What is a Male Deer Called? [Secret Male Deer Names]

It’s really funny to hear people naming male deer called as Man deer or even Uncle Deer. I did research to find out the exact masculine of deer and got awesome results.

What is a male deer called? There are different names of  Male deer depending on species such as buck, stag, hart and sometimes bull. But stag or buck usually describes the largest types of male deer in the world.

There are about 60 species of mammal deer. A stag is a comparatively old name for mature male deer. Buck is the name given to comparatively immature male deer than the stag, a fawn is the name of a baby deer until the first year and the doe is the term used for female deer.

Different  Male deer Names

Different species of deer have different names according to their body structure and body features. First of all, we will discuss the common names of male deer used for the largest groups of deer in the world.

  • Stag
  • Buck
  • Hart
  • Bull

Stag

I can clearly remember this term when I used to read stories in my childhood like Foolish Stag. At that time it was not clear whether it is male or female until I grew up. A stag is term specific for male deer. If we come across deer family then there is a hundred percent chance to look stag with antlers on its head. The term stag originated long ago. Even in the painting of long long ago, this term is used. So, a stag is the name of male deer for species that were classified early male is a stag

Buck is for new species. This word stag has other meanings also as a verb “go without date”. A deep fact is that not all species males are termed as stag but in the majority, it’s Stag, the name of male deer.

Buck

An interesting fact about the term buck is that it’s not the name of male deer only but this name is given to the males of hare, rat, kangaroos, ferret and many more. The term itself represents masculine in the gender class of different animals. Here in the case of deer, it is specific for the mature ones not for young ones. It is dependent on species of deer also.

Hart

This term is also rare and is specific to red deer male species. It is not used quite often

Bull

The bull is a term used for male bovine animals. This term is not exactly used for male deer but for antelopes. Antelopes are deer-like animals. We can say this term is for naming males of deer-like animals but not exactly for deer.

what is a male deer called

Difference Between Stag or Buck

Although both terms can be used to represent the male gender of deer. Yet there is one major difference between the two.

  • A stag is a fixed term for male deer only, not for the males of other animals. While buck can be used to represent male of hare, kangaroo, rat, and many other animals.
  • A stag is used for the mature buck  while buck can be used for the immature male animal also
  • A stag is not used very often as it is an old term while the buck is used in most cases

No strict rules to name them buck or stag.

Although buck or stag is almost the same in meaning. But in science, there is no hard and fast rule for calling buck as stag or stag as a buck. So don’t panic if you call buck a stag by mistake., I am sure you will not be penalized. Deep research is needed on each species to identify the difference between buck or stag. But it’s good to name the mature male as stag and immature as a buck. Yet it’s always OK to use any term.

male deer called

Male deer of family Cervidae

Almost 60 species of deer are existing now. It is a highly adaptive mammal. It can survive in hot weather, rainy weather and even in cold snowy areas of Canada. About 43 species come under the family of deer Cervidae. It is further divided into two main groups

  • Cervinae
  • Capreolinae

Almost all species of male deer in family Cervidae have antlers that grow and lost each year except the Chinese water deer. Male deer of family Cervidae is often named as a buck.

A major difference between Cervinae and Capreolinae is their ankle structure.

deer hunting books
Click To Get This Complete Deer Hunting Book Now

Males of group Cervinae

Cervinae is also known as Old World Deer as some of its species are primitive. It includes species fallow deer, tufted deer, muntjacs deer, chital, red deer, sika deer, eld ‘s deer, sambar, hog deer, pere David’ s deer, barasingha and white-lipped deer.

Red Deer: Term hart is used especially for red deer males over five years old. But buck is also used.

Sika Deer: Sika deer love to live in marshes. Male sika deer is also named as stag as often. When stands collectively with other species it is termed as a buck.

Barasingha: Male of barasingha species is stag when it gets mature and known as a buck when it is young. This species is commonly found in Asia.

Males of group Capreolinae

Males of this group include species like moose, roe deer, water deer, brocket deer, huemul, reindeer, pudu, pampas deer and many more. Male deer of these species are also known as a buck. But sometimes a mature male is also called a stag. Their bone structure is slightly different from the cervine deer.

Male roe deer name: Male of species roe deer is known as the roebuck, they are relatively small in size and can live better in cold weather

Male brocket deer name: In this species, male deer are usually larger than females and have sharp antlers. Male of this species is also known as buck

Male reindeer deer: A unique fact about this species is that both males and females have antlers. Here again, sometimes buck is used and sometimes stag is used for male deer in written text.

Kids call male deer with funny names

It is a common observation that while learning gender difference male deer confuses kids a lot. So sometimes they call it with fun like Man deer, Uncle Deer or sometimes even Adult deer. After reading this article I hope this confusion will no longer persist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is male red deer called?

Male red deer is named as a hart. But stag is also written for this species as a male deer. Buck is rarely used.

What is male roe deer called?

Male roe deer is named as the roebuck. Deer of this species are usually smaller in size.

What is the difference between stag or buck?

A stag is a fixed term for mature male deer only while buck can be used for males of other animals also like a hare, rabbit, rat, and kangaroo.

Conclusion

I hope this article will solve the puzzle of naming what is a male deer called and nobody will ever call them Uncle deer. It is crystal clear that term stag or buck is used for male deer of different species. The stag is not widely used but for old species, it is still used. Whereas buck is used widely and sometimes buck refers less mature male than a stag. You can learn more about deer-like what is a baby deer calledwhat is a group of deer called, female deer called,what should be used to screw on broadheads, etc.