My EXO hunt is scheduled for the last day of January & 1st couple days in February....and getting antsy for any reports of recent activity from the last couple weeks. Talked to Becky couple weeks ago and she was helpful with some insight. I'm looking for a freezer filler in Axis...but seeing some pic's of mature Fallow bucks sure would be nice of getting a hoss to go on the wall.

Over here on Hwy 79 west, just past the tiny wide spot on the Hwy called Oakwood is a high fenced pasture that usually has a brood herd of Axis...and saw 'em couple days ago when I went to the gun range just across the RR Tracks behind the Camper Trailer Park...a VERY NICE Axis buck is earning his living with about 25/30 brood mares to service.
Ron

All I can say is don't be picky if you see any axis. Shoot the first decent sized axis doe. Don't wait. You may not get another chance.

Yup, Kinda what I thought after a long season of hammering the herd. My hunt is scheduled as the last Hunt of the year...so it'll be Take No Prisoner's kinda thing. I'm only taking a little over a hundred rounds... in 4 calibers ....think it'll be enough? at least one outta 4 rifles will shoot straight I hope.
Ron

If you need 100 rounds and 4 rifles to kill an Axis you need to spend more time at the range.

I hope you can kill one with all that fire power

It helps to at least SEE an Axis to shoot at 4 guns & way too much ammo or not... The lil porker I got was a one shot & done kinda deal. Good thing I dinnit shoot one of the 3 big WT does that ate my corn Tuesday afternoon 'cause they were off limits. Only had 1 Axis taken by 10 hunters when I left for home..

I can see 40-50 Axis any time on Hwy 79 south of Oakwood & north of Buffalo in the pasture across the street from the RV Campground & around the corner from the gun range I use, just can't shoot those either.
Ron

Just talked to Becca the SLRSP Superintendent about 30 minutes ago about something else, but asked her if there were any more or just the one Axis doe that was killed on Tuesday before I hauled butt to get home before the storm hit ...she said she'd heard that there mebbe was one but has had no confirmation....So SLRSP for this last hunt went 1 Axis down for sure, and 2 from the week before....mighty slim pickens for as much effort everybody has put in, including Staff People too. Bob & Dorrie the Host's have already moved on to somewhere down on the coast.

Before I left Tuesday, Dorrie told me she has a new Muskie Rod she wanted to try out before they went to New Mexico to work as a Host's at a NM Park that have Muskie's in the river and lake they'll be working at. Sounds like a Life I could learn to Love...but I am 20 years too OLD already.
Ron

The previous years hunt statistics are available on the TPWD website for all of the drawn hunts. Your hunt success ratio was similar to last year's exotic hunts. I did not look farther back, but if the construction was going on last year, it could show that it is effecting the hunts. The 2nd hunt in 2019 shows 16 axis taken, 10 of which were bucks, so 2 years ago that hunt was doing much better.

Some years I try to draw this hunt, but when I was researching them for the recent season, I considered last years harvest and the construction warning as red flags and passed on it. I still have double digit points in exotic and did not want to risk it on this one this time, but it may still be a good hunt after things settle down. Another thing I noticed was how late in the season this one was. Previously they were all in October.

Exotic South Llano River SP State Park Unit 1 9/24/2019 9/26/2019 N 2,600 8 Y 8 0 0 0 8 6 75% Axis Deer 7 3 Feral Hogs 1 0
Exotic South Llano River SP State Park Unit 2 10/29/2019 10/31/2019 N 2,600 8 Y 8 0 0 0 8 7 88% Axis Deer 10 6 Feral Hogs 0 3

Exotic South Llano River SP State Park Unit 1 10/6/2020 10/8/2020 N 2,600 8 Y 10 0 0 0 10 3 30% Axis Deer 2 1 Feral Hogs 0 0
Exotic South Llano River SP State Park Unit 2 10/20/2020 10/22/2020 N 2,600 8 Y 8 0 0 0 8 5 62% Axis Deer 1 2 Feral Hogs 1 6

Axis deer move around a lot. Same here. You may have a herd of 10 Bucks and another of 30 does and then for months not have a single one. If it is not HF it is all the luck of the draw.

Our place is less than 10 miles as the crow flies. Since the freeze in 2021 I've had maybe a dozen axis on camera and seen 3 in person. Before the freeze I would see them nearly every time I sat in a blind and have several pics a week of axis.

There was a deafening silence the 2 days I got to hunt...except for the Hog I shot ...and one reason I didn't fret over leaving early to beat the storm back to East Texas.

Sounds like I need to go back to school on whether or not to put in for what hunt where for next year. Or I could just buy a couple Axis from the herd by the RV Park on Hwy 79 for the freezer, now that I found which processor the guy uses. But that's boring....
Ron