Working Paper 103 · Herd & HarvestIndiana · 92 counties · Provisional FDR Index · October 2026 snapshot
Indiana Deer Counties Ranked: Ohio, Putnam and Franklin Take the Lead
FDR Research Desk · Published FDR county analysis · Agency sources and methods linked below
Ohio County leads Indiana's provisional FDR Index at 78.7. Steuben led the state's official 2024 reported harvest, yet places seventh in the composite. Floyd leads the Trophy Index order and sits fifteenth overall. Indiana's county data offers three different leaders, along with some revealing ties: Steuben and Washington share both displayed scores, while Parke and Sullivan share a composite score but differ on trophy history.
KEY FINDINGS
- Ohio County scores 78.7. Putnam follows at 75.3 and Franklin at 73.8 in the provisional composite.
- Steuben places seventh at 66.3. Indiana DNR reported 3,261 deer there in 2024, the largest county total in that report.
- Floyd leads Indiana's separate Trophy Index. Its displayed score is 99; it stands fifteenth in the composite.
Indiana county finder
Where does your county rank?
Derived FDR scores captured October 5, 2026. Both indices use a 0 to 100 scale. Equal displayed composite scores keep the published model order. Zero is a valid score; unavailable scores are marked Not rated.
10 of 92 entries shown
| State rank | County | Provisional FDR Index | Trophy Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 78.7 | 98 |
| 2 | Putnam | 75.3 | 92 |
| 3 | Franklin | 73.8 | 95 |
| 4 | Crawford | 69.8 | 94 |
| 5 | Vigo | 67.5 | 96 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 66.8 | 98 |
| 7 | Steuben | 66.3 | 97 |
| 8 | Washington | 66.3 | 97 |
| 9 | Parke | 65.9 | 93 |
| 10 | Sullivan | 65.9 | 85 |
01County comparison
Ohio County earns a look beyond its size
Ohio County leads at 78.7, ahead of Putnam at 75.3 and Franklin at 73.8. Crawford, Vigo and Switzerland complete the first six. This is the provisional composite order, which combines several county signals. A total-harvest ranking can change the leader because it asks how many deer were checked, without first making counties equal in acreage or effort.
Putnam scores 75.3 in the composite and 92 on the separate Trophy Index. Ohio County displays 78.7 and 98. Switzerland has the same Trophy Index as Ohio at 98 but ranks sixth in the composite. Even within this leading group, the columns produce different comparisons.
02County comparison
Steuben leads a different contest
The Indiana DNR's 2024 report identifies Steuben as the county with the highest reported harvest at 3,261 deer. That is an observed registration total for that season. It is useful evidence of hunting activity and harvest, but it contains no denominator for the hours a particular hunter spent afield.
Steuben's composite score is 66.3, the same displayed value as eighth-place Washington. Both counties also display a Trophy Index of 97. There is little in those two columns to separate the pair. Someone choosing between actual hunting opportunities in them will need evidence about the properties.
03County comparison
The southern trophy cluster needs a closer map
Floyd, Clark, Jefferson and Scott all display a Trophy Index of 99. They occupy the first four positions in that separate ranking before rounding. Ohio and Switzerland follow at 98. The pattern is strong enough to make those names worth checking, but the rounded display cannot support a claim that Floyd is a full point better than Clark.
Ohio, Switzerland, Steuben and Washington are the four counties that appear in the first ten of both the composite and trophy rankings. That overlap helps distinguish them from Floyd: Floyd leads the trophy order but falls outside the composite top ten. Trophy information contributes to the composite, so the overlap is a comparison of related measures rather than an independent test.
04County comparison
Parke and Sullivan share a score, not a trophy profile
Parke and Sullivan display the same composite score of 65.9 at ranks nine and ten. Parke carries a Trophy Index of 93; Sullivan displays 85. Their trophy ranks are twenty-fifth and fifty-sixth. This is where the extra column earns its space: the same composite number can accompany a different historical trophy position.
For a trophy-focused comparison, follow that second column beyond the composite top ten. For a broader starting point, keep the published composite order. The modeled bow-huntable acres establish no hunting permission.
Marion appears in the full composite table but its Trophy Index is not rated because this habitat model maps no qualifying bow-huntable acreage there. That is a limit of this calculation, not a claim that Marion County lacks deer.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
Indiana's active components cover herd and harvest indicators, trophy history, habitat, change over time and roadway evidence. FDR's October 5, 2026 snapshot supplies the derived scores and ranks. Composite results are provisional. Trophy scores cover 2011 through 2025 and normalize documented history by modeled bow-huntable acreage within a national comparison group. The official Steuben figure is a measured 2024 registration total. These measures cannot be converted to a hunter's success probability.
Compare the other states in the FDR county report series.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR scores captured October 5, 2026. Both indices use a 0 to 100 scale. Equal displayed composite scores keep the published model order. Zero is a valid score; unavailable scores are marked Not rated.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR county scores and interpretations are independent analysis. A county ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
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