Axis and the Freeze of '21

[TX_Kevin]

Has anyone noticed any super stupid goofy antlers on their axis after the freeze? Seems to me about 70% of ours will have one normal antler and one goofy one, or one is totally missing. Only this season though.

I am thinking that if they were about to grow antlers when the freeze hit they went stupid. It seems that if they already had them, they stayed there and look great.

Thoughts or experiences?

[SabreKiller]

I haven't noticed any weird racks. I've seen several small bucks around my place, but have not seen the big boys. My neighbor says they are out in his hay fields every evening, but I'm thinking we lost a lot of the axis around my home. It was nothing to see 30-40 every morning and evening and now I hardly see any.

Like I sad though, most of the bucks have been small without deformed antlers.

[sboudreaux]

Yes I am seeing the same thing, surprisingly the numbers don't seem to be down but a bunch of messed up racks!

[Bowlife]

I went to a ranch early August and I didn’t see any weird racks, but I did see a lot that were broken off.

[PondPopper]

Yes.. The freeze messed up a bunch of antlers..

[Hills of Texas]

Lots of broken/brittle antlers. Lots of smooth almost black points from frost bite

[PROD49]

Yes, everyone of mine that were in Velvet have either lost their caudal or broken horns of some type.

[Jason Slocum]

Yes Looked like they were in velvet during the freeze and the horns died. The horns are brown and feel hollow.

[cantexduck]

We have a bunch broke main beams and caudals/brows

[1riot1ranger]

I have a free ranging red deer with really screwed up antlers. I hunted a management hunt one year for Oryx with messed up horns. Story was a freeze caught some of them and messed their horns up and they would never grow straight. Seems the freeze completely wiped out a free range herd of black bucks on my place and axis are seen a lot less often. So, yep, it can happen

[S-3 Ranch]

I have a free ranging red deer with really screwed up antlers. I hunted a management hunt one year for Oryx with messed up horns. Story was a freeze caught some of them and messed their horns up and they would never grow straight. Seems the freeze completely wiped out a free range herd of black bucks on my place and axis are seen a lot less often. So, yep, it can happen

That dang freeze :confused , our dog was dragging up dead axis fawns from around the house, no telling about what else was laying on the ground farther out! luckily they will reboot quickly

[Shane]

We lost about 90% of the axis on our lease. I got off the place. They'll be back in a few years, I'm sure.

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[TX_Kevin]

Million dollar question: Do you think that they will grow them back just as good as new next season? That would seem to be the good guess from my perspective.

[S-3 Ranch]

Million dollar question: Do you think that they will grow them back just as good as new next season? That would seem to be the good guess from my perspective.

Best guess is yes, I’ve seen damaged pedestals come back to normal on whitetail

[JayBay3405]

Our axis are having the same issue a lots of jacked up horns.