Nice Axis from 2021 Opening day for white tail

[tomneal]

Axis I shot at first light on 2021 Opening day for White Tails. Near Roosevelt Texas. Yes, he is velvet. 36" antler. Shot went through the antler into the vitals. 180 Gr. .300 Win Mag at 97 yards.

[tomneal]

You can see the hole in the left antler in this image

[anygunanywhere]

Nice! Enjoy the good eating!

Roosevelt area is great hunting. I have a friend who owns a place near Roosevelt off FM 1674.

[puma guy]

[03Lightningrocks]

Nice! Congrats!

[AndyC1911]

Excellent!

I'm curious - seems to me the antler might have been hit by the bullet on exit? There seems a reddish tinge on the antler hole (as if the bullet had carried blood with it, perhaps) - maybe it's just the photo or my older eyes :)

[tomneal]

The Axis was at the protein feeder
It is set up to throw a small amount of protein just like a corn feeder does Except that it lands in trays on the four sides. The deer had his head turned so he could lick the protein out. It was almost as if he were scratching his backside. In the dim light, I didn't realize how much the antler was in the way. Other than that, it was a perfect broadside shot.

The bullet hit the antler with a glancing blow. The maybe shattered bullet, maybe just deformed bullet, hit the side of the Axis and then the liver. The liver was shredded. There was no exit wound either in the animal or the liver. I considered it a VERY LUCKY hit.

There are plenty of game camera's near feeders on the property. This was the biggest Axis seen on camera.

While the antlers were still in velvet, there were indications it was the end of growth.

[powerboatr]

VERY NICE
axis sure look amazing, compared to the small deer we have round here

[03Lightningrocks]

The Axis was at the protein feeder
It is set up to throw a small amount of protein just like a corn feeder does Except that it lands in trays on the four sides. The deer had his head turned so he could lick the protein out. It was almost as if he were scratching his backside. In the dim light, I didn't realize how much the antler was in the way. Other than that, it was a perfect broadside shot.

The bullet hit the antler with a glancing blow. The maybe shattered bullet, maybe just deformed bullet, hit the side of the Axis and then the liver. The liver was shredded. There was no exit wound either in the animal or the liver. I considered it a VERY LUCKY hit.

There are plenty of game camera's near feeders on the property. This was the biggest Axis seen on camera.

While the antlers were still in velvet, there were indications it was the end of growth.

Did he drop where you hit him or did he make the old 50 yard dash?

[03Lightningrocks]

Excellent!

I'm curious - seems to me the antler might have been hit by the bullet on exit? There seems a reddish tinge on the antler hole (as if the bullet had carried blood with it, perhaps) - maybe it's just the photo or my older eyes :)

When antlers are in velvet, they can bleed if cut into.

[tomneal]

Did he drop where you hit him or did he make the old 50 yard dash?

About 100 yards. Behind / through some brush. Not visible from the stand or the feeder but found about 2 minutes after we started looking.

They have used dogs to find deer in the past. I did some mental calculations if I had enough cash to pay for the dogs or if I was going to borrow cash from another hunter and send money from my bank.
The past quote from the dog handler is: "It's $0 so far. If the dogs get out of the vehicle, it's $300. Deer found or not."

[03Lightningrocks]

Did he drop where you hit him or did he make the old 50 yard dash?

About 100 yards. Behind / through some brush. Not visible from the stand or the feeder but found about 2 minutes after we started looking.

They have used dogs to find deer in the past. I did some mental calculations if I had enough cash to pay for the dogs or if I was going to borrow cash from another hunter and send money from my bank.
The past quote from the dog handler is: "It's $0 so far. If the dogs get out of the vehicle, it's $300. Deer found or not."

300 if the dog get's out of the truck? LOL... I want that dog! I have spent hours tracking deer that had the heart destroyed. How they can go so far after a kill shot is just amazing. A liver shot will bleed a lot, it just has to do it on the ground so you can follow the trail. Believe it or not, we have had better luck following blood trails at night due to the way the blood reflects the light. Nice kill. Glad the 300 dollar dogs were not needed.

[AndyC1911]

When antlers are in velvet, they can bleed if cut into.

Oh, I didn't know - thanks!

[tomneal]

I got the mount back from the Taxidermist and hung it on the wall. The skull mount is from my first Axis. I thought the skull mount was big. I guess I didn't have the right deer for comparison.

[AndyC1911]

Man, that's a beautiful mount!