On the national scale, New Mexico's counties score low. Colfax leads the state at 6 on the Buck Index, and Roosevelt shares that displayed score in second place. No New Mexico county sits inside a Census metro area of 1 million people or more in this snapshot. Union follows at 5 in third place, and most of the 33 counties share a displayed score of 1. The county order compares documented big-buck history per estimated bow-huntable acre on a national scale, which gives hunters a specific county comparison while leaving permits and the actual property to be checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Colfax leads New Mexico at 6. No New Mexico county sits inside a Census metro area of 1 million people or more, so Colfax is the top county on the state's full list.
- Roosevelt shares Colfax's displayed score of 6. Roosevelt is second at 6, Union is third at 5, and Bernalillo is fourth at 1.
- Most of New Mexico's 33 counties share a displayed score of 1. Bernalillo, Cibola, Curry and Doña Ana are among them, and the order inside that group follows the underlying rate before rounding.
- On the national scale, New Mexico's counties score low. The highest displayed score is 6, the lowest is 1, and none of the 33 counties is Not rated in this snapshot.
New Mexico 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 33 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colfax | 6 |
| 2 | Roosevelt | 6 |
| 3 | Union | 5 |
| 4 | Bernalillo | 1 |
| 5 | Cibola | 1 |
| 6 | Curry | 1 |
| 7 | De Baca | 1 |
| 8 | Doña Ana | 1 |
| 9 | Eddy | 1 |
| 10 | Grant | 1 |
01County comparison
Colfax and Roosevelt share the top score
Colfax holds first place at 6 and Roosevelt holds second at 6. Both show the same displayed score, and the packet order puts Colfax first because it sits ahead on the underlying rate before rounding. Union is third at 5, a full point below Roosevelt.
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
Bernalillo opens a flat run of counties at 1
Bernalillo ranks fourth at 1, the first county in a run of counties that share a displayed score of 1. Lincoln, San Juan and McKinley sit inside that run, ranked twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth.
Roosevelt sits at 6 in second, and Catron sits at 1 in thirty-third, the last place. Counties ranked fourth through thirty-third show one displayed score, so the packet order reflects the underlying rate before rounding, which the displayed score cannot show.
03County comparison
Union is the only county between the top and the flat run
Union sits at 5 in third place, the only county between Roosevelt's 6 and the displayed score of 1.
Colfax, Roosevelt and Union are the only counties that score above 1 in this snapshot. The rest of the counties form one flat band on the displayed scale, so only the underlying rate before rounding separates them.
04County comparison
Keep the county, the agency page and the property together
The state wildlife agency's deer hunting information is the agency's own reference for deer hunting. This report does not allocate harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the current rules for the exact ground being considered.
For land you can reach, the agency's hunting lands information is the next place to look. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Colfax to Roosevelt changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 6. 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, on a 0 to 100 display. The score 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 →