152 Rangelands 1(4), August1979

The Status of Exotic Big Game in Texas

Gregory L. Butts

The stocking of exotic big gameanimals in Texasby private The 1974 census showed 316 ranches comprising 4,488,753 landowners has been a common practicein many partsof the acres with exotics. State. Exotics were released in an effort to provide the paying Axis deer (Axis axis), nilgai antelope (Bose/aphus trago- with hunter additional speciesto hunt and for aesthetic reasons. came/us), and blackbuck antelope (Antiope cervicapra) are One release of aoudad sheep in the Palo Duro Canyon of the native to India. Mouflon-barbados sheep(Ovis sp.) originated in Texas Panhandlein 1957 and 1958 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department represents the only State-sponsored stock- ing of exotic big game. These sheep are listed as big game animalsin some Panhandle counties and harvestis regulated by Departmental seasons and bag limits in thosecounties. Certain restrictionshave also beenplaced on the harvest of axis deerin Bexar and Kendall Counties at the request of local landowners and County Commissioners Courts. In the remainder of the state, exoticlarge game animals are not regulated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This enables ranchers and landowners to allow exotic hunting as a year-round sport. The first known stocking of exotics in Texaswas in 1930and involved nilgai antelope (Jackson 1964). Since that time, exotic populations have grown rapidly both in numbers and species. The exoticgame situation in Texasis unique in that more species of animalsin greater numbers have been released herethan in any other place in North America (Ramsey 1969). Since 1963periodic censuses of privatelyowned exotics have been conducted. The most recent was conducted in 1974. Landowners and managersknown to have suchanimals on their Matureaxis bucks are considerablylarger than white-taileddeer in land were contacted and interviewed by TexasParks andWildlife Central Texas. Axis deer are native to India, Nepal, and Ceylon. Department biologists and technicians in all 254 counties in the State. Datagathered in this interviews consisted ofnumbers and species of exotics, total ranch acreage, acreageaccessible to exotics, and acreageunder deer-proof fences. Basedon a 1963statewide census, 13species of exotics were reported totalingapproximately 13,000 animals (Jackson 1964). In 1966,the total population was estimated at 30,000individuals (Ramsey 1968). In 1969 this estimate was revised to some 37,000 animals involving 26 species. The 1971 census results indicated 35 species of exotic game totaling 45,691 animals (Young 1973). Currently 39 species of exotic large game totaling 57,278 animalsare found in the state.Seven of thesespecies represent over 95%of the present exoticgame population. The 1974total populationestimate for these seven major exotics was 55,953 animals. This included 19,518 axis deer, 15,254 mouflon- barbados sheep, 7,339 blackbuckantelope, 4,483 fallow deer, 3,531 aoudadsheep, 3,042sika deer, and 2,786 nilgaiantelope.

The author is a wildlifebiologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Hunt, Tex. Sika deer, native to the southern half of eastern Asia, Japan and This article is a contribution of Federal Aid Project W-76-R. Formosa, are similar in size to Central Texas white-tailed deer. Rangelancis 1(4),Augustl97Q 153

Sardiniaand Corsica. Very few pure-blood mouflon are found in dominatewhite-tailed deer at supplemental feeding sites. They Texas. The majority are crossbred with barbados or other have beenobserved chasing them from small oat fields(Fuchs domestic sheep. The fallow deer (Dama dama) is European in 1976). Feldhamer and Chapman (1978) attributed the decline in origin. Aoudads (Ammotragus lervia) are a wild sheep from white-tailed deer on Maryland's eastern shore to an increasing northern Africa. The native range of the sika deer (Cervus sika deer population. In partsof the Edwards Plateau, includtng nippon) coversa limited area within the southern half of eastern localized areas of Kerr, Edwards, Real, Bandera, and Kendall Asia. counties, it is not uncommon to see axis and sika deer along The Edwards Plateau and the South Texas Plains are the highway rights-of-way much the same as white-tailed deer are areas which have the majority of exotic animals. These two observed. In these localized areas exotic deer are competing regions are also important in regards to white-tailed deer with the white-tailed deer for food and will reach the point of managementand livestock operations. The Edwards Plateau reducing survival and density of this native wildlife resource. has been described as the most important deer range in Texas Food habitstudies of axis, sika and fallow deer, conducted onthe from the standpoint of land area, deer numbers, hunting Kerr Wildlife Management Area in the Edwards Plateau showed pressure, deer harvested and economic return to landowners that these exotic species preferred browse and forbs when (Thomas, Teer, and Walker 1964). SouthTexas rankssecond in available and competed directlywith white-tailed deer for these overall importance and consistently produces more trophy type items. As preferred foodsbecome less abundant, axis, sika, and white-taileddeer than any other region in the state.At present the fallowdeer shift theirdiet tograsses. This ability to shiftdiets and Edwards Plateau is overpopulated with white-tailed deer due to their diversityof foodhabits enablesthese exotics to survive and an inadequate harvest of anterless deer. Die-offs are com- maintain good body condition during white-tailed deer stress mon. Habitat in the Plateau is generally in poorcondition as a periodsdue to drought, overpopulation, and overgrazed ranges. result of overgrazing by goats, sheep, cattle and deer as Range managers should be awareof the impactthese exotic evidencedby browse lines foundon woody vegetation in many animalsare havingon native white-tailed deer. Depending upon range areas. the season and available forages, axis, sika, or fallow deercan The increasing exotic population presents another threat to become as severe a competitor with livestock as they are with survival and management of the white-tailed deer which have white-tailed deer. already been replaced by exotics on somegame ranches. The possibility exists that this displacement could also occur in Literature Cited extensive areas where exotic movement is not restricted by Feidhamer,G.A., and J.A. Chapman.1978. Sikadeer and white-tailed deer-prooffencing. Free-ranging populations of axis, sika, and deer on Maryland's eastern shore. WildI. Soc. Bull. 6(3):155-157. E.R. 1976. fallow deer are known to exist. These populations originated, in Fuchs, Behavior patterns of axis deer in Texas. MS Thesis, Texas A&M Univ., Station. 177 most when introduced animals from ranches College p. instances, escaped Jackson, A.W. 1964. Texotics. Texas Game and Fish. April: 7-11. with deer-prooffencing. Oncethese animals escape the confines Ramsey,C.W. 1968. Stateview of governmental and private programs of of a high fence they become defficult to census and nearly introduction of exotic animals. Symposium, Introduction of Exotic Animals. Texas A&M Univ., Station. 9-10. to control. Even on large, high-fenced ranches with College p. impossible Ramsey, C.W. 1969. Texotics. Texas Parks and Wildi. Dep. Bull. adequatecover, control ofsika and axisdeer would beextremely 49:1-46. difficult. The statewide survey, for the most part,does not reflect Thomas, J.W., J.G. Teer, and E.A. Walker. 1964. Mobility and home these free-ranging exotics. range of white-tailed deer on the Edwards Plateau in Texas. J. WildI. Axis and sika deer have become well established in traditional Manage. 28(3):463-472. Young, EL. Jr. 1973. Exotics. Texas Parks and Wildi. 31(8):2-8. white-tailed deer habitat and axis deer have been reported to

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