I was just thinking, as I've been reading through the posts on this forum, of how the severe drought we've got going on right now will affect the different deer species. Everyone is indictating that the deer population might suffer bad this year from the lack of rain.

If you have this stress on both free ranging whitetail and axis, who comes out on top in the end? If axis can tolerate the change in conditions better and have a higher rate of survival, will those counties with large free range axis populations see a major shift in the dominant species?

I would think Axis will fare better during the drought, mostly due to their ability to switch back and forth from browsing to grazing. Whereas, whitetail need browse.

However, I'm not sure if the Axis herd will become the dominant species, any more so than they already are (in certain areas).

Definitely a good question....and something worth thinking about. I would be interested to hear what others have to say...especially those of you in the Hill Country with large herds of free-ranging Axis.

Axis will do better in the drought if the habitat is stressed. They can go from green grass to dry grass to hay to browse and to supplemental feed and do fine and they will roam much farther than a WT under the same conditions. The only skinny axis I have seen is behind a HF in a concentration camp that they called a ranch. WT are much more territorial and can not switch to the variety of forages that most exotics can.

All the free range axis I have seen lately look 100% better than the whitetail. Around here the axis are already overtaking the whitetail. Axis seem to be better adapted to change. Whitetail stay around a certain area. Axis move as herds to different territories where the grazing is better.

Axis will definately fare better

As far as becoming the dominate species, I think the only thing keeping them from it in most of the hillcountry is their backstraps. . . .

Come to think of it, most exotics will fare better with the exception of fallow. Fallow have almost the exact same feed preferences as whitetails, but not the drought tolerance.

Their backstraps and the ability to hunt Axis year round helps keep Axis in closer check

I honestly think than axis will doe better....