(Axis axis)

Physical Description:

Axis deer is a moderately sized deer. Males stand up to 35” to 39” and females 26” to 30” at the shoulder with a head to body length of around 5ft 7”. While immature males weigh 66 to 165 lbs, the lighter females weigh 55 to 99 lbs. Mature stags can weigh up to 216 to 243 lbs. Each of the antlers has three tines on it. The brow tine (the first division in the antler) is roughly perpendicular to the beam (the central stalk of the antler). Trophy stags beam length will range from 30” to 38”.

Reproduction:

Females give birth to a single fawn per breeding season.
Gestation period last 210 to 238 days (7.5 months).

Native Range Land:

Axis deer native range is India and through Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The Western limit of its range is Eastern Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Northern limit is along the Terai belt of the foothills of the Himalaya and from Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal through to Nepal, Northern West Bengal and Sikkim and then to Western Assam and the forested valleys of Bhutan, which are below an elevation of 3,600’. The Eastern limit of its range is through Western Assam to the Sunderbans of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka are the Southern limits. Axis occur sporadically in the forested areas throughout the rest of the Indian peninsula.

In 1932, axis deer were introduced to Texas. In 1988, self-sustaining herds were found in 27 counties, located in Central and South Texas.[35] The deer are most populous on the Edwards Plateau, where the land is similar to that of India.