The axis deer is one of the most beautiful deer in the world and can often be some of the most exciting deer to hunt.
Axis deer are well hunted with spot and stalk method. Searching carefully through the wilderness, when a good buck is spotted, it is then stalked over many miles of challenging ground until a good shooting spot is found.
Axis deer is moderately large and spotted. Their beauty lies in their coats. Both, male and female have striking reddish-brown coats marked by white spots arranged along their sides. They have a black dorsal stripe and white bib on their neck, white inner-legs stomach and under tail.

These animals live in herds, ranging from a few animals to 100 or more. The only segregation of the sexes is when the stags leave the herd when they shed their antlers. Axis bucks can be in hard horn any time of the year. They grow or shed antlers on their own clock, so in one herd you can find a newly shed buck, a hard horn buck and a buck in the velvet.

They have three tines on each antler. The brow tine forms nearly a right angle with the beam, and the front (or outer) tine of the terminal fork is much longer than the inner tine.

An adult buck measures 90 cm (35 inches) at the shoulder and the males may weigh between 75 and 100 kg (165 and 220 pounds).

The axis deer is a good swimmer and less nocturnal than most deer. They may become nocturnal in the summer, or when there is disturbance.