According to the National Deer Association’s 2025 Deer Report, “we are at historically high harvest levels, and the buck age structure is among the best in recorded history.” Final figures show a nationwide buck harvest of more than 3 million animals, the highest buck kill since the turn of the century.

Bucks by Region

The NDA crunched the numbers and found that hunters in 23 of 37 states (62%) shot more bucks in 2023 than their prior five-year average. In the Northeast, the harvest was up 4 percent; 7 of 13 states in the region had a higher kill last season. While the buck harvest across the Midwest was only one percent above its five-year average, hunters in 6 of 13 states from Wisconsin to Kansas shot more bucks than in recent prior seasons.

I happily report that the hottest buck hunting right now is in the South, where I reside and spend an inordinate amount of time in the deer woods. In 8 of 11 Southeastern states, hunters shot more bucks last season than in previous years. The NDA says the region’s buck harvest is 7 percent above its five-year average. In South Carolina, a whopping 73% of licensed hunters tagged a buck last year. In Alabama, hunters shot 37% more bucks than the previous 5-year average. Unfortunately, I was not one of those lucky hunters. I spent 5 days in a deer camp outside Eufaula, Alabama, and got skunked. A reminder that no matter how good the numbers are, hunting a big deer is always unpredictable.

We’re Shooting More Older Bucks

Here’s the big news. Of the 3 million whitetail bucks shot and tagged in 2023, 43% of them were 3½ years of age or older, the highest percentage of mature buck harvest ever reported. Thinking back over the years to all the “brown it’s down days” in our Virginia camp, it’s amazing for me to consider that more than one of every three bucks shot in the U.S. these days is at least 3½ years old.

“It’s a testament to how far we’ve come as hunters and deer managers,” says Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer and lead author of the organization’s Deer Report. “The (total) buck harvest was not only the highest in the new century, we set another new record for the percentage of those bucks that were 3½ years old or older,” said. “Hunters now shoot far more bucks that are at least 3½ years old than 1½ years. That’s a monumental shift and a good one from a decade ago.”

Shout out to Oklahoma hunters for passing the little ones and holding out for a mature deer last season. An impressive 85% of the bucks shot in the Sooner State in 2023 were 3 1/2 years or older. Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas round out the top 5 states for mature buck harvest.

Where are the Big Racks Coming From?

I did a quick scan of the Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett records to see which states have been tops for big racks the last several years. It was no surprise to find that the Midwest continues to produce the most giants. Every season, one state is especially hot for mega racks. From 2021-23, it was Indiana. Ohio took the honors in 2024 and it appears that will be the top big-buck state again in 2025-26. Wisconsin is at or near the top for big deer right now, as it has been for decades. Anywhere in that state, you have a fighting chance of tagging a mature buck with a 130- to 140-class rack. If you’re living right and get lucky, you could encounter a 5- or 6-year-old beast that scores 170 or higher.

In the South, Kentucky and Texas continue to produce the most record racks, with Arkansas a sleeper for big deer. Hunters in two Northeastern states, Pennsylvania and Maryland, have the best odds of bringing home a record rack in that region.

Don’t hunt in one of the aforementioned states? No worries. You might shoot a giant anywhere these days. Like the 213-inch velvet beast that Susie Status arrowed on her 2-acre property in Mississippi last September. Or the 165-class 11-pointer that Mark Faulk shot on public land in Virginia last November. Lots of big deer are out there.