Who here has a lot of experience with releasing Axis onto ranches?

I know there are a lot of people that just buy Axis (and a lot of other species) and turn them out onto a high fenced ranch and hope for the best. I'm also aware that Axis don't do well in small "soft release" pens due to them being so "flighty". So, what are the safest and most successful methods for ensuring survival and health of the deer when releasing them?

The property in question is our 200 acre ranch in east central Texas (Walker Co.)...consisting of about 75% heavy woods.

Every game trapper I have seen opens the gate to the trailer and lets them go. You start penning them you are going to get some beat up animals.

Simply release from trailer, I would not re-pen them upon arrival

I don't have as much as experience as others, but I've released a few. I always just let them out of the trailer and they seem to do fine. But I always put out buckets of water and spread some food out along the fence line. They seem to walk the fence for a day or two.

Not to worry....I definitely will NOT be penning any Axis up (hence my initial post about a soft release pen). I was just curious if anyone had any advice other than "open the gate and let them out".

I don't think there is much you can do with them other than just let them out


I don't know how well they do in east Texas they only did fair at our south Texas place.

I release mine into the most open area of my pasture so that he doesn't immediately go to slamming into things. They will crash into fence if you release close to it, because they think theyre fighting for their life. So my trapper centers himself into the largest open area and lets them go. I've had zero problems.

We always released in an open area but where they can see brush to get into maybe 100 yards away, sometimes less. They always headed towards the nearest brush and did well. I like releasing in the spring or early summer when they have lots of available food sources and cover.

This is good info....thank you for your input Robert.

Release near water. If they pass it running they will go back, otherwise they could hole up in one corner and never find it.

We've released 12-15 Axis on an 100 acre place in East Texas that is 80% hardwoods a few months ago and they seem to be doing great. They use the cover really well and we rarely see them in person.

We just open up the gates around the open area around lake that is on it and they take straight off for the cover. We had one buck take off out of the trailer jump in the lake and swim all the way across it.

My experience is for the most part it depends on how they were treated before release. Things can definitely happen after but there are some trappers that I just won't even consider buying from and others just do it right. And from my experience a busted lip is a death sentence.

Wow. I guess we all have different experiences. I've bought a couple of shooter bucks with bad busted lips for less than half price on a gamble and both lived.

And for the OP, I always released those busted lipped ones in soft release pens. Crazy huh!

I'm not disagreeing, but I have had various results with busted lip deer. From fallow, axis, and red deer. What I learned is for me it's not worth the risk. I will pass on the wounded lips because with my luck I'm better off to just get what I want. When I get Axis brought in while in velvet I have never lost one. Hard antler about 50/50 odds that I either lose what's brought in or it fights with other bucks already there. I have never lost young bucks brought in younger than 2 so I just restock according to what I have taken off and what fawns have survived.

I've seen both . We've released in small less than ten acre pens and some in 300 plus acres. We guarantee our animals for about a week and we've never had any problems

Wade from the golden years of porters when we raised and sold some of our axis we always had customers release next to lakes/tanks when possible. This is a pretty standard practice for anything being released IMO. From my experience when we caught and released them during the night they tend to not stress as much and have had better luck with death losses. If I had a choice I'd always bring them in at the very end of growing cycle as they tip out. Put feed and water on fence lines and you should be good.