Outside the big metros, Stevens leads Washington's Buck Index at 29, followed by Ferry and Spokane, which share a displayed score of 21. Inside the big metros, Clark in the Portland metro scores 6, the same displayed score as King in the Seattle metro. On the national scale, Washington's counties score low, and the median county displays 6. 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, Stevens leads at 29. Inside the big metros, Clark in the Portland metro scores 6, the same displayed score as King in the Seattle metro. 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.
- Stevens leads at 29, and Ferry and Spokane share a displayed score of 21. Ferry and Spokane sit second and third in the order. Pend Oreille is fourth at 11.
- Most counties display 6. Adams, Asotin, Benton and Clallam hold seventh through tenth place. Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Skamania, the five big metro counties, all display 6 as well.
- All 39 Washington counties are rated. The score is a relative Buck Index, not an official county harvest rate.
Washington 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 39 entries shown
| State rank | County | Buck Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevens | 29 |
| 2 | Ferry | 21 |
| 3 | Spokane | 21 |
| 4 | Pend Oreille | 11 |
| 5 | Lincoln | 10 |
| 6 | Whitman | 9 |
| 7 | Adams | 6 |
| 8 | Asotin | 6 |
| 9 | Benton | 6 |
| 10 | Clallam | 6 |
01County comparison
Stevens leads, with Ferry and Spokane next
Stevens holds first place at 29, and Ferry and Spokane share a displayed score of 21 in second and third place. Pend Oreille's 11 holds fourth, ahead of Lincoln at 10 and Whitman at 9 in fifth and sixth.
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
Pend Oreille, Lincoln and Whitman sit in fourth through sixth place
Pend Oreille, Lincoln and Whitman follow at 11, 10 and 9. Adams, Asotin, Benton and Clallam share a displayed score of 6 in seventh through tenth place.
Stevens in first through Pend Oreille in fourth span a displayed range from 29 to 11. The five big metro counties, Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Skamania, sit at 6, and none of them ranks in the top four.
03County comparison
Yakima, Kittitas and Chelan sit at the bottom of the order
Kittitas, Grant, Lewis and Chelan share a displayed score of 4 in thirty-fifth through thirty-eighth place. Yakima is thirty-ninth at 3, the lowest value in the state.
Stevens's 29 sits well above Yakima's 3 under this measure. That is a documented difference in county history after the acreage adjustment. Explaining the gap would need evidence beyond the score.
04County comparison
Check the unit and the property before choosing a county
The state wildlife agency's deer hunting information is the agency reference for this comparison. 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.
For access, the state wildlife agency's home page is the next stop. Start with a county you can actually hunt, then compare substitutes that fit the same trip. A move from Ferry to Spokane changes the rank number while leaving the displayed Buck Index at 21. Access may make that decision long before the index does.
05Basis of this report
How the score is built
FDR derived this October 17, 2026 snapshot from the 2011 through 2025 history window, estimated bow-huntable acreage and national scaling. The public display ranges from 0 to 100. The scores are sensitive to reporting and modeled-area choices, and 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 →