A deer known for its stunning set of antlers and quirky nickname was struck and killed by a passing vehicle Friday morning on N U.S. Highway 97 in Bend.

“Buck Norris” had large, non-typical antlers, which brought him fame, Michelle Dennehy, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Salem, wrote in an email Friday.

“He was estimated to be 9-10 years old, which is on the older side for a mule deer buck,” she wrote.

City of Bend road crews found Buck Norris’ carcass after he was hit, and notified the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Dennehy wrote. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

The deer carried an ear tag with no. 35 on it, which agency officials had affixed onto him last November when they untangled heavy wire from his famous antlers.

The tag confirmed the dead buck was indeed Buck Norris, Dennehy wrote. Deer shed their antlers each year so he did not have his full rack at the time he died.

“His antlers were partially regrown but not complete,” she wrote. “ That happens later in the year.”

The deer’s antlers drew wildlife photographers from afar. Although he was known most by the Buck Norris moniker, derived from action star Chuck Norris, he also had other names, Harlan Cooper, a Utah-based wildlife photographer told The Bulletin in November. His other names included “Bend Oregon Buck,” “Sleepy Bend Buck” and “Nosler Buck,” as he was often found during summertime near the Nosler bullet factory in west Bend.

Buck Norris’ tangle with wire last fall came near Empire Boulevard, close to where he died Friday. The location where he was hit was along N U.S. Highway 97 (Business 97), near the Oregon Department of Transportation office.

“Unfortunately, vehicle-wildlife collisions happen throughout Oregon and are more common around high density areas and in the Bend/Central Oregon area in particular,” Dennehy wrote. “While Buck Norris’ habit of staying within Bend city limits protected him to an older age, it finally put him at risk.”

— Dylan J. Darling