Outside the big metros, Montgomery leads at 65, and Giles shares that score. Inside the Nashville metro, Robertson leads at 73. Shelby is second at 68 inside the Memphis metro. Davidson is Not rated in this snapshot because it is mostly inside city limits. On the national scale, Tennessee's counties score low, and no county reaches 80. The county order compares documented big-buck history per estimated bow-huntable acre. That gives hunters a specific county comparison, while leaving permits and the actual property to be checked separately.
KEY FINDINGS
- Outside the big metros, Montgomery leads at 65. Inside the Nashville metro, Robertson leads at 73. 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.
- Robertson is first at 73, and Shelby is second at 68. Both sit inside a big metro, Robertson in Nashville and Shelby in Memphis.
- Montgomery and Giles share a displayed score of 65. The underlying order is retained, but a rounded tie is not a measured difference in hunting opportunity.
- All 95 Tennessee counties are included. Davidson is Not rated because it is mostly inside city limits. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Tennessee 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 95 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robertson Nashville metro | 73 |
| 2 | Shelby Memphis metro | 68 |
| 3 | Wilson Nashville metro | 66 |
| 4 | Montgomery | 65 |
| 5 | Giles | 65 |
| 6 | Cumberland | 64 |
| 7 | Sumner Nashville metro | 63 |
| 8 | Tipton Memphis metro | 62 |
| 9 | DeKalb | 59 |
| 10 | Lauderdale | 59 |
01County comparison
Robertson leads, with Shelby and Wilson next
Robertson holds first place at 73 and Shelby second at 68. Wilson is third at 66, and Montgomery is fourth at 65, tied with Giles in fifth.
The national scoring frame matters: Robertson's 73 sits on a 0 to 100 scale built for the whole country, so the score reads against that wider comparison.
02County comparison
Places six through twelve span six points
Cumberland is sixth at 64. Sumner is seventh at 63, and Tipton is eighth at 62. DeKalb, Lauderdale and Rutherford share a displayed score of 59 in ninth through eleventh place. Madison is twelfth at 58, one point below Rutherford.
Robertson in first through Madison in twelfth occupy a fifteen-point displayed range, from 73 to 58. Farther down, Hardin and Decatur both score 56, and Putnam, Maury and Roane share a displayed score of 54. The full table is more useful than a short winners list when an actual property becomes available outside the first few counties.
03County comparison
Shelby, Montgomery, Hamilton and Monroe do not land in the same band
Shelby is second at 68. Montgomery is fourth at 65, and Hamilton is twenty-fifth at 51. Monroe is ninety-fourth at 23, the lowest rated score in the state.
Montgomery's 65 sits above Hamilton's 51 and Monroe's 23 under this measure. That is a documented difference in county history after the acreage adjustment. Explaining it as better habitat, lighter pressure or a superior current age structure would require evidence beyond the score.
04County comparison
Keep the county, management unit and property together
Tennessee's state wildlife agency's deer hunting information supplies the agency context for deer hunting in the state. This report does not allocate management-unit harvest totals to counties. Before a county becomes a trip, check the rules and access conditions for the exact ground being considered.
The agency's public hunting information provides the next step for public access. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare the substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Montgomery to Giles changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 65. 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 scores are not harvest odds, population density or guaranteed access. They are sensitive to reporting and modeled-area choices.
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 →