they were sometimes two and even three ridges away (several hundred yards).
It’s common to locate bucks by their audible roars during the rut. These throaty bellows will put a chill down your spine much in the same way as the sounds from a bugling bull elk or a gobbling tom turkey.
Conclusion
The grasshoppers are still parading around my blind as eight axis does finish drinking from the nearby waterhole. The does seem like they want to exit stage right, but they’re suddenly put on full alert. To my left, a flicker of movement in the distant trees reveals the telltale spots of another axis deer. This one is much bigger. Binos up … buck!
“Oh man,” I whisper to myself. “Awesome brows. He is nice!”
My heartbeat goes into full throttle. The moments melt by and he steps out of the brush and into my forever memory book.
Another hunt for the ages concluded with a sure shot, awesome antlers and oh-so sweet venison.
— Video of Dan’s hunt with Keith Miller will be featured in an episode of D&DH-TV in 2022 on Pursuit Channel.
OUTFITTER INFO
Who: KEITH MILLER, TEXAS TROPHY WHITETAILS LLC
What: WILD AXIS DEER HUNTS
Where: SONORA, TEXAS (HILL COUNTRY)
When: YEAR-ROUND HUNTS FOR BOW AND/OR RIFLE HUNTERS
PHONE: (717) 512-3582
Email: INFO@HUNTTEXASWHITETAILS.COM
Web: www.HUNTTEXASWHITETAILS.COM
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
I could wax poetic and say all of the deer hunting clichés. Like how it was just good to be out there. Or how it sure beat working in the office on that particular day. Or the one I loathe the most: “That’s why they call it hunting.”
Let’s put all of those on the table right now in a straight flush. It still won’t take away the sting of the deer that could’ve been.
This hunt that now haunts happened a few years ago. I was in camp in my friends Jon Severson and Todd Seyfert of Feradyne Outdoors. They had graciously invited me to hunt some free-range (don’t know why I have to preface that, but there you go) axis deer in Texas.
I’m nestled in a homemade ground blind that Severson constructed of mesquite brush and limbs a few days prior. It’s mid-June, and, well, it’s freaking hot. Daytime temps are in the 90s, but the axis are frequenting the waterholes.
The afternoon sun’s beating down on us as videographer Abigail Hehner and I position ourselves in adjacent hideouts. Long story short, the Carbon Express (now known as AXE) crossbow is sighted dead-on at 50 yards. I’m ultra confident in the outcome.
Everyone else in camp has already notched a buck tag. Me? Well, the photo here is all I got. If it looks like that behemoth is in my lap, that’s because he was. Fourteen steps to be exact. I’m not a mathematician, so I’ll let you determine the equation for shooting at a deer that’s 14 yards away when your first dot is sighted in for 4X that distance. And, no, the old bowhunting adage “just aim a little low” is not good shooting advice when you have a deer like that standing at 14 steps.
What happened? To take a phrase from baseball announcer Bob Ueker, “Jusssstt a bit outside.”
Insert crying emoji here.
ALOHA ADVENTURE!
I am a whitetail hunter first and foremost, but I’ll readily admit that it was an axis deer hunt that provided the most thrilling adventure I’ve experienced in my 27+ years here at Deer & Deer Hunting.
That trip occurred in 2014 when my buddy Chad Schearer of CVA/Bergara Firearms invited me to deer hunt with him in Hawaii, of all places. At first blush, you might think of an exotic location like Hawaii as either canned, easy or super expensive. It wasn’t any of those. In fact, it was flat-out incredible, featuring unbelievable views, rugged hiking and ocean-side accommodations on the sparsely populated island of Molokai.
Our hunt took place with Hawaii Safaris, a guiding service run by Patrick Fisher since 1992.
Fisher’s range includes 84,000 acres of some of the most picturesque hunting land you’ll ever see. It’s home to thousands of wild axis deer. Most of these animals live to maturity without ever seeing a human.
“Our hunting areas usually feature cooler temps, thanks to the elevation,” Fisher said. “The areas where we hunt are prime habitats, which encourage a healthy deer population … so no matter if you hunt with a bow or rifle, a challenging and rewarding hunt awaits you.”
Fisher’s clients usually wind up taking a buck with a rack in the 30- to 38-inch range (28 inches is considered a trophy in most places that hold axis deer). Hunts can be conducted on a neighboring island as part of a 2-1/2-day package. Most visitors combine a beach or touring vacation with a hunt, but if hardcore outdoor activity is what you’re after, multiple other species can be hunted, and fishing opportunities are also plentiful. No tags are needed for deer on private land (because they’re an invasive species to the islands), but a $105 general hunting license is required.
The prime months for axis deer in Hawaii are from mid-March through October, with the majority of bucks rutting from May through July.
My hunt took place in April, and although it only lasted one day, I saw hundreds of deer and dozens of trophy bucks before pulling the trigger on a 36-inch monster that Walker Schearer filmed for his family’s Shoot Straight TV show on Pursuit Channel.
Patrick Fisher is a Hawaii native who guides big-game hunters on a variety of hunts across the islands. For more information, contact Patrick at hawaiisafaris@gmail.com, or visit his website at www.hawaiisafaris.com.
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