Spotlighting Axis?

Been seeing ads on FB from an outfitter that guarantees "Trophy" Axis hunts on his high fence ranches. The way he does this is if you fail to take one from one of his blinds during the day, he just spotlights one for you after dark. I've got no problem spotighting hogs or coyotes for varmint control, but would never do it on a deer of any species, legal or not. Your thoughts? Am I drawing arbitrary lines in the sand?

For you I can tell it's maybe more of an ethical thing for you. It doesn't bother me all too much, however I would worry more about what's behind that animal since you're hunting at night. So it may be more of the ethics of that hunter on how they look at it when it being legal hunt.

No, your gut is telling you hunting vs. just killing for $$. Don’t see how day vs. night could be called an “arbitrary” line in any sense when it comes to deer hunting.

It’s been pretty much been recognized as poaching under our game laws forever on WTs. For obvious reasons to anyone who knows the first thing about deer. I get it may be legal because exotics are not game animals, but anyone with an ounce of hunter’s blood wouldn’t give a damn about doing it IMO.

Guarantees sort of rule out the 'hunting' portion of the equation.

Legal, but totally wrong to do it.

Since they said “trophy hunt”... hell no.


I wouldn’t sell hunts doing it, nor post the results. It a technique for controlling populations and gathering meat. I’ve done/helped with it, At that point I’m not looking for a hunting experience , I’m just efficiently getting meat. My same thought process when filling MLD doe tags, I’m going to use all legal means to make its as effective and efficient as possible.

Being that they are not a game animal and are considered exotic. I have no issue with it. You aren't breaking the law. I went a few weeks back after not having shot anything during the day. I didn't have any luck at night either. So you are guaranteed either way.

I wouldn't do that but I won't judge you for doing it.

Ha, yea this for sure. Not so much "hunting" as being able to butcher your own meat...

I agree with you Dave.

Depends on what type of hunt I'm on. If it's for the meat which I love, I have no problem with it at all. If you like to trophy hunt them that way, to each his own.

The deer is just as dead shot at night as it is during the day. Same experience for the deer on their side of the equation IMO. I'm sure being shot at night sucks just as much as being shot during the day, lol.

Its an exotic... they taste better if shot at night

I wouldn't pay to do it and I wouldn't consider it a trophy hunt, but I got not problem with it.

Why is it that night hunting of game animals is poaching? Night fishing isn't? I bet hunting was regulated to a day time affair due to safety issues than anything.

I’m not a fan of night huniting for much of anything outside of hogs/predators

If your out to get a meat doe or something, then so be it. Same thing with population control measures

No way would i ever shoot anything other than a hog or predator at night and brag about it.

Spotlighting a axis or any other trophy exotic is simply killing it, not really hunting it.

That’s how I feel about it

WT deer and other game animals are vulnerable and easy to kill at night with spotlights. It’s kind of a different game day vs. night. Fishing is different.

You can go to a $200/plate restaurant and have them put your dinner in a styrofoam box for you to eat with your fingers in the car, but why would you?

I don't tell others how to hunt, as long as their actions are legal; I prefer to keep the "hunt" in hunting, myself.

I concur, but honestly what difference does it make day or night. I would not but it’s my opinion. Dead is dead.

I’ve taken axis for at night and have no prob with it. Just after the meat. I would not however choot a trophy axis buck at night but that’s just me.

Shooting axis at night is fun, but not as much fun as white tail.

I've night-hunted exotics multiple times. It's not as easy as you'd think. Not as hard as a day time safari style axis hunt, for sure, but not a fish-in-a-barrel either.

To each his own.

Why I only gig flounder at night

Yes cause blinding an animal with a Q-beam is quite challenging


It is as easy as you’d think

What about using Thermal/Night Vision. With the improvements in quality and price I can see those being used for night hunting non-regulated critters, especially if someone is willing to pay.

They are used pretty regular.

and shooting them at a feeder during the day is harder? Who is anyone to criticize another persons way of hunting as long as it’s legal? You and I may not agree with a certain method based on ethics, morals, etc. but, if that’s how they wanna do it then more power to them.

animals act completely different at night. Axis deer are 10X more docile at night than they are during the day. I can drive up to mature axis at night with a spotlight....never could get close to doing that in the daylight.


so yes, it is easier than shooting them at night over during the day time. In most cases, the shooting them is the easy part anyway, be it over a feeder, crop field, game trail, etc.....its the finding them to shoot that is the hard part.


and i'm not criticizing anything...i'm calling a spade a spade. shooting a deer at night with the aid of a spotlight is tons easier than doing it during the day time.

yall really makin a fuss out of shooting an animal that shouldn't be here... if they came on my property id go out at night and split every single ones wig.. the eye shine makes it a much easier target

I bet it is pretty hard to find them in that light during the day

i'm calling a spade a spade. shooting a deer at night with the aid of a spotlight is tons easier than doing it during the day time.

I agree it would be a better Texas IMO if every free-ranging exotics/ferals (especially hogs and, yes, including aoudad and nilgai) went away. Traps, nets, night shooting - I wouldn’t care (though I know it ain’t happening).

The OP context is night hunting as part of an advertised “trophy HUNT”. Not eradication. In that context, it’s a joke.

Legal, but I don't necessarily consider it ethical. Odd that the fact that population control is brought up, but number wise throughout the state the whitetail numbers are considerably higher than the number of Axis aren't they?

That’s my opinion - I realize many will disagree because they have fun shooting that stuff all year.

Like I said, it’s a moot point anyway. Quite literally, Texas has become the feral/exotics capital of the world.

Blasphemy you dirty blasphemer!


