Axis management question

[patw]

Does anyone know what qualifies as a cull axis buck?  We have a small, but getting bigger axis herd, and it is getting to the point where we will have to take some off.  I shot one last week because it looked like the horn was deformed on one side, but it turned out to be a broken horn.  In any case we would like to keep the good genetics, so we need to know how to recognize an inferior buck early.

[LILED]

pat,
On my place we have a few axis. I consider anything with 30in long main beams a good trophy type axis deer. I think that 34 is "trophy class". Most important thing that I know about axis is WATCH YOUR DOE POP. They can grow fast, if they drop 2 sets of twins a year. Don't be afraid of taking some old does out. It will be good for the heard.

                        Good luck
                          Ed

[Graybeard]

Please understand I'm not a rancher or deer manager. But I do have a few somewhat informed opinions on the subject.

I think anyone who thinks they can determine what a cull buck is very early in life is kidding themselves. Doesn't matter if we're talking about axis or the more common white tail deer. Most of the managers of the  big high fenced ranches in TX have come to this conclusion. They want the deer to be 3.5 years old before they start trying to decide what is and what isn't a cull. I think the same applies to axis. Until they have more or less reached maturity there is little you can do to determine what is a cull.

Axis deer have long main beams and only two typical points on each main beam. This is the normal configuration. Desireable characteristics to look for are long main beams that arch outward to a wide spread, long brow and caudle points. So undesireable traits would be just the opposite. If a mature buck has really short beams or points or if one side is very noticeably different than the other that would constitute a cull. For sure missing brow or caudle points not related to fighting damage would constitute a cull. If one beam took off at an odd angle that too would be a clue it is a cull.

I strongly suggest you allow your bucks to grow to 3-4 years or more of age before taking them. At that age you'll either have some nice trophy animals or obvious culls. Trim your doe herd as needed and let your bucks have time to show their potential.

GB

[Tom]

Exotics on the Range by two PhD researchers says, p44, the antlers continue to increase up to age 6-7, so one older than that would be on the decline, antler wise.

[patw]

Thanks for the replies.  Graybeard, apparently there are two theories on the harvesting of spikes                                                                       ( http://www.thesi.com/deermanagementqa2.html ) and, as luck would have it, the biologist who did the wildlife survey for our ranch was one of the authors of the Kerr WMA study, which says to harvest all spikes.  I tried to find the study online but could not.  I will need help from someone more computer literate than me to scan it and translate it to text, but I can post it if you would like to read it.  Anyway, this applied to the whitetail population.  We've been told axis can breed year round,  and last week I saw bucks with little nubs of horns, bucks with 10-12 inch horns, bucks in velvet, and one nice mature axis buck who was too much of a hurry for me to get a good look at him.  In any case, if one would follow the theory of harvesting all spikes, I am not sure what would be the equivalent of a spike in axis deer.

I just reread the excellent article on axis deer posted by Denvas back in may.  I was wondering if anyone has ever seen or heard of an axis with two caudal tines.  A couple months ago two of our group saw one such eight point axis at a water hole, and  I would dismiss it as fantasy except that these are two experienced hunters.

[Graybeard]

Yes. While I've never personally witnessed one live I have seen photos of them with 8 points rather than six. It is somewhat rare and considered to be non typical and to some it might detract from the trophy value but to me it would enhance it.

I'm NOT a believer in the once a spike always a spike theory and that's all it is theory. It hasn't been scientifically proven. Just as many studies have indicated other results. I've seen photos of the dropped antlers of many bucks kept on game farms and study projects that started with a tiny spike rack that later became huge trophy deer. I've seen them become both typical and nontypical trophy deer. I do suspect a lot of them will not later be ten pointers however.

There are from what I've read three basic reasons for a spike first rack. One is nutrition, another is genetics and yet another is age. If a deer is born into an area with really poor feed then the chances are high it will have a spike first rack. If nutrition remains poor likely the rack will remain substandard. But that's more a factor of the food supply than the animal. Killing spikes won't fix this problem. Many deer are bred late and thus the buck is still very young when he has his first rack. This will commonly be a spike rack. Here in Bama the native herd comes into rut in January and February. With the out of balance buck to doe ratio some does may not even be bred until March. Fawns from these late births will have a spike rack first almost 100% of the time. Now the other reason is genetics and when that's the reason for the spike I think it will likely remain a substandard rack the entire life of the buck. However I question how many remain spikes their whole life. I've yet to see evidence of one that could be proven more than 2.5 years old that sprorted a spike rack.

As for what constitutes a spike on a fallow? Well I dunno. I'd guess that's about what it should always look like for the very first rack no more points than they have at maturity. If I were running an axis herd there is no way I'd want to be shooting a buck under 4.5 years of age and a bit more will really bring out the trophy potential if it is there. But remember the buck is only HALF of the picture for genetics. Unless you know which doe bred with which buck to produce what caliber of off spring it's all a crap shoot.

GB

[Tom]

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/conserve/wildlife_management/hillcountry/deer/spikes_not_inferior.phtml

is a neat link for data on spike deer in a good nutrition environment.

There is even a picture showing a spike going to an 8 pointer.   The antlers in the row above are a fork horn going to an 8 pointer also, with about twice the mass and size.   Spikes can become big but average half the size.   Even the studies in the southeast where does have not been shot much, say deer antlers are about 10% of their expected size the first year, hence, even their spikes are expected to be smaller.

The spike studies have nothing to do with axis though.  The axis diet is much different than a whitetail, axis eat about 60% grasses, I've read.