Considering putting some rams (Blackbelly, Dall, etc) or Scimitar Oryx on our low-fenced property (5k acres) in the hill country. We have plenty of water troughs but no streams running through the property; I've heard they Axis like areas along running water.

Does anyone have experience doing this successfully? I'd love a fairly large population of Axis out there to shoot whenever but I know they run fences and are capable of bugging out. This fencing company claims the following are able to be installed on places with high quality low fences: Low-Fence Exotics.

• Addax
• Blackbuck
• Buffalo
• Pere David's Deer
• Rhea (no thanks)
• Scimitar Oryx
• Sheep
• Zebra

Really wish I had your problem! Good luck. Sounds exciting.

There's buffalo on a low fence place in Paige on Hwy 21, but it's a taller barbed wire fence than standard. I've heard they can jump the standard 5 strand fairly easily.

I've only hunted on properties with low fence, free-range exotics (never owned one), but I'll take a stab at it.

How is your perimeter fence? What type is it, sheep or 3-5 strand barbwire?

Blackbucks have always been rumored to not jump fences but that is not the case. In my personal observation, they will do anything to avoid jumping a fence. Most of the time the find the holes or low spots they can crawl under (barbwire).

We have had pictures of Corsican/mouflon/Barbado rams inside of feed pens (hog panels + barb wire), so they'll jump a fence if they really want to. Not sure about oryx and addax but I wouldn't let their size fool you into them not being able to clear a fence...

If I were you and had that property and the willingness to "roll the dice", I would confirm the perimeter fence is in great condition, TAG all of the animals I release, and supplemental feed heavily towards the interior of the ranch, near water (if possible). I would also try not to pressure them for quite some time.

It could turn out great or you could never see an animal again. If that is a risk you're willing for take, go for it.

Your neighbors will appreciate you more than you ever know.

Can we be friends?

Looking to buy one acre next to you. LMK!

Few if any of those listed will jump a decent condition low fence. The only time that will be wrong is if they are severely pressured. I've had blackbuck on 50 acres of low fence for more than 10 years and never lost one. That said, you will hurt your whitetail heard if that is a concern. You also need to commit to shooting the necessary numbers to keep the numbers the same year in and year out. They will multiply quickly and it is more shooting than you realize sometimes.

I know you probably get this a lot, so ignore if this bugs you, but I would love an opportunity to lease a part of your place if available. Or if you know any large neighbors nearby that has a lease available, please let me know. There are 4 to 8 of us that have been looking pretty hard for a while and can't find anything. Would love to be in the hill country area.

Thanks!

My parents neighbor down the road a little keeps black buck on a 20 acre low fence trap. Neighbor to the south has axis on low fence. My dad replaced our south fence line with net wire and the neighbor told him about the axis. We've never seen them. His place is about 1500 acres and we have 800 north of him.

I would pass on the Oryx. They are eating machines and they can drain a 600lb protein feeder over night. We started with 4(1 bull and 3 cows). They quickly expanded to 11 in a 2 year span. When the babies drop, they get super aggressive and they will charge you. They also will knock your feeders to get corn. The meat is prob my top meat over elk but they are a PINA.

hth

You know... I mean I'm not ashamed to put an animal down.

The place I hunt between Harper and Kerrville, the landowner has a pasture with exotics. Nothing special it just has a standard "sheep" wire fence that he is running rams and blackbuck on. The only time one gets out is when the creek fence gets messed up after a big rain but otherwise no other problem with them escaping.

I really like the look of a herd of blackbuck. I wish i could bring in a small herd on our cattle ranch. Not much meat on them compared to whitetail but they grind good and the backstrap frys very well.
The landowner said he wanted to get into axis but it would cost too much to upgrade the fencing.

So animals that are pests are invasive and tasty animals are exotic. Got it.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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So animals that are pests are invasive and tasty animals are exotic. Got it.

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I tend to agree with this. Only high fence places that are very secure should be allowed exotics. If not you are just introducing competition for native game with little or no natural predators to keep the populations down.

High fences and "game proof fences" are why there are free ranging exotic animals in the first place.

