Outside the big metros, Kent leads Maryland's Buck Index at 89. Inside them, Anne Arundel leads at 91 in the Baltimore metro. Charles shares Kent's displayed score of 89 in third place, and Prince George's is fourth at 88. Baltimore city is Not rated because it is 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, Kent leads at 89. Inside them, Anne Arundel leads at 91, in the Baltimore 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.
- Kent and Charles share a displayed score of 89. Anne Arundel is first at 91, and Prince George's is fourth at 88.
- Queen Anne's and Cecil share a displayed score of 87. Howard, Baltimore, St. Mary's and Calvert share 82.
- All 24 Maryland counties are included, and 23 are rated. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Maryland 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 24 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anne Arundel Baltimore metro | 91 |
| 2 | Kent | 89 |
| 3 | Charles Washington metro | 89 |
| 4 | Prince George's Washington metro | 88 |
| 5 | Queen Anne's Baltimore metro | 87 |
| 6 | Cecil Philadelphia metro | 87 |
| 7 | Howard Baltimore metro | 82 |
| 8 | Baltimore Baltimore metro | 82 |
| 9 | St. Mary's | 82 |
| 10 | Calvert | 82 |
01County comparison
Anne Arundel leads inside the big metros, Kent outside
Anne Arundel holds first place at 91 and Kent second at 89. Charles, also at 89, is third, ahead of Prince George's at 88 in fourth. The national scoring frame matters: Anne Arundel's 91 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
Four counties share 82 in seventh through tenth place
Howard is seventh at 82, and Baltimore, St. Mary's and Calvert share that score. Calvert is tenth. Talbot follows at 80 in eleventh place, and Montgomery is twelfth at 78.
Harford is thirteenth at 77. Wicomico and Caroline share a displayed score of 74 in fourteenth and fifteenth place. Somerset is sixteenth at 73, Carroll is seventeenth at 71, and Frederick is eighteenth at 70.
03County comparison
Allegany closes the rated list at 62
Garrett is nineteenth at 68, and Worcester is twentieth at 66. Washington and Dorchester share a displayed score of 63 in twenty-first and twenty-second place. Allegany is twenty-third at 62, the lowest rated score in the state.
Carroll, inside the Baltimore metro, is seventeenth at 71, and Frederick, inside the Washington metro, is eighteenth at 70. Allegany, outside the big metros, is twenty-third at 62.
04County comparison
Keep the county, management unit and property together
The state wildlife agency's deer hunting information supplies the agency context for seasons and rules. 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's public land hunting information covers the next step for access. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. 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. The Buck Index runs from 0 to 100 and 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 →