Outside the big metros, Pike leads Illinois's Buck Index at 95, and Clark and Jo Daviess share that displayed score. Inside the Chicago metro, McHenry leads at 96. Lake, Schuyler and Will share a displayed score of 94 in fifth through seventh place. Cook and DuPage are Not rated because they are mostly inside city limits. 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 big metros, Pike leads at 95. Inside the Chicago metro, McHenry leads at 96. 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.
- McHenry leads the state at 96. Pike, Clark and Jo Daviess share a displayed score of 95 in second through fourth place. Lake is fifth at 94.
- Peoria, Carroll and Fulton share a displayed score of 93. Their underlying order is retained, but a rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity.
- All 102 Illinois counties are included, and 100 are rated. Cook and DuPage are Not rated because they are mostly inside city limits. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Illinois 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 102 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McHenry Chicago metro | 96 |
| 2 | Pike | 95 |
| 3 | Clark | 95 |
| 4 | Jo Daviess | 95 |
| 5 | Lake Chicago metro | 94 |
| 6 | Schuyler | 94 |
| 7 | Will Chicago metro | 94 |
| 8 | Peoria | 93 |
| 9 | Carroll | 93 |
| 10 | Fulton | 93 |
01County comparison
McHenry leads inside Chicago, Pike leads outside the big metros
Pike holds second place at 95, and Clark and Jo Daviess share that displayed score in third and fourth place. McHenry's 96 holds first place inside the Chicago metro, one point above Pike. The national scoring frame matters: Pike's 95 sits on a 0 to 100 scale built for the whole country, so the score reads against that wider comparison.
The denominator is estimated bow-huntable acreage. 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
Fulton and Brown sit on either side of the top ten line
Fulton ranks tenth at 93 and Brown eleventh at 92, so the top ten line falls across a one-point gap. Peoria, Carroll and Fulton share a displayed score of 93 in eighth through tenth place.
Brown and Edgar share a displayed score of 92 in eleventh and twelfth place. Choosing a county because it appears in a top ten list would exaggerate that distinction.
03County comparison
Bottom-band counties sit within a few points of each other
Henry ranks eightieth at 82 and Ford ninetieth at 81. Whiteside and Union share a displayed score of 77 in ninety-ninth and one hundredth place.
Johnson ranks ninety-eighth at 78, one point above Whiteside and Union. Every rated county scores 77 or higher, and the median rated county scores 86. Explaining a gap of this size would require evidence beyond the score.
04County comparison
Check the management unit and permit rules before choosing ground
The state wildlife agency's deer management information gives the agency context for management. 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.
The state wildlife agency's public hunting area information is the next step for public access. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Pike to Clark changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 95. Access may make that decision long before the index does.
05Basis of this report
Window, scaling and limits
FDR derived this October 17, 2026 snapshot from the 2011 through 2025 history window, estimated bow-huntable acreage and national scaling, 0 to 100. The Buck Index is not 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.
Keep reading
FDR Scout puts county harvest history like this on the map of the ground you hunt. Open Scout →