Information about Axis deer (graphic)

If you are un experienced in axis, this is just an fyi. They are alot tougher than whitetail! A shot that would take down most WT deer may not be for an axis. I have shot enough now with calibers of all sizes to know that now. The vital make up is up further forward in the shoulder. They also dont bleed the same.
Today we took two axis from our lease this morning. I sat with a 16 year old using a 243 with good Hornady bullets. His shot may have been a bit low, but should have been good enough. His young doe went about 100 yards and didn't start bleeding till about 40. The only clue given was she bucked a little after the shot. I have seen this countless times now. It could have easily been missed by the shooter. Always try to observe the last place you see them; it save our butt today.
While I was with him, his dad was at another stand. I heard the shot and got a text from him about shooting at an axis spike. He was going to find it and meet him there etc. While driving to meet him, he yelled at me from the woods about 500 yards from where I was supposed to meet. I learned that he was on a blood trail and he had just jumped the deer. Instead of waiting like we were supposed to do we continued to look. We didn't walk another 20 yards and he spotted it about 60 yards away. He had a small window and shot it through the neck.
Anyways here are some pictures. My point is watch them and hopefully you won't wound or lose one.

First picture is the entry with a 270WSM 130 ballistic tip (Im not a fan of the ballistic tip)

Second picture is the exit

Its hard to believe it could have ran that far with that shot in my opinion.

Thats one heck of an exit hole!!

they are tough.

alot tougher than a whitetail, but not indestructable.

they do have alot thicker bones and it seems more will to live

ballistic tips are better left for pigs & varmints. but yes they are tough & like to run it out.

Good advice for anything a hunter is shooting at. Knowing where to start trailing from is an important part of recovery.

Axis are tough critters but for such a tough one with a huge will to escape they sure do taste good

Never shot a axis so cant comment on how tuff but shoot ballistic tip out of my 6.5x55 swed and dropped every pig and whitetail i ever hit. Maybe its just the caliber and bullit combo.

Saw an axis buck get knocked down at 100 with a .243 with super duper bullets; chased a pig, got back to axis, he was gone and never found. I shot a 28" buck in Nov. at 70 yds w/ a .35 rem. Put 2 behind shoulder to insure he didn't run.

Its still about shot placement. We've killed 2 with 22 mags this year.

Just a question bil, why did he shoot an axis spike? Almost all exotics will always be a spike as a yearling.

I took this doe for the freezer (and a couple pillows) on our Youth Freezer Filler Hunt two weeks ago. DRT with my 7mm-08 shooting 140 gr. TTSX's. She was quartering toward me at 160 yards. They are equal to 2 of our south and central Texas whitetails in size.

Bob

Good healthy looking deer Bob. I've never had the opportunity to shoot an axis, but based upon what I have heard over the years, I don't think I would try to shoot one with anything less than a .270!

Yes axis are tough. That's why me and my brother in law have a "shared" axis buck. BIL made the first shot but the axis buck ran a good ways. He stopped behind a tree from my BIL but I could see his rear end. At 250+ yards I nailed his rear end with a .260. This knocked him down, but he was still alive. It took a third shot to end it.

I've also seen my grandfather stab an axis buck 7 times in the chest cavity before it quit kicking.....

WOW,that is an ethical shot. Shoot one in the butt, and hope he goes down. Did you get any meat off the hindquarters, or were they are worthless?

And to the guy shooting axis with a .22 mag, good for you. Nice to see that people are using the right calibers for the game they are hunting. That is absolutely ridiculous. If I had done that, I would be too embarrassed to post that on a hunting forum.

To each his own, however wrong it may be.

Not that I agree with what was used to kill the axis, but it was his choice at the time and it worked. If it embarrasses you, then don't do it. It worked for him. What about overkill calibers? Sometimes an opinion just might be best when kept to ones' self.

Not that I use either one, overkill or too little gun for the animal I am hunting, but I dang sure would rather use an overkill calibers, rather than one that is too light. I use the gun that is capable of putting down the animal that I am hunting, in ethical manner.

Thanks for your comments, but you might just heed your own advice about keeping opinions to yourself. "Let he who casts the first stone. . ."

I think I am going to go change all of my posts because someone does not agree with me.

How do you figure? You don't think that 270wsm that went through that shoulder and out the other size is adequate to kill a deer size animal? This is an informative post showing the shot placement with a larger than most round. Think of all the people that went to Academy all those years and bought Winchester ballistic silvertips; and right there on the box it stated it was rated for deer size animals. They even had pictures of the animals you were supposed to kill with it.
Your statement is again redundant of what other have already said. How many axis have you killed now?

Because it is his last chance to go this year. There were 3 others already mature in body size but in velvet. We don't have rules as to what to shoot. If you want meat then take it. Basically it. The kid that hunted with me took a younger doe that already had a fetus.

How do you figure? You don't think that 270wsm that went through that shoulder and out the other size is adequate to kill a deer size animal?

i do know Camp Bullis here in SA will not let you hunt with Ballistic tips to avoid wounding animals. More damage is done with a regular bullet

On our old lease they were routinely killed with 22 hornet, 222 and 223. The people who owned it though a 243 was a cannon. They shot them in neck head and body, some went further than others.

That balistic tip looks like it did a good job, not all will do the same though.

matt

I think its plenty adequate and more for pretty much any species in the US. Gun and bullet is not my point.
I don't know anything about Camp Bullis and what they require.
It is just an example of how much tougher an animal can be with a common firearm and bullet.

