I’m willing to grant that it’s possible these slang terms were more animal related than slave related. I do have to point out that your snopes link, although it mentions a false etymology related to slavery, is about the term bucks to mean dollars. Which of course comes from deer hides. I think buck referring to money and buck referring to young slave men are different etymologies.

What I wrote was how I heard it, and I don’t remember when or where. Like I said, it’s possible I’m wrong, but I do not concede that you have refuted my argument.

Heads up, snopes had kind of a hostile takeover situation. They were being transparent about their funding and expenditures until the past four years. I have no doubt what you linked is correct, but snopes is no longer the final word on the internet that it once was.