Exotics Wiping out Whitetail

[Casey]

What are you thoughts on the research in the article below? Will the exotics in the Hill Country eventually wipe out, or otherwise devastate, the whitetail herd?

Exotics and Whitetail

[Hunteraudit]

I don’t think there is sufficient evidence to say that will happen. The number of exotics in Texas has increased but so has the number of high fence acres where this numbers/ratios are managed. Interesting though.

[Mayhem]

No


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TildenHunter]

They are legal to shoot 24/7/365 so the only ones to blame are ourselves if the #s go off the rails. I think landowners like having them for the most part. It seems as it would be pretty easy to control if the State ever decided to do so. Since they are not native, I would think a bill could get passed to kill them from helicopters or whatever should they ever get to that level.

Obviously you read on here where some people have seen their whitetail get pushed out completely do to axis and other exotics. I think that is pretty isolated. You hear a lot more people wishing for exotics then the ones who are overrun with them. I would think like anything, keep managing them and they will be fine. In the future should there get to be too many of them, you will see action by the state. The only thing that is different is that sometime axis will be in herds of 20-40 deer. That number of mouths in one isolated area can probably do lots of damage in a hurry to grass, forbs, etc.

[Drycreek3189]

Some exotics are a good thing, as it gives hunters extra opportunities not only for more meat in the freezer, but year 'round hunting. Too many of them, (feral hogs) is a bad thing. I already see many complaints about audad sheep. TPWD was/is behind the curve on feral hogs, let's hope they aren't on exotics.

[Artemiz]

Exotics have no seasons and can be controlled through hunting if the population increases. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to take an axis deer.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[SwampRabbit]

Not as long as we keep feeding them corn....

Yeah, I don't know. I suppose it is possible. I heard somewhere that WT are infringing on Mule deer ranges and pushing out Mule deer in areas as well. Will be interesting to see.

Deer do have one thing in their favor... they don't eat grass and cattle do eat grass... that pretty much means deer are more safe from the upset rancher than say those pesky axis.

[Tx-Burt]

Interesting article

This was an interesting article, surprised this issue hasn't been discussed more. I guess people like their exotics.

We've noticed a difference in whitetail's more and more each year that we see the Axis on our place. 1 the whitetail don't like the groups of axis coming through. They take off like they're scared or spooked by them, they usually come back after the herds leave. If its just one or two axis they tolerate them more and even eat together. 2 The axis don't come to corn all the time. I've shot most of them grazing on forbs and winter grass under the trees and brush. 3 when they come to the feeders they seem to scare the deer off the corn, but don't eat it, (got some trail cam pics this year)

Sometimes we see herds of 50 or more. The Rancher showed us pictures of 100's in his fields. His Grandson has shot over 60 this year. Ridiculous ! Told him to go shoot 1 or 2 for us when we come up.

The Biologist estimated a herd in Blumenthall to be 4000 this year.
We hunt between Fredricksburg and Stonewall in Gillespie county along the Pedernales River.

Never thought it would cause that big of an issue with the deer population though. Quite interesting. Time will tell

[ByronB]

I do not believe it will happen in my lifetime or my kids lifetime. While exotics are prolific in some counties of Texas, there are others where they just do not exist in free range. I don’t think it would be allowed to happen either. People would shoot more of them before the numbers were out of control. Exotics are not quite as elusive as hogs and certainly do not breed as often. Good article though and interesting thought. Thanks for posting that info.

[AntlerCollector]

Non story. Hunters will keep them in check

[ByronB]

This was an interesting article, surprised this issue hasn't been discussed more. I guess people like their exotics.

We've noticed a difference in whitetail's more and more each year that we see the Axis on our place. 1 the whitetail don't like the groups of axis coming through. They take off like they're scared or spooked by them, they usually come back after the herds leave. If its just one or two axis they tolerate them more and even eat together. 2 The axis don't come to corn all the time. I've shot most of them grazing on forbs and winter grass under the trees and brush. 3 when they come to the feeders they seem to scare the deer off the corn, but don't eat it, (got some trail cam pics this year)

Sometimes we see herds of 50 or more. The Rancher showed us pictures of 100's in his fields. His Grandson has shot over 60 this year. Ridiculous ! Told him to go shoot 1 or 2 for us when we come up.

The Biologist estimated a herd in Blumenthall to be 4000 this year.
We hunt between Fredricksburg and Stonewall in Gillespie county along the Pedernales River.

Never thought it would cause that big of an issue with the deer population though. Quite interesting. Time will tell

This is interesting feedback as well. Some places have an over abundance. Have to manage them just like anything else.

[Dusty Britches]

Yes.

Hunters have not kept the wild hogs in check.

Non-native species tend to overwhelm and dominate native species. (Think snakes in the everglades.)

I know of no examples where exotics and natives co-exist and thrive alongside of each other.

[jerp]

I don't know about scientific evidence but I'm sure you Hill Country guys have heard anecdotal evidence or seen it for yourself. For example I have a friend who has a low fenced place near Junction that has been in his family for several generations. As he tells it, it always had a very healthy population of whitetails. 15-20 years ago a water gap blew out on a nearby high fenced exotic ranch. As the years went by and the axis population flourished they saw fewer and fewer WT. Every couple of years a guy comes in and traps axis from a helicopter and sells them to game ranches.

[bloodtrail18]

I don't know about scientific evidence but I'm sure you Hill Country guys have heard anecdotal evidence or seen it for yourself. For example I have a friend who has a low fenced place near Junction that has been in his family for several generations. As he tells it, it always had a very healthy population of whitetails. 15-20 years ago a water gap blew out on a nearby high fenced exotic ranch. As the years went by and the axis population flourished they saw fewer and fewer WT. Every couple of years a guy comes in and traps axis from a helicopter and sells them to game ranches.

I have experienced the same on our family place in Uvalde. We saw our first axis about 8 years ago. At that time it wasn't uncommon to see 15 or more WT each sit. Since then the axis population has exploded in the area and our WT numbers are the lowest I've ever seen. We have killed more axis than we have WT the past few seasons.

[150class]

I typed up a post saying no way but on our place we are so over run with pigs and aoudad that we only saw 7 deer all year either in person or on camera.
If anything they will be pushed around to other areas big time and whitetail adapt so well around humans it’s hard to think they’d be wiped out.

Also my uncle hunted this same place 15-20 years ago right as they first started seeing sheep. Back then he said they would see 10-12 deer a hunt.

We have never seen more than 3 deer a hunt the last 3-4 years and this year never more then 1 during a hunt that I can think of.