Article about the Axis die off in the Hill Country

[Tony Pic]

My neighbor lost all(12) his Blackbuck and about 8 Axis.
Gillespie and Kerr got pounded with cold.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/exotic-species-texas-winter-storm/

[Hogmauler]

Not good. I think our resident herd was around six at the first snowfall of the new year. I’m hoping some of em made through. That was a good article btw bro.

[PondPopper]

Very sad deal.. I'm not sure why some hate on Axis the way they do, I just don't get that.. I personally would rather have them over scrawny hill country WT.. A happy mix, like we had before the freeze, was nice...

[SabineHunter]

Very sad deal.. I'm not sure why some hate on Axis the way they do, I just don't get that.. I personally would rather have them over scrawny hill country WT.. A happy mix, like we had before the freeze, was nice...

There's a reason why foreign deer have trouble in Texas. I prefer a White tail over any foreign deer, it just seems right.

[AtTheWall]

We had ice for a couple of days before the snow hit, so the availability of free running water, thinned many of these animals out simply due to dehydration. They couldn't drink water for over a week, everything was iced up, and Axis need to drink water twice a day, more so than whitetail, so many of these Axis literally died of thirst and freezing. Food wasn't an issue - the availability of water was the main issue and many of these animals, in their haste to find water, exposed themselves as they foraged out to known frozen water sources - over exposing themselves to the Arctic level wind chills, which in turn kills them.

Ranchers spend their time, busting up ice and clearing water for their livestock - every winter in West Texas. Many of the ranches - without natural stream/river sources on property, use water wells here. These systems fail during a week and a half freeze situation - and the land owners with zero livestock, with legacy well water systems and windmills (used years ago and now idle), many didn't bust ice for their wildlife. This is also another concern for me - high fence during droughts and or arctic freezes. If the land owner that owns that high fence doesn't live on premise, and has a hand or two taking care of the property while they are gone - many of these ranches had zero human interaction due to the roads and ice so animals within - no water - all ice - 7 - 10 days of no water = die off.

The lack of water, in freezing conditions - stresses - over exposes them in their quest to find unfrozen water - and they die.

I took care of about 7 feral cats. Started feeding one and a crap load showed up. Water - they would drink 4 or 5 times and literally clear the water bowl. I watched several lick ice, trying to get hydrated - so I kept warm water out on a schedule with dry food. Birds and cats - both went nuts for the water and ate off and on all day.

I drove to Comfort and rolled a few back roads when I could roll the snow to check conditions. Sections of highway that had pockets of water due to sun and melt - full of birds. So many birds - lethargic and barely able to fly - drinking water like mad. I had to stop and or slow down to give them time to clear before I drove over them - killing an entire flock in the process.

Water - cats, birds = some hadn't had free running water in over a week. Witnessing them when they had their chance to drink water - unreal!

I live in Kendall County - nearly in Comfort - out past the Urbanization of the greater Boerne urban to the SE. I have a resident Axis herd, that at times reaches 60 - 100 animals, as they range around my area pocketed with ranches and homes on larger acreage adjacent to large ranches.


Axis freak out easily - got into a panic when ice covered their water sources and once the white stuff hit the ground, many of them never experienced snow, it's been years beyond these animals age points now......over 7 or 8 years since we had snow covering the ground for a few days. So this added another layer of freak out to these animals - they range and herd many many miles - and this instinct, when they get into stressed conditions - put them out into the worst of these conditions - zero genetics within related to snow in their Indian habitats - so these animals have zero snow and arctic freezing survival genetics within.

Whitetail are tuned for cold and hot, North American weather genetics = they instinctively seek cover and concealment and bed down for days. Whitetail can go a long time without water - AXIS can not.


One of the two Axis fawns, I've been watching, survived. The herd managed to get up into a Cedar Break that had a wood fence wall that blocked snow and wind as these animals bedded down. This area has a natural spring fed stream, and scattered homes with homeowners - all feeding and watering the animals within their immediate properties.

The animals adjacent to streams and rivers, with moving water and rapids (didn't freeze solid), the Axis near these water sources dug down in the lowest ravines and river bottoms near water and holed up. My local Axis herd did this - and the majority survived - not sure how many died though?

[tps7742]

Thanks for your observations At The Wall.

[AtTheWall]

Thank you and VW!

[Sika]

I never realized how many folks, hunters and non-hunters alike, were anti-exotics until now. All these media outlets are weighing in on the impact of the freeze to our exotic game herds and the hunting opportunities they provide and based on the public response, it's a pretty polarizing issue. Growing up in the hill country, they were just always a part of the landscape. I never met a fellow hunter that said "I wish all those spotted deer would just die" until now.

[AtTheWall]

Day after the thaw out - this herd isn't even cautious - this freezing ordeal has them completely worn out and not willing to exert much energy to freaking out like they normally do.

This little fawn was bowed up and hurting, before the snow hit. I watched this herd once the ground and standing water froze - they moved tight into neighborhoods and tossing care to humans and close proximity to the wind.

[AtTheWall]

Courtney - same here, doesn't make any sense?

I think the POT STIRRING ATTITUDE of today's JOURNALISM, has leaked into the psyche, of many who pen articles for a living today?

It certainly isn't the attitude with the thousands involved with the exotic wildlife management programs here in the hills. So it has to be sourcing elsewhere....maybe a Californian transplant is now penning at Texas Monthly?!?!?!?

Screw em! Don't like their liberal outlook on many of their point issues. CITY SLICKERS!

[jlp04c]

Axis and oak trees are not looking good now!!

[Tony Pic]

Day after the thaw out - this herd isn't even cautious - this freezing ordeal has them completely worn out and not willing to exert much energy to freaking out like they normally do.

This little fawn was bowed up and hurting, before the snow hit. I watched this herd once the ground and standing water froze - they moved tight into neighborhoods and tossing care to humans and close proximity to the wind.

Rob...I value your opinion on the critters in the area more than anyone
Didn't know you were a cat guy

[Hogmauler]

He didn’t either!

[wytex]

I don't know that folks are anti-exotic but I do think many do not know the extent that Texas has helped some of the exotics running around down there.
It is also hard to watch animals that are not native die due to them not being in their natural habitat.
Sounds like the kind of die off we get when conditions are very rough, extreme cold with a hard crust of ice over the snow and fences that prohibit migration to better areas.

Hoping you all's losses are not terrible and damage to your homes is repairable.

[jerp]

As I had been wondering how exactly the cold kills them I found this quote interesting:

"The dead axis were filled with undigested plant material and their fecal samples were also undigested, leading to speculation that hypothermia could rendered the deer unable to digest plants by changing the temperature of bacteria in their guts."

So that theory is they starved even if they were finding something to eat. Not surprising I guess for an animal that evolved on the Indian subcontinent