Working Paper 108 · Trophy GeographyKansas · 105 counties · Trophy Index · October 2026 snapshot
Kansas Deer Counties Ranked: Wyandotte and Johnson Lead the Trophy Index
FDR Research Desk · Published FDR county analysis · Agency sources and methods linked below
Wyandotte leads Kansas's Trophy Index at 100, followed by Johnson at 96, Riley at 92 and Coffey at 91. Below those four, a tight group runs from Douglas through Jackson. The county order compares documented trophy history per estimated bow-huntable acre on a national scale. That gives hunters a specific county comparison, while leaving permits and the actual property to be checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Wyandotte and Johnson lead at 100 and 96. Riley and Coffey are the next counties in the trophy order.
- Douglas, Shawnee and Linn display 89. Their underlying order is retained, but a rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity.
- All 105 Kansas counties are included. The score is a relative Trophy Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Kansas county finder
Where does your county rank?
Derived FDR scores on a national 0 to 100 scale. History: 2011 through 2025. Captured October 5, 2026. Order uses the underlying rate before rounding. Zero is a valid score. Not rated means the model has no qualifying bow-huntable acreage.
10 of 105 entries shown
| State rank | County | Trophy Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyandotte | 100 |
| 2 | Johnson | 96 |
| 3 | Riley | 92 |
| 4 | Coffey | 91 |
| 5 | Douglas | 89 |
| 6 | Shawnee | 89 |
| 7 | Linn | 89 |
| 8 | Pottawatomie | 88 |
| 9 | Geary | 88 |
| 10 | Osage | 88 |
01County comparison
Wyandotte leads, with three more counties above 90
Wyandotte and Johnson hold the first two positions. Riley's 92 and Coffey's 91 round out the Kansas counties with scores of at least 90 in this snapshot. The national scoring frame matters: Kansas's first place is 100 because of its position in that wider comparison, not because every state winner is automatically assigned 100.
The denominator is modeled bow-huntable habitat. A county with less qualifying acreage can rank high when its documented trophy history is concentrated relative to that acreage. The score does not identify which parcel produced that history or whether a hunter can gain access to it.
02County comparison
Five counties share 88 around the top ten cutoff
Douglas, Shawnee and Linn each display 89. Pottawatomie, Geary, Osage, Jefferson and Jackson follow at 88. Osage makes the first ten, while Jefferson and Jackson do not, even though all three print the same score. Choosing a county because it appears in a top ten list would exaggerate that distinction.
Riley in third through Jackson in twelfth occupy just a four-point displayed range, from 92 to 88. Farther down, Doniphan, Morris and Bourbon all score 85. The full table is more useful than a short winners list when an actual property becomes available outside the first few counties.
03County comparison
Lyon, Chase and Butler do not land in the same band
Lyon ranks twenty-first at 81. Elk is thirty-fifth at 77, Chase forty-second at 74 and Greenwood forty-fourth at 73. Chautauqua is fifty-third at 71 and Butler fifty-eighth at 68. These comparisons show why a broad regional impression can be too coarse for the county question.
Bourbon's 85, for example, is above Lyon's 81 and Butler's 68 under this measure. That is a documented difference in county history after the acreage adjustment. Explaining it as better habitat, lighter pressure or a superior current age structure would require evidence beyond the score.
04County comparison
Keep the county, management unit and property together
Kansas's deer management information supplies the agency context for management and permit geography. This report does not allocate management-unit harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the unit and permit conditions for the exact ground being considered.
KDWP's Where to Hunt resources provide the next step for public and participating private access. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Osage to Jefferson changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Trophy Index at 88. Access may make that decision long before the index does.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR derived this October 5, 2026 snapshot from the 2011 through 2025 trophy-history window. Scores use estimated bow-huntable acreage and national scaling. They are sensitive to reporting and modeled-area choices. The public display ranges from 0 to 100, with no interpretation as harvest odds, population density or guaranteed access.
Compare the other states in the FDR county report series.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR scores on a national 0 to 100 scale. History: 2011 through 2025. Captured October 5, 2026. Order uses the underlying rate before rounding. Zero is a valid score. Not rated means the model has no qualifying bow-huntable acreage.
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.
Keep reading
Fully Drawn Scout puts county harvest history like this on the map of the ground you hunt. Join the Scout list →