Got 2 pics of 1 from yesterday morning at my feeder. I'm in Windthorst. Pretty cool. How rare is it to see them in that area?

they can be anywhere. of all the exotic game out there, axis are by far the most common and popular. they are trapped/transported regularly. they are relatively prolific too.

they are probably most common in the hill country area, especially west/northest reaches of the hill county. but I wouldnt' be surprised to hear you say that you saw them anywhere really. they're a lot of them in south texas too.

And in my opinion, the best venison I have ever eatn!!

Best eating hands down. Very prolific! Every doe that is harvested usually has a fetus inside!

The only red meat that is actually leaner than chicken. If you get the chance.....

Some of the best meat in the animal kingdom and beautiful animals to boot.

Even if it's a doe, their tanned hides make for a cool trophy as well.

I have seen them in East Texas to. They escape from high fence exotic kill ranches all the time.

i can't wait to put one of those in the freezer…its just a matter of time

Some really nice ones on my wifes ranch in La Salle county. She got a huge one a couple years ago and the does will herd up with the whitetails too.

I've rea

I've read stuff on this as well. they say that axis is the leanest meat out there. around 1% fat content on free range animals. even regular white-tail is leaner than chicken though. if what I read was true

white chicken breast about 6% fat
free range white-tail about 2%
free range axis about 1%
even lean beef 10% or more

fat content.

I've talked to a heart dr though who says that even though venison is very light in terms of fat...that it is a red meat and it still has cholesterol in it. her opinion was that it still wasn't that great a choice. I think she was a tree hugger though probably anyways.

on cholesterol...

what I was able to find online...

chicken was about 60mg/servine
venison was about 70

and even lean beef 90+

heart association recommends not more than 300mg cholesterol consumed daily is healthy so they say.

If your mixing beef/pork fat with the ground meat or chicken frying the steak, it really doesn't make much difference regarding the fat content. However, axis deer meat is undoubtedly fantastic. It's really tough to open the deep freeze and choose WT over axis meat to thaw for supper.

we mix little pork with the meat that we turn into hamburger and or sausage. less than 50% tho. I know that adds fat content to the deer itself, but its still markedly better than regular beef from the store nutritionally. chili meat, jerky, steak& soup meat...all strait venison.

I'm going to get flack for this I'm sure....axis meat is good. I've never shot one, but I've eaten it in more than a few forms. axis deer though I believe are part of the sheep&goat family...and I'm just not really into sheep. I would not agree that I like axis more than white-tail. and I eat a lot of deer.

on the other hand though...I belive that crown royal whisky is a lousy excuse for whisky and is mostly not worth drinking. I get plenty flack for that too and I've drank a lotta whisky.

Axis deer are deer not a sheep or a goat. Axis handled and prepared right is some of the best eating their is. I give my whitetail away now but I'd arm wrestle my grandma for axis.

and crown royal reserve is where its at

I didn't say axis wasn't good. I just don't join the craze of them being the best meat on earth.

12yr or better single malt is where its at. just like it comes outa the bottle.

with coffee and whisky both....if you have to mix something with it then you obviously don't like how it tastes. drink something else.

I could be wrong on them being related to goats....I know they are 4-stomached like cows. so they're not exactly like deer. their meet has a sweetness to it to me that is reminiscent of mutton. that's just me though.

I don't dispute that they are very edible. I'm just partial to good ole native deer.

Whitetail are ruminants and have a 4-chambered stomach, as do almost all commonly known herbivores, excluding horses.

Venison is high in purines. Purines are good...up to a point. But if you have gout, are diabetic, or have kidney problems, then it is best to limit your intake of venison.

well...I might could be wrong....I always thought that deer were not 4-chambered stomach...that's why they couldn't eat grass the same as a cow could? I know axis deer will eat coastal hay just like cattle do. but deer can't do that. even when its green deer won't eat coastal or any of the hay crops. I had thought that was because they couldn't digest it. I may just be full of yarns though.

deer are ruminants, this means they have the 4 chambered stomach. They CAN eat grass like a cow but are not designed for it specifically. Cows are grazers, deer concentrate selectors. This means deer typically search out more browse and succulent type plants like forbs. Cattle who have a bigger "fermentation vat" portion of the rumen(I use rumen in the generic not the specific term for you hair splitters) look for more fibrous plants typically.

I can give you a good bit of the whole "ruminant nutrition class" run down if you want it... if you want a book with lots of good info but will put you to sleep in a heartbeat look up, "Nutritional ecology of the ruminant" by peter j. van soest..... and yes if deer are hungry and the costal is very young they will eat it, but typically they focus on other food sources more

http://books.google.com/books?id=-mwUu6P...van&f=false

scroll to page 237 on this link and look at the graph, it gives a very good overview that covers a LOT of territory...


ok there you go put the college degree to use there... first time in months really lol