York leads Maine's Buck Index at 62, followed by Waldo at 61. Kennebec and Knox share a displayed score of 59 in third and fourth place. Maine has no big metro area, so York is the leader outside the big metros. On the national scale, Maine's counties score low, and York leads at 62. Piscataquis and Aroostook share a displayed score of 12 in fifteenth and sixteenth place. 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
- York leads Maine at 62. No Maine county sits inside a Census metro area of 1 million people or more, so York is the leader outside the big metros.
- Waldo is second at 61. Kennebec and Knox share a displayed score of 59 in third and fourth place.
- Cumberland is fifth at 43, and Androscoggin is sixth at 40. Penobscot is seventh at 36 and Oxford eighth at 30.
- Somerset, Lincoln and Sagadahoc share a displayed score of 19. They sit in tenth, eleventh and twelfth place. A rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity, so their underlying order is retained.
- All 16 Maine counties are included. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Maine 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 16 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | York | 62 |
| 2 | Waldo | 61 |
| 3 | Kennebec | 59 |
| 4 | Knox | 59 |
| 5 | Cumberland | 43 |
| 6 | Androscoggin | 40 |
| 7 | Penobscot | 36 |
| 8 | Oxford | 30 |
| 9 | Hancock | 23 |
| 10 | Somerset | 19 |
01County comparison
York leads, with Waldo and the Kennebec and Knox tie next
York holds first place at 62 and Waldo second at 61. Kennebec and Knox share a displayed score of 59 in third and fourth place. Cumberland's 43 comes next, ahead of Androscoggin at 40.
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
Cumberland, Androscoggin and Penobscot sit in the middle of the table
Cumberland, Androscoggin and Penobscot score 43, 40 and 36 in fifth through seventh place. Oxford is eighth at 30, and Hancock is ninth at 23. Their spread runs from 43 down to 36.
Somerset, Lincoln and Sagadahoc share a displayed score of 19 in tenth through twelfth place. Franklin is thirteenth at 17, and Washington fourteenth at 14. The full table is more useful than a short winners list when a specific county becomes relevant.
03County comparison
Franklin, Piscataquis and Aroostook sit at the bottom of the table
Washington is fourteenth at 14. Piscataquis and Aroostook share a displayed score of 12 in fifteenth and sixteenth place.
Hancock's 23 is above Washington's 14 and Aroostook's 12 under this measure. That is a documented difference in county history after the acreage adjustment. The score does not explain the cause, so any reason for the gap needs evidence beyond the index.
04County comparison
Keep the county, management unit and property together
The state wildlife agency's deer hunting information covers the agency context for deer seasons and rules. This report does not allocate harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the regulations for the exact ground being considered.
The state wildlife agency's hunting area information is the next step for finding ground to hunt. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Kennebec to Knox changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 59. 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. The score is 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 →