I was basing my statement on personal preference. Especially if you are meat hunting. I know NO ONE is perfect every single time on their shots and if one is a bit high or such, it tends to completely blood bruise any good meat on the exit. But if you through & through in the ribs/lung area its great to wipe out the pump station & make tracking much easier.

As far as shooting the deer in the hind quarters, I would have too. If I knew the deer was wounded the first shot and all I had for a follow up shot was the hind quarters I would have done it. Would have been more unethical to NOT take any shot you had to try to finish a wounded animal.

A friend of mine shot an Axis buck out at Rocksprings a few years back. He shot it about 100 yards with 130 grain core lokt bullet in a .270. The deer dropped in his tracks in tall grass. My buddy went ahead and hunted until dark and then went to recover the Axis. The Axis was nowhere to be found. We looked hard the next day and never even found a spot of blood.

Both axis shot with 22 mag ran 40 yards. My axis buck ran 40 yards with a .270 with 130 sp's as well. If an arrow can kill a deer, why not a 22 mag? An axis is just another animal, you put a bullet where it needs to be, it'll die just the same.

Oh yeah, the 22 was used because it was truck hunted. It was what was available, not used because its the preferred caliber.

a shot at the base of the tail will drop a deer on the spot.

not exactly the most optimal shot, it will require a finisher,but whatever gets hit there is goin to hit the dirt.

especially if the animal is wounded, as long as I can see hair lead is gonna fly

I shot my axis buck with an 80 grain corlockt psp. Well placed shot at 315 yards it ran 20 yards and dropped.

Its all about shot placement, not a fan of ballistic tips for any game but thats just my two cents.

204 right to the head makes brains look like scrambled eggs or 223

243 for the neck shots on bucks

If the animal is already wounded, to me it is irresponsible not to shoot again if the chance is given. Do not wait for a perfect shot put more lead in a wounded critter

Guess I have been blessed over the years with the axis I have shot, they were DRT, but I did make sure I had a good shot or I would not shoot. IMHO it all about shot placement..

My son has a 270 wsm and he shot a WT spike 2 weeks ago with a Winchester Silver Ballistic tip. It hit the rib cage and exploded. Part of the bullet travel around and down the rib cage, and went into the gut sack. The spike suffered and had to be shot again when we finally found it an hour later. The other part exited about 2 inches from the entrance wound. The bullet didn't even penetrate the ribs. We could see the bruising where it hit the ribs, but no penetration.

We had a bad experience with a doe earlier. Now we know why. Needles to say we are changing bullets. Someone told us the distance had something to do with it, 90 yards, but we are not taking any chances.

you shoot enough of them, you'll see some strange things.

i've seen a yearling with both front legs shot off (one was gone other was hanging by a piece of hide,180 grain bullet) that ran for 75 yards before it layed down. we came up on it, she got up and started to run I had to bull dog it and cut its throat.

we shot another one thru both shoulders with a .300 mag, the buck skidded on his brisket for about 60 yards before giving up the ghost.

we stalked up on a big bucks, one shot in the shoulder with a .270 with 130 grain ballistic tips.....deer fell, we started high fiving and the deer gets up and starts to run. guy puts another one in the shoulder on the run, deer falls again.

we walk over to it and the deer is trying to get away with only his back two legs....requires one more shot.


on the other hand, i've had one shot kills on plenty of them with .22-250's and .270's.


They arn't bullet proof but alot tougher than a whitetail

I can atest to the toughness of these critters. I hit one in the shoulder w a rage broadhead at 22 yards with a bow pushin 300 fps and I got 4 inches of penetration. He took it and broke off my arrow like I shot him w a BB gun. Fortunately I got another shot at one a couple days later...this time I used a .308(pics below). Even w a well placed .308 he was still alive when we walked up on him...had to slam another 165 grain in him. They are sturdy suckers

308 is a great round for axis, and yall are right placement is the key....

They are beautiful animals. I hope I'll get to take one some day. My dad has been wanting one forever, so I'll probably fund his hunt before my own.

I also disagree with using ballistic tips on deer sized game. I have not had good experience, however random the conditions could have been.

drop him in his tracks

great for broadside lung shots, terrible for bone unless its a .30 caliber or bigger

I've only shot 1 that a friend wanted off his property... 300wsm 150gr BST 412yds on its maiden voyage...hit tight behind the shoulder and it didn't make it far. But I've seen whitetails run like crazy even being hit like what BIL posted...any given animal could suprise you.

I guided a hunt once and the guy got 4-5 shots off on one buck, then I had to chase it down a canyon and finish him off.

Another one my brother shot, as I pulled up with the jeep, the buck was standing 60 yards away. I put a round behind the shoulder, drop him cold, then the deer jumps up and runs off. Track him find him layed up prone, two more rounds, gets up and runs some more. When we found him, there was little blood, and he had four holes in him. Two behind the shoulder, one in the neck, and one in the back leg(not sure how that one got there).

Yes they are very tough animals, but after hunting in the canyon parts of Rocksprings, I dont think twice about second or third shot opportunities. Its not fun dragging animals out of canyons...

Show Off LOL!!!! Nice Deer.

First Axis buck I took, a one and a half year old, I shot broadside through both front shoulders (but didn't hit the spine) with .25-06 117 gr Hornady BTSP. He ran almost 100 yards, despite being unable to use either of his front legs! Luckily piled up against a fenceline and I could put a finisher in him.

The much bigger buck below, on the other hand, dropped in his tracks this past Monday from a high shoulder shot with the same bullet-this time the slug also severed the spine. Placement is damn important with Axis.