Jefferson leads Nebraska's Buck Index at 78, followed by Gage at 77 and Lancaster at 75. No Nebraska county is marked as inside a big metro in this snapshot. On the national scale, Nebraska's counties score low. The order compares documented big-buck history per estimated bow-huntable acre, which gives hunters a county comparison while permits and the actual property are checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Jefferson leads Nebraska at 78. Gage is second at 77 and Lancaster third at 75. No Nebraska county is marked as inside a big metro, so the state leader is named here.
- Saline and Dakota share a displayed score of 73. They hold fourth and fifth place.
- Cherry closes the order at 11. Sioux is ninety-second at 12, one place above Cherry.
- All 93 Nebraska counties are included. The score is a relative Buck Index value, and it is not an official county harvest rate.
Nebraska 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 93 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson | 78 |
| 2 | Gage | 77 |
| 3 | Lancaster | 75 |
| 4 | Saline | 73 |
| 5 | Dakota | 73 |
| 6 | Sarpy | 72 |
| 7 | Thurston | 72 |
| 8 | Richardson | 71 |
| 9 | Thayer | 69 |
| 10 | Cass | 67 |
01County comparison
Jefferson leads, with Gage and Lancaster next
Jefferson holds first place at 78 and Gage second at 77. Lancaster's 75 holds third place, ahead of Saline and Dakota, which share a displayed score of 73. The national scoring frame matters: the 0 to 100 scale is built for the whole country, so the state's scores read 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
Five pairs share a score in places four through sixteen
Saline and Dakota share a displayed score of 73 in fourth and fifth place, and Sarpy and Thurston share a displayed score of 72 in sixth and seventh. Richardson is eighth at 71, and Thayer ninth at 69. Cass and Douglas share a displayed score of 67 in tenth and eleventh place.
Harlan and Otoe share a displayed score of 65 in twelfth and thirteenth place. Keya Paha is fourteenth at 64, and Washington and Nemaha share a displayed score of 63 in fifteenth and sixteenth place. Jefferson's 78 in first place sits above Harlan's 65 in twelfth. Farther down, Dawes and Kimball share a displayed score of 18 in seventy-eighth and seventy-ninth place.
03County comparison
Merrick, Dodge and Platte land in different bands
Merrick ranks twenty-fourth at 53. Dodge is thirty-fourth at 45 and Platte fifty-second at 36.
Saunders, Webster, Johnson and Butler all share a displayed score of 55. Cherry, the lowest at 11, ranks ninety-third. A statewide impression is too coarse for a county decision.
04County comparison
Check the county, unit and property before a trip
Nebraska's state wildlife agency website is the link to check for deer hunting information. This report does not allocate harvest totals to counties.
Before a county becomes a trip, check the permit conditions and access rules for the exact ground being considered. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip.
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, on a 0 to 100 display. The scores are 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 →