axis deer in texas

[storch]

a friend stopped by earlier and gave me some freshly jerked venison and some backstrap steaks.  he just came back from texas where he has aquired a hunting lease on a small parcel of land in east texas.  he has photos of lots of nice looking but smallish white-tails rio grande turkeys and axis deer.  lots of axis deer where my jerky and backstraps came from.  apparently there are a good number of non indigenous deer running around the countryside and one is free to shoot them all year round.

is that so?

I hope so because if it is I might partner up on the lease.

anyways off to take this fresh venison home before it thaws out.  looks like it's venison tonight.

[AquaShrimp]

Non-resident hunting license is $300.

[Shuffler]

Yes....

There are many leases that offer exotics for hunting year round here in Texas.

Click here for a few around Junction

There are alot in the Texas Hill Country. North of Kerrville is the area we hunt.

[storch]

thanks for the responses

[Maverick]

Yes there are a TON of non indigenous species running loose in the Hill Country of Texas. We spent 2 months at lake Medina and saw axis deer all over the place. There was also a ranch that is raising Oryx and some other kind of African antelope. On the other hand there are 3 American Bison in with a small herd of cattle in the Pipe Creek area.

I'm totally unfamiliar with the hunting lease situation. How does that work?

[Shuffler]

The Ranches have guided hunts where you pay a fee and they take you out on the hunt and gurantee a kill. Most of the time the fee includes processing your kill and the mounting of your trophy.

A lease is where you pay a fee, usually a group of 3 to 4 hunters get together, for the right to hunt a certain property. You can hunt any time in season and on certain occassions bring a guest. There is an area set aside for your group to bring trailers or a small camp house on skids. The one up north of Kerrville has a small camp house that sleeps 4 and has a kitchen. Also added covered parking for the jeeps that stay up there all season. Also there is a small seperate building on skid that has the toilet, shower and sink for shaving.

Note... when you have a lease... if you see the owner toiling over some small project.... offer to give him a hand during off hunt times and you'll usually get the better sites for your feeders and stands. He's your best buddy...... lol

[storch]

Originally posted by Shuffler
The Ranches have guided hunts where you pay a fee and they take you out on the hunt and gurantee a kill. Most of the time the fee includes processing your kill and the mounting of your trophy.

A lease is where you pay a fee, usually a group of 3 to 4 hunters get together, for the right to hunt a certain property. You can hunt any time in season and on certain occassions bring a guest. There is an area set aside for your group to bring trailers or a small camp house on skids. The one up north of Kerrville has a small camp house that sleeps 4 and has a kitchen. Also added covered parking for the jeeps that stay up there all season. Also there is a small seperate building on skid that has the toilet, shower and sink for shaving.

Note... when you have a lease... if you see the owner toiling over some small project.... offer to give him a hand during off hunt times and you'll usually get the better sites for your feeders and stands. He's your best buddy...... lol

that sounds like the place my friend was describing including the kerrville area.  is that near to houston?  anyhow he's looking for three more participants on the lease I was happy to participate.  the steaks he brought me were in vacuum sealed plastic the trophy looking buck was still in velvet and is being mounted.  I'm pretty excited about this opportunity.  my only concern is that I hope they don't have some deer tethered to a tree like in some of them canned hunting places.  I'd rather do an elmer fudd hunt, sssssssh be vewy vewy quiet.  

 we prepared the steaks in a pepper steak recipe which is one of my preferred methods for eating venison and I'm sorry I did.  the steaks are so tender and taste so good I should have just salted them a bit and cooked them.  this axis deer is some of the best eating game I have ever had.

[gpwurzel]

Sheesh, if I lived anywhere near, I'd pony up for part of a decent lease. Here in the UK, the majority of hunting is done with shotguns or air rifles..........with a power limit of 12ft/lbs........so you have to get close to shoot....(no more than 30 yards for me......cos I cant hit the backside of a cow most times).......if your air rifle is over 12ft/lbs....you need a firearms certificate...or its big jail time............you need a shotgun certificate for a shottie............there is real rifle hunting in the highlands of Scotland, but thats way more than I'm prepared to pay (and travel).....so, to say I'm jealous......massive understatement!..


Wurzel

[storch]

if you bounce across the pond anytime soon (or later) and happen to visit the miami area shoot me a PM.

[68ROX]

Arkansas deer season (black-powder) starts in about 2 weeks...after that, bow, then rifle & shotgun.

Critters like wild boar (plentiful) and coyote (plentiful)...bobcat (plentiful) kill all ya want..they'll make more.

Some cattle ranchers will actually PAY YOU to come onto their land to kill coyotes.

Black bear by permit.

Welcome to the "deer-woods".


68ROX

[gpwurzel]

Storch, Sir, you have a deal.....ditto if you ever visit the UK.....



oh, and Thank you......




Wurzel

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by storch
.  my only concern is that I hope they don't have some deer tethered to a tree like in some of them canned hunting places.  I'd rather do an elmer fudd hunt, sssssssh be vewy vewy quiet.  
 

There are some shady characters out there for sure. Some will furnish  you a deer already processed, etc.
I`m sure your friend has checked things out on this lease.
Most however, here in Texas, that do leases are straight up and depend on their lease income as a big part of their annual income from the land. They take the deer crop seriously.
You can get lease setups in just about any form. Annual, 3 day, 1 week, or day hunts.
For the most part, in Texas , a guided hunted is uneeded unless you are hunting the arid regions, etc.
East Texas and the Hill country are full of deer and you have any experience you will do just fine on your own.

Had venison hash for breakfast this morning. Mmmmmmm....Mmmmmmm.....Mmmmmm m!

[Wolf14]

Originally posted by Jackal1
Had venison hash for breakfast this morning. Mmmmmmm....Mmmmmmm.....Mmmmmm m!

Dude, your making me hungry......stop it.

[Shifty]

When I was a teenager........... Back when sand dunes were bolders. My father's company had a deer lease bordering the Y.O. Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. They had a lot of exotics, including Axis Deer.  I had one approach my stand early one morning, very impressive rack on this thing.

We were instructed not to shoot any of the exotic stuff. So not really wanting to spend the rest of the hunting trip with my fathers foot in my a**  I watched it stroll by. I did get a 8 point white tail later that morning.

My last deer hunt was 1977, I don't reallly enjoy venison so I figure why kill em? I do love to eat quail though, and would love to hunt them, but they no longer habitat East Texas. I don't know if it's true or not, but everyone says the fire ants did in the quail.

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by Wolf14
Dude, your making me hungry......stop it.