Ramsey leads North Dakota's Buck Index at 73. Traill is second at 71 and Ward third at 70. No North Dakota county sits inside a big metro, so Ramsey is the leader for the whole state. On the national scale, North Dakota's counties score low, with a median rated county at 40. The county order compares documented big-buck history per estimated bow-huntable acre, which gives hunters a specific county comparison while leaving permits and property access to be checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Ramsey leads North Dakota at 73. No North Dakota county sits inside a big metro, so Ramsey is the leader for the whole state. A big metro is a Census metro area of 1 million people or more.
- Traill is second at 71, and Ward is third at 70. Cavalier and Cass share a displayed score of 67 in fourth and fifth place.
- McHenry and Richland share a displayed score of 64 in sixth and seventh place. The order inside a tie uses the underlying rate before rounding.
- All 53 North Dakota counties are included. The Buck Index is a score on a national 0 to 100 scale, not an official county harvest rate.
North Dakota 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 53 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramsey | 73 |
| 2 | Traill | 71 |
| 3 | Ward | 70 |
| 4 | Cavalier | 67 |
| 5 | Cass | 67 |
| 6 | McHenry | 64 |
| 7 | Richland | 64 |
| 8 | Grand Forks | 62 |
| 9 | Ransom | 61 |
| 10 | Walsh | 60 |
01County comparison
Ramsey leads, with Traill and Ward next
Ramsey holds first place at 73 and Traill second at 71. Ward's 70 holds third place, ahead of Cavalier and Cass, which share a displayed score of 67. The national scoring frame matters: Ramsey's 73 sits on a 0 to 100 scale built for the whole country.
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
Seven counties score 58 to 64 in places six through twelve
McHenry and Richland share a displayed score of 64 in sixth and seventh place. Grand Forks is eighth at 62, Ransom ninth at 61, and Walsh tenth at 60.
Griggs is eleventh at 59 and Pembina twelfth at 58. Across these seven places the displayed scores run from 64 down to 58, so the band reads as a close group. Choosing a county from a short top list would exaggerate the distance between these neighbors.
03County comparison
Mountrail, Sargent and Mercer share a score of 44 in the middle of the order
Mountrail, Sargent and Mercer share a displayed score of 44 in twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth place. Logan is fifty-first at 25, Bowman fifty-second at 23 and Sioux fifty-third at 23. Adams is fiftieth at 26, directly above Logan.
Ramsey at 73 and Sioux at 23 sit at opposite ends of the same national scale, so the spread across the state is wide. A single statewide average would hide that spread, which is why the full table is the more useful reference.
04County comparison
Check the unit, permit and property before planning a trip
The state wildlife agency's deer regulations page gives the agency context for this county question. 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 where-to-hunt information is the next step for public and participating private access. Ramsey and Traill show displayed scores of 73 and 71, so the choice between them rests on more than the index. Access may matter more than the rank number.
05Basis of this report
Snapshot, history window and scaling
FDR derived this October 17, 2026 snapshot from the 2011 through 2025 history window, estimated bow-huntable acreage and national scaling, 0 to 100, not harvest odds, population density or guaranteed access. Counties with the same displayed value keep the packet order.
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
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