Outside the Memphis metro, Desha leads the Buck Index at 88, followed by Benton and Lincoln at 84. Inside the Memphis metro, Crittenden leads at 65, ranked thirteenth. Chicot, Phillips and Cross share a displayed score of 71 in seventh through ninth place. All 75 counties in the state are rated in this snapshot. The county order compares documented big-buck 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
- Outside the Memphis metro, Desha leads at 88. Inside the Memphis metro, Crittenden leads at 65, ranked thirteenth. FDR names the leaders on each side of the line, and a big metro means a Census metro area of 1 million people or more.
- Desha leads at 88, followed by Benton and Lincoln at 84. Benton and Lincoln share a displayed score of 84 in second and third place. All 75 counties are rated, so every county has a place in the order.
- Chicot, Phillips and Cross share a displayed score of 71. They sit seventh through ninth in the order. Their underlying order is retained, but a rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity.
- Sebastian and Crittenden share a displayed score of 65. Sebastian is twelfth and Crittenden thirteenth, with Crittenden inside the Memphis metro. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
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Where does your county rank?
Derived FDR scores on a national 0 to 100 scale. History: 2011 through 2025. Captured October 17, 2026. Order uses the underlying rate before rounding. Zero is a valid score. Not rated means the county has no qualifying bow-huntable acreage or is mostly inside city limits. Counties marked metro sit inside a Census metro area of 1 million people or more.
10 of 75 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Desha | 88 |
| 2 | Benton | 84 |
| 3 | Lincoln | 84 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 76 |
| 5 | Washington | 74 |
| 6 | St. Francis | 72 |
| 7 | Chicot | 71 |
| 8 | Phillips | 71 |
| 9 | Cross | 71 |
| 10 | Jefferson | 69 |
01County comparison
Desha leads, with Benton and Lincoln next
Desha holds first place at 88. Benton and Lincoln share a displayed score of 84 in second and third place, and Crittenden is thirteenth at 65 inside the Memphis metro. The national scoring frame matters: Desha's 88 sits on a 0 to 100 scale built for the whole country, so the score reads against that wider comparison.
The denominator is modeled bow-huntable habitat. A county with less qualifying acreage can rank high when its documented big-buck 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
Three counties share 71 in seventh through ninth places
Jefferson is tenth at 69 and Monroe eleventh at 67, and Sebastian and Crittenden share a displayed score of 65 in twelfth and thirteenth place. Jefferson and Monroe sit two points apart, so a short winners list would exaggerate that distinction.
Desha in first through Sebastian in twelfth occupy a range from 88 down to 65. Washington's 74 in fifth place and the 71 shared by Chicot, Phillips and Cross in seventh through ninth fall inside that band.
03County comparison
Montgomery, Calhoun and Searcy share the bottom places
Montgomery, Calhoun and Searcy share a displayed score of 30 in seventy-third through seventy-fifth place. Ouachita is seventy-first at 32, and Johnson is seventy-second at 31.
The list runs from 88 at the top to 30 at the bottom, and every county falls inside that band. A short winners list hides how many counties sit in the middle, so the full table is the better reference when a specific county becomes relevant.
04County comparison
Keep the county and the exact ground together
The state wildlife agency's deer hunting information supplies the agency context for the county order. This report does not allocate harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the season and limit conditions for the exact ground being considered.
The agency's general hunting page is the broader entry point for the rest of its hunting information. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Jefferson to Monroe changes the rank from tenth to eleventh, while the displayed Buck Index moves from 69 to 67. Access may make that decision long before the index does.
05Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR derived this October 17, 2026 snapshot from the 2011 through 2025 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 17, 2026. Order uses the underlying rate before rounding. Zero is a valid score. Not rated means the county has no qualifying bow-huntable acreage or is mostly inside city limits. Counties marked metro sit inside a Census metro area of 1 million people or more.
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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