Outside the big metros, Calhoun leads Florida's Buck Index at 12. Inside the big metros, Osceola leads at 15, in the Orlando metro. Orange, Alachua, Marion and Jackson share Calhoun's displayed score of 12. On the national scale, Florida's counties score low; Osceola leads at 15. The county order compares documented big-buck history per estimated bow-huntable acre. That gives hunters a specific county comparison, while leaving permits and the actual property to be checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Outside the big metros, Calhoun leads Florida at 12. Inside the big metros, Osceola leads at 15, in the Orlando metro. 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.
- Osceola leads the state at 15. Orange is second at 12, and Calhoun is third at 12. Pinellas is Not rated because it is mostly inside city limits.
- Five counties share a displayed score of 12. Orange, Calhoun, Alachua, Marion and Jackson hold second through sixth place. Their underlying order is retained, but a rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity.
- All 67 Florida counties are included. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Florida county finder
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 67 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Osceola Orlando metro | 15 |
| 2 | Orange Orlando metro | 12 |
| 3 | Calhoun | 12 |
| 4 | Alachua | 12 |
| 5 | Marion | 12 |
| 6 | Jackson | 12 |
| 7 | Hamilton | 11 |
| 8 | Gulf | 11 |
| 9 | Sumter | 11 |
| 10 | Leon | 11 |
01County comparison
Calhoun leads outside the big metros, with Osceola inside
Osceola holds first place at 15, and Orange is second at 12. Calhoun is third and the top county outside the big metros, sharing its 12 with Alachua, Marion and Jackson. The national scoring frame matters: Osceola's 15 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
Fifteen counties share a displayed score of 10 in places fifteen through twenty-nine
Hamilton and Gulf share a displayed score of 11 in seventh and eighth place. Pasco, at twelfth, and Hernando, at fourteenth, also score 11. Clay is the top Jacksonville metro county at 10, in fifteenth place.
Bradford, Union and Madison share 10 in twenty-first through twenty-third place. The full table is more useful than a short winners list when a property becomes available outside the first few counties.
03County comparison
Collier ranks last among rated counties at 2
Collier ranks sixty-sixth at 2, and Broward and Palm Beach each score 4 in sixty-third and sixty-fifth place. Miami-Dade ranks sixty-first at 6, inside the same Miami metro.
Osceola's 15 sits well above Collier's 2 under this measure. That is a documented difference in county history after the acreage adjustment. Explaining the gap would require evidence beyond the score.
04County comparison
Check the agency rules and the property before choosing a county
The state wildlife agency's deer management information gives the agency context for deer management. This report does not allocate management-unit harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the rules for the exact ground being considered.
The agency's wildlife management area brochures are the next step for finding public hunting areas. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Orange to Calhoun changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 12. 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, estimated bow-huntable acreage and national scaling, 0 to 100, not harvest odds, population density or guaranteed access. Scores are sensitive to reporting and modeled-area choices.
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.
Keep reading
FDR Scout puts county harvest history like this on the map of the ground you hunt. Open Scout →