my boys have been drawn for an exotic hunt on some public land and i was wondering if you can call or rattle for axis...

I have never heard of anyone doing it. Where are you going, to the Kerr WMA? Good luck

I will second not having heard of anyone doing it. The axis we hunt (not free range) would most likely spook at the sound of a call, and rattling would make them more wary than anything.

If I were them... I would find a good area to watch, some place with food and/or water, and I would sit there from sunrise to sunset. Congrats on being drawn, and best of luck on the hunt!

Bigbow tried it on our ranch. I dont think he had much success. You might want to try that when the chances of them being in rut and competing more with other axis. Like in the late spring thru the summer. Right now a lot of them will probably be in velvet or just about to drop their antlers.

I tried it again in early November and all I got was Red Deer and Fallow coming around looking for what was going on. I am tempted to try it again more often this year and see what happens.

thanks we'll be hunting at Garner SP mid January

HERE AXIS DEER HERE AXIS DEER. OH WHO'S A GOOD AXIS DEER? YEAH YOU ARE, OH YOUR SO CUTE... BANG BANG BANG PLAY DEAD. GOOD AXIS DEER WORKS EVERY TIME

i call them delicious.


i don't think they can be called.

i would just find a heavily used trail and watch it like a hawk, axis have a tendancy to be very nocturnal, so dawn/dusk is a great time, although i've shot a few in mid day, espcially in june, when they rut

you shouldn't need to call there. Bunch of axis!

thanks guys just check and trying to get odds in our favor. my boys are 8 and 12 and can't wait.

My bro has rattled a few in, personaly I call them in with alfalfa

I agree with Brother In Law call them in with Alfafa...It will do the job better than anything out there....And Good Luck To The Boys...

I have been on several high-fenced properties and when the feeder buzzes, they come a runnin!

Amazingly, I have called them up using a rabbit in distress call. These were free range Axis near Bandera. I wasn't hunting them, but up they came. So if all else fails, try a rabbit in distress. They definitely came to my calling and not just wandering by...

And, just as my luck would have it, I was aiming for a fox or bobcat and had some number 2s in my shotgun and the two that came up were massive....

Next summer, my Uncle sold the land....

i've had axis deer and whitetail does wander by when using a woodpecker call, but i can't be 100% it wasn't coincedence.

either way, the alfalfa is going to work better than anything.

the ones we have could care less about corn, but they love lab-lab and alfalfa

well we gave it a shot with corn and alfalfa all over the place but no axis. Between the 4 groups hunting near me no one saw a deer. thanks for the help.

Darn the critters.

thats hunting.

we have a herd of between 50-65 animals, and we go months sometimes without seeing them.

they are also very nocturnal. maybe moonlight was a concern?

if you can master their LOUD BONE SHRILLING BARK, LOL