If you are un experienced in axis, this is just an fyi. They are alot tougher than whitetail! A shot that would take down most WT deer may not be for an axis. I have shot enough now with calibers of all sizes to know that now. The vital make up is up further forward in the shoulder. They also dont bleed the same.
Today we took two axis from our lease this morning. I sat with a 16 year old using a 243 with good Hornady bullets. His shot may have been a bit low, but should have been good enough. His young doe went about 100 yards and didn't start bleeding till about 40. The only clue given was she bucked a little after the shot. I have seen this countless times now. It could have easily been missed by the shooter. Always try to observe the last place you see them; it save our butt today.
While I was with him, his dad was at another stand. I heard the shot and got a text from him about shooting at an axis spike. He was going to find it and meet him there etc. While driving to meet him, he yelled at me from the woods about 500 yards from where I was supposed to meet. I learned that he was on a blood trail and he had just jumped the deer. Instead of waiting like we were supposed to do we continued to look. We didn't walk another 20 yards and he spotted it about 60 yards away. He had a small window and shot it through the neck.
Anyways here are some pictures. My point is watch them and hopefully you won't wound or lose one.

First picture is the entry with a 270WSM 130 ballistic tip (Im not a fan of the ballistic tip)

Second picture is the exit

Its hard to believe it could have ran that far with that shot in my opinion.

Thats one heck of an exit hole!!

they are tough.

alot tougher than a whitetail, but not indestructable.

they do have alot thicker bones and it seems more will to live

ballistic tips are better left for pigs & varmints. but yes they are tough & like to run it out.

Good advice for anything a hunter is shooting at. Knowing where to start trailing from is an important part of recovery.

Axis are tough critters but for such a tough one with a huge will to escape they sure do taste good

Never shot a axis so cant comment on how tuff but shoot ballistic tip out of my 6.5x55 swed and dropped every pig and whitetail i ever hit. Maybe its just the caliber and bullit combo.

Saw an axis buck get knocked down at 100 with a .243 with super duper bullets; chased a pig, got back to axis, he was gone and never found. I shot a 28" buck in Nov. at 70 yds w/ a .35 rem. Put 2 behind shoulder to insure he didn't run.

Its still about shot placement. We've killed 2 with 22 mags this year.

Just a question bil, why did he shoot an axis spike? Almost all exotics will always be a spike as a yearling.

I took this doe for the freezer (and a couple pillows) on our Youth Freezer Filler Hunt two weeks ago. DRT with my 7mm-08 shooting 140 gr. TTSX's. She was quartering toward me at 160 yards. They are equal to 2 of our south and central Texas whitetails in size.

Bob

Good healthy looking deer Bob. I've never had the opportunity to shoot an axis, but based upon what I have heard over the years, I don't think I would try to shoot one with anything less than a .270!

Yes axis are tough. That's why me and my brother in law have a "shared" axis buck. BIL made the first shot but the axis buck ran a good ways. He stopped behind a tree from my BIL but I could see his rear end. At 250+ yards I nailed his rear end with a .260. This knocked him down, but he was still alive. It took a third shot to end it.

I've also seen my grandfather stab an axis buck 7 times in the chest cavity before it quit kicking.....

WOW,that is an ethical shot. Shoot one in the butt, and hope he goes down. Did you get any meat off the hindquarters, or were they are worthless?

And to the guy shooting axis with a .22 mag, good for you. Nice to see that people are using the right calibers for the game they are hunting. That is absolutely ridiculous. If I had done that, I would be too embarrassed to post that on a hunting forum.

To each his own, however wrong it may be.

Not that I agree with what was used to kill the axis, but it was his choice at the time and it worked. If it embarrasses you, then don't do it. It worked for him. What about overkill calibers? Sometimes an opinion just might be best when kept to ones' self.

Not that I use either one, overkill or too little gun for the animal I am hunting, but I dang sure would rather use an overkill calibers, rather than one that is too light. I use the gun that is capable of putting down the animal that I am hunting, in ethical manner.

Thanks for your comments, but you might just heed your own advice about keeping opinions to yourself. "Let he who casts the first stone. . ."

I think I am going to go change all of my posts because someone does not agree with me.

How do you figure? You don't think that 270wsm that went through that shoulder and out the other size is adequate to kill a deer size animal? This is an informative post showing the shot placement with a larger than most round. Think of all the people that went to Academy all those years and bought Winchester ballistic silvertips; and right there on the box it stated it was rated for deer size animals. They even had pictures of the animals you were supposed to kill with it.
Your statement is again redundant of what other have already said. How many axis have you killed now?

Because it is his last chance to go this year. There were 3 others already mature in body size but in velvet. We don't have rules as to what to shoot. If you want meat then take it. Basically it. The kid that hunted with me took a younger doe that already had a fetus.

How do you figure? You don't think that 270wsm that went through that shoulder and out the other size is adequate to kill a deer size animal?

i do know Camp Bullis here in SA will not let you hunt with Ballistic tips to avoid wounding animals. More damage is done with a regular bullet

On our old lease they were routinely killed with 22 hornet, 222 and 223. The people who owned it though a 243 was a cannon. They shot them in neck head and body, some went further than others.

That balistic tip looks like it did a good job, not all will do the same though.

matt

I think its plenty adequate and more for pretty much any species in the US. Gun and bullet is not my point.
I don't know anything about Camp Bullis and what they require.
It is just an example of how much tougher an animal can be with a common firearm and bullet.

I was basing my statement on personal preference. Especially if you are meat hunting. I know NO ONE is perfect every single time on their shots and if one is a bit high or such, it tends to completely blood bruise any good meat on the exit. But if you through & through in the ribs/lung area its great to wipe out the pump station & make tracking much easier.

As far as shooting the deer in the hind quarters, I would have too. If I knew the deer was wounded the first shot and all I had for a follow up shot was the hind quarters I would have done it. Would have been more unethical to NOT take any shot you had to try to finish a wounded animal.

A friend of mine shot an Axis buck out at Rocksprings a few years back. He shot it about 100 yards with 130 grain core lokt bullet in a .270. The deer dropped in his tracks in tall grass. My buddy went ahead and hunted until dark and then went to recover the Axis. The Axis was nowhere to be found. We looked hard the next day and never even found a spot of blood.

Both axis shot with 22 mag ran 40 yards. My axis buck ran 40 yards with a .270 with 130 sp's as well. If an arrow can kill a deer, why not a 22 mag? An axis is just another animal, you put a bullet where it needs to be, it'll die just the same.

Oh yeah, the 22 was used because it was truck hunted. It was what was available, not used because its the preferred caliber.

a shot at the base of the tail will drop a deer on the spot.

not exactly the most optimal shot, it will require a finisher,but whatever gets hit there is goin to hit the dirt.

especially if the animal is wounded, as long as I can see hair lead is gonna fly

I shot my axis buck with an 80 grain corlockt psp. Well placed shot at 315 yards it ran 20 yards and dropped.

Its all about shot placement, not a fan of ballistic tips for any game but thats just my two cents.