Any fence can wear out, develop holes, water gaps wash out etc etc. Add to that, most high fences do not have anywhere near enough steel in them, in the their braces etc.

If your braces or posts are made out of the same galvanized steel that suburban chainlink fences are made out of, you're going to be giving the neighbors free animals in under 10 years.

Drive through the hill country. If a high fence does not have a steel post every 5-6 T-posts and massive steel corner braces, they're going to be letting animals out. On the drive from CS to say, Fredericksburg or Brownwood, you can count close to a dozen of these places, some are worse than others.

I was on a lease that did not physically introduce axis to the property (Utopia), but I did manage a herd of three that grew to about thirty fiveish in seven years. We did not have continuous running water but did have a runoff creek that would contain water about 15% of the year. We did have a water well that kept a fairly large trough full at all times. The herd definitely pivoted movements around the water trough. We never high fenced and they remained on our lease (about 2000 acres). In fact, depending on where you are in the hill country, a stable herd will attract bucks in particular. We had several move in to seed our herd.

Axis reproduce quickly 1.5 to 2.5 times per 12 months (several successful twins were reared). If left unchecked, they will dominate the whitetail to the extent that they will eventually choke them out. The positive is the meat is outstanding and no limit, so if they become a problem to your whitetail herd culling back is easy and distributing the meat is automatic once your friends / family get a taste.

Overall the experience was a lot of fun, tasted great, and always interesting. We did get to a point where white tail would only come to three of our ten feeders due to pressure from the axis. Several partners in the lease strictly hunted axis so it wasn't that big a deal.

Talk your neighbors into buying exotics. They jump the fence. Now their your exotics. Problem solved with no expense.

They all jump fences. Thus the creation of high fences

From experience. Any of these listed will jump a low fence if pushed OR and a big OR is during breeding times. Net wire is a must regardless.
Blackbucks don't typically bother whitetails as they are grazers and prefer grasses. They must be managed well like any of the species listed or they will over populate easily.
Axis are native from very arid regions and don't need running water, just a water source.
Axis, Fallow, Elk, just about any Cervidae species will jump low fences.
Tell the fence builder to purchase some animals for you to test if they stay in or not.
Have fun with your land. At the end of the day it's yours to do what you wish.
Perhaps you could high fence a part of it to have some fun with exotics?

SchleicherAg05 said:

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Does anyone have experience doing this successfully?

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Our neighbors did this about 40 years ago and we have been thanking them ever since!!!

Blackbuck will freeze out at Eldorado.

I've always heard they don't do very well during prolonged periods of sub-freezing temperatures. That being said, I have hunted in Junction when it was barely over freezing for 3-4 days and saw plenty of black buck.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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I've always heard they don't do very well during prolonged periods of sub-freezing temperatures. That being said, I have hunted in Junction when it was barely over freezing for 3-4 days and saw plenty of black buck.

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The prolonged ice storms that happen on the Plateau will do them in, have seen it happen several times to a neighbor, they finally gave up on restocking them,

Sounds like that reinforces what I have always heard. Is it a hide/body size issue or is it more of a failure to account for Bergman's Rule, for Blackbuck? Or are they just not real hardy in cold temperatures?

I really like blackbuck and aside from breaking horns and cold weather tolerance, they seem like a great exotic to release.

I hate to give props to cedars, but they serve as windbreaks for blackbuck in cold temps. As do hillsides, valleys, creek bottoms, etc.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Sounds like that reinforces what I have always heard. Is it a hide/body size issue or is it more of a failure to account for Bergman's Rule, for Blackbuck? Or are they just not real hardy in cold temperatures?

I really like blackbuck and aside from breaking horns and cold weather tolerance, they seem like a great exotic to release.

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They are kind of like shorn angoras when it comes to temperatures.

SanAntoneAg said:

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I hate to give props to cedars, but they serve as windbreaks for blackbuck in cold temps. As do hillsides, valleys, creek bottoms, etc.

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I've seen axis hunker down in cedars too, in cold weather. They are prolific. Red stags are also.