September 25, 2024
By Haynes Shelton
There’s virtually no limit to the number of ways to have fun in Texas. Some tourists flock to the state’s beautiful beaches to sunbathe and relax. Others head to the Lonestar’s sprawling and modern cities for a good time. Millions more, however, go there to hunt several species of big game animals, most notably the white-tailed deer.
However, in the spring and summer, when deer season isn’t open, venison technically can still be on the menu. How’s this possible? Well, many parts of Texas are inhabited by non-native Axis deer, which originally are from India. This interesting, and truly beautiful, deer species is a formidable quarry, having excellent eyesight, hearing and sense of smell — not unsimilar to whitetails.
Hunting Axis deer in Texas is a treat no matter what the circumstances are, but adding handguns to the mix spiced it up even more. Haynes Shelton chose the Taurus Raging Hunter revolver for his 2023 journey to SOE Hunts. Hunters pursue Axis deer with archery and firearms equipment during a year-round, very liberally regulated season. Many outfitters cater to hunters who hope to harvest Axis, especially because the Axis’ venison is considered by many to be some of the best-tasting meat in the world.
In June 2023, North American Whitetail’s editor in chief, Haynes Shelton, and his brother Hunt, headed to South Texas to SOE Hunts to hunt Axis deer.
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The Shelton brothers found their Raging Hunters to be extremely accurate. To make things interesting, the Shelton brothers selected Taurus Raging Hunter revolvers as their firearm of choice for the hunt. Haynes hunted with Taurus’ .44 Mag. with the 6.75-inch barrel and all-black finish. Hunt used the 8.37-inch .44 Mag. in two-toned nickel and black.
The Raging Hunter handguns are next-generation, big-bore revolvers featuring revolutionary angular barrel designs, factory tuned barrel porting and gas expansion chambers. These handguns are lightweight, easy to maneuver and aim, yet smooth-recoiling and pleasant to shoot.
Hunt Shelton dropped this great Axis buck in mere seconds after a shot of more than 80 yards — a great endorsement for the Taurus Raging Hunter he used on the hunt. The Shelton brothers found their Raging Hunters to be highly accurate. This was evidenced by the great Axis buck Hunt took on the final day of the trip. Hunt’s 80-plus yard shot was well executed from shooting sticks, hitting the buck squarely in the vitals and dropping him in a matter of seconds.
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For more information on Taurus’ Raging Hunter revolvers, and to watch this exciting hunt unfold, be sure to check out "North American Whitetail TV" on Outdoor Channel , Sportsman Channel and MyOutdoorTV .