I enjoy the axis and the aoudad....quite a bit. I like the free ranging Sika and blackbuck too in the areas they have sustaining populations.

Also enjoy the nilgai down south although I haven’t hunted them.

I have mixed emotions about it. I’m personally not partial to the ranches that have 27 different species of exotics. It’s a business and I’m all for thst although it’s not my cup of tea to hunt them.

But also exotics do play a viable hunting role in free range scenarios.

Lots of exotics play a huge role in American outdoor pursuits. Sika deer on the east coast, ringneck pheasants in the heartland, brown trout in the rivers and lakes

Remove those and you remove a big part of history in our nation.

It is not hunting. Surprising how many see nothing wrong with it, but they won't do it.

Yep. Just because it is legal doesn't make it right.

I guess some "hunters" just want a participation trophy whether they earned it or not.

I’ll admit the pheasants and brown trout especially give me pause when I say that. Yet there are/were native species in those ecosystem niches that those now hinder (in many cases prevent) from making the inroads they could otherwise. OTOH, there are places where the habitat and/or prior native species are gone to never return and it’s the introduced ones or nothing. On many of the historical ones (19th/early 20th century introductions) that’s the case.

But you get where I am coming from.....thinking mostly about the Texas feral/exotics situation we now have.

Not for me but I don't have a problem if somebody else wants to do it as long as they're utilizing the meat.

I would not shoot a nice axis buck at night because it feels like cheating.

But if you're just looking to stick a doe in the freezer, I don't really see what difference it makes.

Predators do some of there best hunting at night!

Let’s be honest with ourselves for second, a mature axis buck is a much more noble animal than a scrappy hill country whitetail.

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder I reckon.

They are indeed pretty and eat good I’m told.

I believe it was FDR that said "the American dream is a vehicle in every driveway and a Axis at every feeder"

Maybe in India


Not a chance in Texas... ill take a WT all day long over an Axis

Now if I was in India id much rather shoot an Axis

So just hang on.....

You ones that are against this.... are just fine for it being done to pigs and predators??


Are you people being serious?

Yall cant actually sit here and tell me that its right to shoot a pig at night but not an EXOTIC axis? because its prettier and taste better?


Or what bit of sane truth do you have to back this craziness

It's legal. It's no more or less ethical than shooting a cow for meat. If you want to have a trophy for a photo or mount then go for it. I don't really care. In this case it's really up to the individual.

I've never had a deer of any kind root up a hay field like hogs do.

Nav have you ever hunted or killed an axis?

Yes

lol and that makes it ok for them to be here?

You asked what justification people have for shooting hogs at night. The reason I shoot hogs at night is because I don't like them tearing up my pastures. You can shoot all the axis deer you want for all I care. I don't have access to axis in my neck of the woods and I'm not about to pay someone for the privilege, day or night.

Well what’s wrong with you then ?

I have actually found that an Axis that is taken at night with a spot light and 22 LR actually tastes better than one taken during the day with a center fire rifle.

I have Indian blood runnin through me... i do not like things that are not Native... it disrupts the balance

An axis is an exotic.
Hogs are vermin.

All in the same... they will compete with Native animals so they are vermin

This is funny because you mentioned the other India earlier #ElizabethWarrenWYA

Nope....unless they were being harmful like pigs....crop damage etc...then maybe.

I would never tell anyone else how they should hunt. I expect the same from them on my behalf. IMO ALL exotics are nuisance and should be eliminated from Texas....especially them elk and aoudads in West Texas.....I don't care how they are eliminated...

Unless joking, that might make sense. A calmly killed animal under less stress generally tastes better. It is that way for non-hamburger beef.

You don’t really mean that, it must be the sweet n’ low talking

Then you really don't know much about me if you think I am joking.

Lmao, no I know 100% you are serious

Just think about how bad your Mule Deer hunting has been since you started on that West Texas property since year one till last year. What two worthless exotics were allowed to increased leaps and bounds during that time frame? They thrived during the drought and continued to increase more and more with better range conditions.

I think we should kill off all the stinkin' mule deer and aoudad to open up more ground for the elk.

Need to slow down on the booze this evening...it is effecting your common sense....

LOL, man I'm ready for a drink but it's hard to get to a watering hole when you're stuck 68 miles offshore.

If... it would ever rain enough to get the creeks flowing I could float you a Yeti full of cold beer down the Medio. z
Glad you are working again

Ok, so should we shoot all the cows we see? They are competing with the native Buffalo (aka tatonka).

Inside a high fence it’s livestock. I don’t care when they are killed. I personally wouldn’t want to shoot a trophy at night, but I also wouldn’t shoot a trophy inside a high fence either.

There is no truth to back it. It’s the “It’s not ethical because I say it isn’t” attitude. Never mind the fact that same people will sit at a timed feeder and wait for an animal. I have a coworker who moved from up north two years ago. I introduced him to lease hunting in Texas, box blinds, feeders, etc. I can’t tell you how many times throughout the season he told me he couldn’t get over how easy it was and its not at all what would be considered hunting back home. By the end of the season he was spoiled. In either case (shooting an axis at night or shooting whatever animal at a feeder), the end result is the same, a dead animal. Both methods are legal in Texas. As long as it’s legal and humane, whatever floats your boat. I may not agree with it but who I am to say it’s cheating or unethical. Those opinions will vary from individual to individual, and that’s all they are, opinions.

These arguments are an exercise in futility.

To whoever said deer aren’t destructive, I have an acquaintance that has a vineyard in West Tx. I’d love to see the look on his face when someone told him that.

There was a reason we used to get permits to shoot 50-100 deer every summer when I was a kid.