i agree with your statement.

on some of the nicer ranches in the area, high fenced and protein program gets native deer in the 160 in range

To some extent, saying your Axis are in better shape than your whitetail is like comparing dogs and cats. Axis can get by on browse and weeds, but can switch to grass when the browse is gone. WHitetails mostly get by on browse and weeds. With this advantage, when it gets dry, the Axis have more to eat than the native whitetails do. If you also add in the fact that Axis compete with the whitetails in an already overgrazed Hill Country that is not very lush because of lack of rain, hunters may be lucky to see whitetails with any type of horns in the future. Too many animals and too little feed.

sheep and goats decimated whitetail habitat long before axis deer came along.


i've hunted alot of hill country ranches, and its tough to find a deer over 140 inches on a low fence, non managed place. axis deer are not competing, but thriving, as well as black buck and aoudad. whitetails took a big hit from the 60's thru the 80's as far as habitat and food goes, and axis deer did't have anything to do with it

Years ago they turned loose 100's of Axis deer on Ft.Hood
They have hunts every year

I personally think that is "BS"