Why do I feel like this forum lost its steam after the 3 Species Act year? (2012)

Is THF less interested in exotics?

For me personally, costs for exotics has gone up alot in the last couple years, and the rates are way out pacing my cost of living. Also living in the midwest flights to Teaxs are one not cheap and not to many options from my city.

So as much as there are some species I would love to chase just not worth it anymore.

^^^^

This. I am a new Texas resident, and would love to hunt exotics. However, I can hunt Wyoming speed goats cheaper than I can an Axis buck. That includes fuel, lodging, food, and three tags (buck and two does).

Please share because I'd love to shoot something with horns for less than an axis buck in TX.

You can research here:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Hunt-Planner/Antelope-Hunting

$600 for tags (it is a draw hunt)
About $400-500 for fuel (we usually split 4 ways)
About $500 for cabin (also split 4 ways)
Whatever food you want (we are sandwich kinda guys)

Still well under a $2500+ Axis hunt...

Thank you!

Hmmm..... let me see ....posting a successful exotic hunt on THF brings out the trolls...... Soon the post becomes a HF vs LF... 5 page.... my way or the highway debate.... I'm thinking this might just slow down the post .

What is the 3 species act?

He's talking about when the scimitar oryx, addax, and dama gazell were faced with being on a list that would require many ranchers to acquire permits for them. If you may recall a lot of ranchers were still in heavy drought and they were faced with getting rid of the species or getting permits for them. A lot of fire sales were going on and hunters were getting some good meat and trophies for about 1/5 to 1/4 the cost of them today. We already had Barasingha and the permits so it was not a big deal.

I kinda miss those days. I was able to get some great live sale prices from all the panic and restocked my herd.

Well, if SOMEone "has no interest" we're all supposed to immediately loose interest.

There is a lack of interest on this forum. Other methods of social media have worked better for me than THF in the last few years, but I'm not planning on leaving THF 100%. I'm not speaking of just the exotics section. The whole thing is that way for me. Too much of the exact same discussions and topics too often.

THF is not as active overall as it was. I can't place a finger on why. I know that facebook is a better advertising media anymore but I don't do facebook. If fact the few forums I frequent, here, TBH, BuggiesGoneWild, TFF and . . . well that's about it, are my only social media outlets. But honestly what has happened here in the last year is sad.

Agree....

Maybe I've missed it? I know there are people offering axis bucks daily for $1750-2500. That has pretty much been the case for the past 10 years. One of the species that is the most stable in price are axis from what I see.

Anyway, you can hunt axis bucks for cheaper than you can buy them at auction because they are so prolific, do well free range, and sell so well. As long as that is the case I don't see what the price gripe is.

FWIW I don't keep axis herds for the reason that you have to feed so many does and the profit margin just isn't there. The only deer species I'm keeping now is white tail because they aren't as susceptible to predators and mature bucks are worth more than any exotic deer.

For me the exotic trend has somewhat waned.

I love axis deer as a species but I've killed two decent bucks, and I've killed sika, blackbuck, aoudad and mouflon.....they don't hold near the appeal to me that they once did as far as a species to target outside of what I may encounter on my hunting lease. I passed up a good one where I hunt so my wife could have a crack at him, with a rifle it didn't garner much excitement

I would like to get a big fallow and a few more big axis but it's not worth it to me to spend the money on them here locally when I would rather hunt elk, mule deer and antelope. I love hunting aoudad and will continue to do so and would love to hunt mouflon in Bavaria or the Czech Republic.

Exactly