So I had a couple of Axis show up this morning at our water guzzler where I haven't captured them on cam before and the state of their antler nubs brought a question to mind. I know their breeding cycle doesn't necessarily follow the same pattern as the whitetails. But looking at the state of the nubs in the second picture, is he just starting to grow a new set? Or did he just break off his previous set?

Gunny456 said:

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The guy drinking is a young 1.5 year old and the other guy similar. That is their first growth. You can see the velvet. They didn't break off anything.
Don't know how cold it's been where you are but could have frostbit the tips a bit.
Nice looking young Axis bucks. Give them about 5-6 years.

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Yeah, I figured they were young just on body shape. Had never seen the tips like that before. Frostbite makes sense…it was in the mid teens a few nights ago. We have seen some really nice ones on the back end of the property before as part of a group of about 20, but they were mostly hanging out in the dense cedar next door. The new owner there has done a bunch of cedar clearing in the last few months and we have been hoping they would start spending more time on our property as a result. Having them find the water up near the front of the property will hopefully encourage that.

Yes sir and the does go into estrus the same.
Thats what keeps the herd so diverse and unique compared to other Cervidae.

My parents had this guy in their backyard the other day