Working Paper 106 · Herd & HarvestOhio · 88 counties · Provisional FDR Index · October 2026 snapshot
Ohio Deer Counties Ranked: Jefferson Leads the FDR Index
FDR Research Desk · Published FDR county analysis · Agency sources and methods linked below
Jefferson leads Ohio's provisional FDR Index at 87.3. Coshocton led the official 2025-26 harvest with 8,527 checked deer, but places thirty-third in the composite at 56.4. Cuyahoga produces the sharpest reversal: first in the Trophy Index order, last in the composite. Those results are not interchangeable descriptions of the best county. They expose how much the answer changes when the measure changes.
KEY FINDINGS
- Jefferson, Belmont and Hocking head the provisional composite. Their scores are 87.3, 79.9 and 73.8.
- Coshocton led the final 2025-26 harvest report with 8,527 deer. This measured registration total is separate from the FDR model.
- Cuyahoga leads the Trophy Index order at a displayed 100. It ranks eighty-eighth in the composite, the widest possible rank contrast at that endpoint.
Ohio 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 88 entries shown
| State rank | County | Provisional FDR Index | Trophy Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson | 87.3 | 98 |
| 2 | Belmont | 79.9 | 97 |
| 3 | Hocking | 73.8 | 97 |
| 4 | Columbiana | 71.2 | 97 |
| 5 | Delaware | 69.5 | 99 |
| 6 | Ross | 68.6 | 99 |
| 7 | Vinton | 66.8 | 97 |
| 8 | Marion | 65.3 | 99 |
| 9 | Adams | 64.8 | 98 |
| 10 | Lawrence | 64.2 | 89 |
01County comparison
Jefferson and Belmont lead the broader comparison
Jefferson's 87.3 is 7.4 displayed points above Belmont's 79.9, the largest step within Ohio's top six. Hocking follows at 73.8, Columbiana at 71.2, Delaware at 69.5 and Ross at 68.6. The wider gap makes Jefferson stand apart in this model snapshot without establishing why it leads.
Jefferson and Belmont still look strong in the separate Trophy Index at 98 and 97, but their trophy ranks are twenty-sixth and thirty-sixth. Ohio has many counties near the top of the national trophy scale, so a high score can sit well outside the state's trophy top ten. That is why the national score and state order both need labels.
02County comparison
Coshocton's harvest lead remains a real result
The Ohio DNR final statistics put Coshocton first at 8,527 checked deer. The final report is the source for that number. An in-season bulletin can have a similar headline while covering fewer dates, so the season label belongs beside any comparison.
Coshocton's composite score of 56.4 puts it thirty-third, compared with first in the official harvest count. That is a concrete change in county order, not a disagreement over whether 8,527 deer were checked. A large reported total can reflect acreage and hunting activity as well as deer availability; neither measure supplies a matching individual-effort denominator.
03County comparison
The metropolitan result is a test of interpretation
Cuyahoga, Franklin, Summit, Hamilton and Morrow all display a Trophy Index of 100. Their trophy order follows the underlying rate before display rounding. Their composite ranks are eighty-eighth, seventy-sixth, eighty-second, eighty-third and twenty-third. Morrow and Cuyahoga are 65 composite places apart despite sharing the same displayed trophy score.
This Trophy Index divides documented history by estimated bow-huntable acreage. It can therefore favor a county with relatively little qualifying habitat. That arithmetic does not identify permission or explain which biological and hunting conditions produced the history. Cuyahoga's result is the clearest reason to read the two county columns separately.
04County comparison
Delaware and Marion make both top tens
Delaware is fifth in the composite and sixth in trophy order. Marion is eighth and seventh. They are the only Ohio counties in the first ten of both rankings. Ross is close: sixth in the composite and twelfth in trophy order, with a displayed Trophy Index of 99 like Delaware and Marion.
The overlap is useful for narrowing a county comparison, but trophy information also contributes to the composite. It is not independent confirmation. Search the county where you can hunt and compare one of these three if the broader model and trophy history both matter to you. The property still needs its own evaluation.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
Ohio's composite uses herd and harvest information, trophy history, habitat and historical change; the roadway component is not active. Derived FDR results are fixed to the October 5, 2026 capture. The composite is provisional and has uneven component completeness. Trophy scores summarize 2011 through 2025 history per modeled bow-huntable acre on a national relative scale. Official checked-deer counts retain their separate 2025-26 season scope. No score estimates personal success.
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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