Working Paper 112 · Trophy GeographyTexas · 254 counties · Trophy Index · October 2026 snapshot
Texas Deer Counties Ranked: Collin Leads the Trophy Index
FDR Research Desk · Published FDR county analysis · Agency sources and methods linked below
Collin leads Texas's Trophy Index at 86. Tarrant follows at 83 and Grayson at 80. Maverick, Somervell and Kleberg occupy the next three places. Farther down, Webb is seventeenth, Llano thirty-second and Kerr one hundred forty-seventh. Those results make the measure worth reading carefully: it compares documented white-tailed deer trophy history per estimated bow-huntable acre, not the total hunting opportunity in a county.
KEY FINDINGS
- Collin, Tarrant and Grayson lead at 86, 83 and 80. These are relative Trophy Index scores, not success percentages.
- Maverick places fourth at 76. Somervell and Kleberg follow with displayed scores of 75.
- All 254 counties appear in the table. Texas scores share the national scale, so the state's leader does not automatically receive 100.
Texas 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 254 entries shown
| State rank | County | Trophy Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collin | 86 |
| 2 | Tarrant | 83 |
| 3 | Grayson | 80 |
| 4 | Maverick | 76 |
| 5 | Somervell | 75 |
| 6 | Kleberg | 75 |
| 7 | Rockwall | 72 |
| 8 | La Salle | 69 |
| 9 | Brazos | 65 |
| 10 | Dimmit | 63 |
01County comparison
Only three Texas counties reach 80 in this snapshot
Collin, Tarrant and Grayson are the three. Their scores of 86, 83 and 80 use the same national scale applied to the other states in this series. Texas is not stretched onto a separate scale that automatically awards its first-place county a 100.
That distinction prevents a first-place label from concealing the actual score. It also means the result depends on the national comparison group as well as the Texas rows. Reporting coverage and the modeled habitat denominator remain limits on the interpretation; the score is not a hunter-success percentage.
02County comparison
Maverick, Kleberg and La Salle all make the first ten
Maverick places fourth at 76, Somervell fifth at 75 and Kleberg sixth at 75. Rockwall follows at 72 and La Salle at 69. Brazos at 65 and Dimmit at 63 complete the first ten. Equal displayed scores retain the order calculated before rounding.
The next useful comparison reaches beyond that cutoff. Uvalde and McMullen rank fourteenth and fifteenth, both at 57. Webb is seventeenth at 56. Dimmit's 63 is above all three in this model, but the nearly equal results for Uvalde, McMullen and Webb do not support treating their rank differences as large gaps.
03County comparison
Llano, Mason and Kerr do not tell the same county story
Llano ranks thirty-second at 48 and Mason thirty-fourth at 47. Kimble is one hundred thirty-fifth at 26, Kerr one hundred forty-seventh at 23 and Schleicher one hundred fifty-second at 22. A broad label for a hunting region would hide those county differences.
A lower score is not evidence that a specific ranch lacks mature bucks. The calculation spreads documented history over qualifying habitat acres, and the county history may represent properties unevenly. A ranch-level claim needs ranch-level evidence. Use the table to frame that question when considering an outfitter or lease, rather than assuming the county number describes the offered ground.
04County comparison
The agency harvest survey supplies a separate comparison
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Big Game Harvest Survey reports statewide and broader-area estimates. White-tailed deer and mule deer are separate results. The Trophy Index here concerns white-tailed deer; this article creates no county harvest estimate by dividing a regional figure across county boundaries.
All 254 counties are searchable below the opening findings. Compare the county offered with a real alternative, then check the exact property against TPWD's county regulations and the access terms. A score can direct attention to a county. It cannot establish the boundaries, permission or deer history of the ranch.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR's derived October 5, 2026 snapshot uses white-tailed deer trophy history from 2011 through 2025, divided by modeled bow-huntable acreage and nationally scaled. The model does not classify every property or establish its access. Historical reporting coverage and the habitat denominator can both affect the score; no hunter-success estimate is made.
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.
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