I just got the email that I got drawn for the TPWD archery exotic hunt at Garner SP, December 4th-8th. Has anyone done this hunt before or have any experience with this hunt?

Frankly, I'm shocked to draw on my first chance w/ <1% odds, and I haven't really done a lot of research yet.

Axis deer are common in that park. They like the scrub oak areas up towards the highway 83 frontage on the west side. That's where all the hunting setups are anyhow.

That's all I know.

Thanks.

It's a compartment hunt, so I'll have to stay in my assigned area. I'll probably just camp out there rather than stay in a hotel, since I have all of the gear.

I'm hoping someone has some insight on the best way to approach the hunting? Spot and stalk, tree stands, etc?

What all exotics are out there to shoot? I'm allowed "unlimited exotic mammals; either sex; limit one fork antlered buck and unlimited feral hogs".

Keep in Mind they are conditioned to humans fairly well. I don't know if they change behaviors a lot when the park goes quiet in the winter.

I'm not aware of any other exotics in Garner but hunting 2 miles away, I can assure the possibility of a Sika, Aoudad, and possibly a blackbuck is there.

I am curious to see how this hunt goes... I believe a lot of animals retreat into the park due to the pressure surrounding it during the season. Who knows though.

Can you bait? If so, look to use Alfalfa. It's not quite the crack that everyone makes it out to be for Axis but it's better than corn which other hunters will likely use.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I was hoping you would reply. I came across this other thread from 2011 where you gave a little info on hunting axis as well: https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/1994957.

Forgot about that post... I would stand by pretty much everything I said earlier. The rain situation is probably applicable too but you've got a while to determine how wet this winter will be.

I have not been in the park in 2-3 years so I can't comment on the recent tendencies of the axis. I will say that the west side bordering 83 has a high fence across the road on almost the entire length (I am pretty sure but might be a few gaps). That might be a good area to target and it's also flatter and has a lot of openings.

I actually applied for that same permit this year and will continue to do so. Looks like a fun hunt. Keep us posted and good luck!

From what I gathered from other places (mainly texasbowhunter.com), several years ago the hunting was pretty good out there because there were way too many axis. In the past few years, the park has had "contract" shooters out there basically doing helicopter eradication. It appears the numbers are down considerably now, but there are still quite a few animals in the park.

Either way, I'm going and I'm going to do the best I can. I have just tempered my expectations a little bit.


Also, ursus, if you see this..... is there any chance you have a contact w/ TPWD that might be able to give me some more info on the hunt and how everything goes down out there? My email is aggieeng06 at gmail. Thanks!

We have seen our axis population drop off significantly and I blame the helicopter axis hunting.

I also think the area has had a tremendous amount of high fence ranches popping up and cutting off normal movement for the axis. Still think the park is a relative safe haven.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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We have seen our axis population drop off significantly and I blame the helicopter axis hunting.

I also think the area has had a tremendous amount of high fence ranches popping up and cutting off normal movement for the axis. Still think the park is a relative safe haven.

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We went camping there this past spring. First time I'd ever been down there. Driving down there and driving around the area, I was blown away by the amount of high fences. More high fences than low fence. I swear there was a 30-45 minute long stretch on one highway where both sides were high fenced the entire way.

Yeah and there putting another one up on 750 acres right off 83 & 127 and bringing exotics in.

Good thing about high fences in that area (or bad thing) is they're nearly impossible to maintain with the creeks and drainage. 2" of rain can do some damage if it's in a short period of time. A lot of weird crap gets out in the area.

ttha... when do the axis rut in that area?

AgEng06 said:

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ttha... when do the axis rut in that area?

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Mostly May - June.

You'll have a mix of bucks though. The majority will be in velvet and probably 2-3 months into growth.

We have shot a couple and I have seen several over the years hard horned in November and December. The majority will likely be in velvet.

Oh cool. I had no idea they would be in velvet. That makes it even more exciting.

If you shoot one in velvet spend the money and freeze dry their antlers. Your taxidermist should know what to do.

Thanks. How long do I have after shooting them to get the antlers freeze dried? I only live ~3 hrs away, so assuming I shoot a buck, I can have it at the taxi fairly quickly.

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I would Think the sooner the better but it's not a giant rush.

I do think you're supposed to keep the antlers cool if they have velvet but am not positive. It's hard to keep the antlers cool and not soak the cape, though.... someone else might have better knowledge on this.

I hunt a mostly low fence (neighbors fence on one side) place nearby.

Axis numbers have been way down because of the drought. But they were better last year and a lot better this year with all of the rain.

Good luck

Y'all covered in aoudad? If not, want some?

Ha. No thanks. I saw so many one afternoon this summer that it looked like the hillside was moving

ttt for some more eyes. Maybe someone has some info that hasn't seen this yet...

I've only read all of the Garner SP threads on Texas Bowhunter but never been there. If you haven't read those that's probably the best place to find info on it.

Maybe it was on the rifle hunts but it looked like they assign you a stand that's already up and you don't have the option to move around or anything. Might be different for archery but idk.

There was a thread over there the other day about calling axis. A guy in Boerne makes a call that sounds like an axis buck bellow that seems to be pretty spot on and has some good reviews. I'm ordering one for my hunt at South Llano River.

http://axisdeercaller.com/

Thanks. I think I've read all of the TBH threads I could find.

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Just FYI, this hunt starts tomorrow morning, and I believe there will be at least 2 standby spots available if anyone is interested. You need to be at the park office at 10am to fill out an application and get on the standby list.

AgEng06 said:

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Just FYI, this hunt starts tomorrow morning, and I believe there will be at least 2 standby spots available if anyone is interested. You need to be at the park office at 10am to fill out an application and get on the standby list.

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What? I am heading out of town otherwise I would be interested.

Good luck!

Haha, I have been meaning to get back to this thread and provide an update.

I will write up more a little later, but the TLDR version is:
It was hot, then cooler, then cold and wet, then it snowed, and then it was over. I didn't see an axis while hunting until the last evening (Thurs), and even then they were trotting by out of range. It was definitely "hunting" and not "killing".

Were you one of the three (or was it four) hunters on the very descriptive Texasbowhunter.com post?

It's very possible, although I haven't seen that post. There were 3 of us on the hunt, and one of them was an Ag C/O '05 (I believe) that mentioned TBH several times.

Ok, I found the thread. Yes, I was one of those hunters (the one that hunted compartment 2, then switched to compartment 1).

One thing the poster left out, is that he left on Wednesday morning when he realized it was going to rain all day, he didn't hunt anywhere near all week.

Also, the hunter in compartment 3 shot a doe on Thursday evening, but made a bad shot and hit the shoulder (I'm assuming). I'm not sure what kind of bow setup he had, but he showed me the arrow w/ just a few inches of penetration and no blood. Obviously the doe was not recovered.

AgEng06 said:

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Haha, I have been meaning to get back to this thread and provide an update.

I will write up more a little later, but the TLDR version is:
It was hot, then cooler, then cold and wet, then it snowed, and then it was over. I didn't see an axis while hunting until the last evening (Thurs), and even then they were trotting by out of range. It was definitely "hunting" and not "killing".

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Sooooo cue an "axis are stupid" thread??