By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

Axis deer are an exotic game species first introduced in the Texas Hill Country in the 1930s. Since then, the population has grown exponentially, leading to groups launching an Axis Deer Control project.

There are currently more than 6,000 free-range Axis deer in Texas, according to data from the Texas Invasive Species Institute.

That herd is now adversely impacting agricultural production, native wildlife and riparian habitat. To assess the damage, Hill Country Alliance, Texas Tech University’s Department of Natural Resources Management and other partners have launched the 2021 Axis Deer Control Project and are encouraging landowners and hunters to participate.

“We’re not telling someone what to do behind their high fence. Rather, we’re trying to raise awareness about what’s happening in low-fence scenarios. There are pastures where you can see 100, 200, even over 300 free-range axis deer going through there,” Daniel Oppenheimer, Hill Country Alliance land program manager, said. “Just think about that in terms of your crops or if you’re trying to enhance wildlife habitat. Having 300 animals browsing and grazing through your fields at dusk is going to have an impact.”

Through the project, Hill Country Alliance and Texas Tech hope to raise awareness about the impacts of free-ranging Axis deer, recognize land stewards for their efforts to control this exotic species and support research to improve control efforts.

“The ultimate goal with the data that we collect is to make accurate population projections and learn various things about Axis deer in Texas. Then, we can provide recommendations from those on how to control the Axis deer, depending upon what a particular landowner’s specific goal is,” Matt Buchholz, a Ph.D. research assistant in Texas Tech’s department of Natural Resources Management, said. “It all is really to help get these recommendations to landowners and to Texas Parks and Wildlife to more efficiently manage the species.”

Raising awareness is important because most Texans don’t realize Axis deer are an invasive species, Oppenheimer noted.

“Unless you know how much damage they can do, a lot of people would get really excited to have a bunch of Axis deer,” he said. “So, I think the shorter-term goal of the project is just to let folks know that these animals really do have some real impacts on the land.”

The reason free-ranging Axis deer cause so much damage is because they are considered both browsers and grazers, Buchholz added.

The exotic animals eat grass, forbs, shrubs and trees, so they compete directly with cattle, sheep and goats, as well as several native Texas wildlife species, for available resources. They have negative impacts on range diversity and are also known to decimate row crops and hay fields.

Axis deer have an increased resistance to native diseases, so they are not as susceptible to the same population decreases from local disease outbreaks as whitetail deer, causing an imbalance in populations.

Texas Tech will use harvested Axis deer jawbones to assess the Texas free-range population. Complete jawbones with teeth included are required for scientific analysis. The research will enhance the understanding of the Axis deer population growth and dynamics in the Hill Country.

Through the 2021 Axis Deer Control Project, hunters and trappers are encouraged to bring a frozen, complete lower jawbone from each harvested Axis deer to one of the scheduled drop-off points.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will support research by providing logistical support for collecting samples.

Upcoming drop-off dates and locations include:

  • Feb. 18 and 19 at Blanco County AgriLife Extension office in Johnson City from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Feb. 19 at Bandera County River Authority in Bandera from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Feb. 22 and 23 at the Texas Tech University Llano River Field Station – Administration Building in Junction from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Lower jaw bones should be brought uncleaned, with gum tissue intact and remaining muscle tissue still attached and frozen in a bag labeled with the GPS coordinates, sex and date harvested. If GPS coordinates are not known, hunters and trappers should include the name of the nearest town and public road intersection.

Participants who submit specimens will be entered into a drawing for prizes from local businesses.

Unlike native white-tailed deer, exotic Axis deer may be hunted year-round with a hunting license and may also be trapped. It is important to understand the project is trying to understand and control the free-ranging population, not those being actively managed on high-fence game ranches, Oppenheimer said.

Project collaborators include the Hill Country Alliance, Texas Tech University’s Department of Natural Resources Management, Gillespie and Blanco County AgriLife Extension offices, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Llano River Watershed Alliance, Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District and Cibolo Center for Conservation.

For more information, visit Hill Country Alliance.