Deer hunters are taking historically high numbers of bucks in recent years, but amazingly the age structure of those bucks just keeps getting older. In the 2023 season, the most recent with complete harvest data from all whitetail states, the buck harvest topped 3 million for only the second time in 25 years – and 43% of those bucks were estimated to be 3½ years old or older. That’s the highest percentage of mature bucks ever reported at a time of record harvests, meaning we are taking the most actual numbers of mature bucks in modern hunting history. More than one of every three antlered bucks taken in the U.S. is at least 3½ years old!
We know this from our annual Deer Report. For the report, we acquired the age structure of the buck harvest for most states. Thirty-two states reported the percentage of their antlered buck harvest that was 1½ years old (yearling bucks), and 24 states were also able to provide the percentage that was 2½ and 3½ years or older. The percentage of the antlered buck harvest that was 3½ years and older ranged from 9% in New Jersey to 85% in Oklahoma.
Regional Breakdown
In the Southeast, nine of 11 states reported complete buck age data from the 2023 harvest out to 3½-plus. In order from highest to lowest in mature buck harvest, they were Oklahoma at 85% followed by Mississippi at 82%, Louisiana at 77%, Texas at 76%, Arkansas at 63%, Georgia at 43%, Florida at 41%, Tennessee at 28%, and North Carolina at 26%. Only the last two did not make it into the Top-10 mature buck harvest rates in the nation, which is dominated by the Southeast. Alabama, usually a Top-10 state, did not submit data on harvest of mature bucks for our latest report.
In the Northeast, 10 of 13 states reported complete buck age data. The top states in mature buck harvest were Rhode Island and Virginia at 43%, West Virginia at 41%, Massachusetts at 31%, New Hampshire and Vermont at 30%, New York at 26%, Maine at 22%, Delaware at 19%, and New Jersey at 9%. Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia all made the Top-10 states in the nation this year.
In the Midwest, five states provided mature buck harvest for 2023: Nebraska at 40% (which fell out of the Top-10 states since the 2022 season), Indiana at 39%, Kansas at 33%, Wisconsin at 30%, and Ohio at 28%.
The chart above shows the Top 10 states in the nation, as well as changes since the previous season’s ranking. With Oklahoma’s estimated 85% of the buck harvest being 3½ or older, not only did that state leap three positions to the top of the pack, it also set a new high-water mark. No state has ever hit 85% mature bucks in the buck harvest!
Oklahoma’s rise bumped Mississippi and Louisiana down one slot each for 2023. Texas and Arkansas remained in place at fourth and fifth respectively. Georgia leaped one position to sixth. Rhode Island and Virginia made it into the Top 10 for the first time, bumping West Virginia and Florida down to ninth and tenth place.
What About Antler Restrictions?
In some states, antler-based harvest restrictions are in place to reduce the harvest of yearling bucks and sometimes additional age classes. These rules vary widely by state and usually do not apply to every buck in the state. For example, some states apply the rule to only one buck in a multi-buck bag limit. Others exempt youth hunters from the rule.
Do these rules affect the ranking we have presented here? Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas – the first-, third- and fourth-place states, do not have a statewide antler restriction on bucks. In other cases, there’s some influence. For example, in the case of the No. 2 state, Mississippi, most counties require bucks to meet an inside-spread or beam-length minimum intended to reduce the harvest of yearling bucks. However, statewide on private land, one buck in a hunter’s three-buck bag limit is exempted from these requirements. To achieve 82% of the buck harvest being 3½ or older would require voluntary restraint by many hunters beyond the state requirements.
Arkansas, in fifth place, has a 3-point-on-a-side rule that is exceeded by spread and beam-length rules in localized areas. However, nearly a third of the state is exempt from these rules due to CWD zone regulations, and hunters age 6 to 15 can harvest any antlered buck, statewide.
In short, none of these achievements occurred solely because of a buck harvest restriction. In many states, including the No. 1 state in the nation in mature buck harvest, voluntary restraint by hunters is entirely responsible. In others, voluntary restraint beyond statutory requirements was necessary to some extent.
Yearling Buck Harvest
In 2023, the average percentage of the antlered buck harvest that was 1½ years old was 26%. This ties the lowest national percentage ever reported! The fact that about one in four antlered bucks shot today is 1½ years old is amazing, and the line graph above shows how the yearling percentage of the antlered buck harvest in the U.S. has changed during the past 35 years.
In 2023, Oklahoma averaged the fewest yearlings (Only 7% of antlered buck harvest) and Delaware reported the most (56% of antlered buck harvest). It’s noteworthy the top four states with lowest yearling buck harvest rates are all in the Southeast, even though this region has, by far, the longest average deer season length (151 days). As a region, the Southeast averaged the fewest yearlings (15%), followed by the Midwest (28%) and Northeast (34%). New Jersey had the largest year-to-year decline in harvest percentage by dropping from 51 to 38% yearling bucks.
How Do States Collect This Information?
State wildlife agencies use different techniques to collect this data, and some collect more data than others. Analyses among agencies may not always compare “apples to apples,” but each provided their best possible data. They do not have to know the age of every buck harvested in their states to be able to accurately estimate the age of the harvest. Statistical sampling works just fine.
Wildlife biologists visit deer processors, check stations, or other locations on popular days during hunting season. They collect jawbone age estimates and biological data from deer at these locations. With a large enough sample from a few locations around the state, they can make an accurate estimate of the age of the entire buck harvest statewide.
Learn More
Complete state-by-state estimates of total buck harvest, buck age structure, and many other harvest parameters are available in the full Deer Report, which also includes a look at numerous other critical issues for deer hunting.