Outside the Boston metro, Hillsborough leads New Hampshire's Buck Index at 74. Inside the metro, Rockingham leads at 75, and Strafford follows at 71. Merrimack ranks fourth at 68. Coos and Grafton share a displayed score of 38 in ninth and tenth place. All 10 counties are rated in this snapshot. 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 Boston metro, Hillsborough leads at 74. Inside it, Rockingham leads at 75. 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.
- Rockingham leads at 75, followed by Hillsborough at 74. Strafford is third at 71 inside the Boston metro. Merrimack is fourth at 68.
- Coos and Grafton share a displayed score of 38. Coos is ninth and Grafton tenth in the list, because the underlying rate, not the rounded score, sets the order.
- All 10 New Hampshire counties are rated. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
New Hampshire 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 10 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockingham Boston metro | 75 |
| 2 | Hillsborough | 74 |
| 3 | Strafford Boston metro | 71 |
| 4 | Merrimack | 68 |
| 5 | Cheshire | 61 |
| 6 | Belknap | 53 |
| 7 | Sullivan | 48 |
| 8 | Carroll | 41 |
| 9 | Coos | 38 |
| 10 | Grafton | 38 |
01County comparison
Rockingham and Hillsborough lead, with Strafford third
Rockingham holds first place at 75 and Hillsborough second at 74. Strafford's 71 is third, ahead of Merrimack at 68 in fourth place. Two of the top three counties sit inside the Boston metro.
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
Cheshire, Belknap and Sullivan sit in the middle of the table
Cheshire ranks fifth at 61, with Belknap sixth at 53 and Sullivan seventh at 48. Carroll is eighth at 41, and Coos and Grafton close the table at 38.
Cheshire's 61 sits eight points above Belknap's 53 on this scale. Read that gap as a comparison of documented history per estimated acre, not as a forecast for a given season.
03County comparison
Coos and Grafton share the lowest displayed score
Sullivan ranks seventh at 48, and Carroll eighth at 41. Coos is ninth and Grafton tenth, and both share a displayed score of 38.
Carroll's 41 sits three points above the score of 38 that Coos and Grafton share. Those two keep their listed order because the underlying rate is measured before rounding.
04County comparison
Check the county against ground you can hunt
The state wildlife agency website is the agency source for deer hunting information. This report does not allocate harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the current rules and access conditions for the exact ground under consideration.
Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Hillsborough to Rockingham changes the rank from second to first, while the displayed Buck Index moves from 74 to 75. 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. Scores run from 0 to 100. They 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 →