Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
Using the Benewah County Hunting Map
Good scouting near Tensed starts with knowing whose ground you're on.
Main page: Benewah County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Planning a hunt near Fernwood? A useful Benewah County hunting map combines two sources: public areas from Idaho Department of Fish and Game and private lines from the county. What this county guide covers: where public hunting land is mapped, using the parcel viewer for boundaries, and how to ask for permission around Chatcolet.
The Benewah County hunting map: start here
For acreage around Plummer, public hunting areas are mapped by Idaho Department of Fish and Game, along with seasons and regulations.
Getting to the right map
Go first to the Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map; it maps each tax parcel around Tensed and St. Maries. For property near Tensed, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the matching parcel lights up. With a lot near Parkline, the record panel usually lists the owner of record, assessed acreage, a parcel ID and in many cases the last transfer.
Private land and parcel lines
The Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map shows private parcel lines, so you can see who owns the land near De Smet.
Taking the map into the field
Most viewers work in a phone browser, handy when you're parked on a road near St. Maries, though signal can drop in rural spots. A printout of the tract near St. Maries keeps working without signal.
Asking for permission
For a home near Parkline, offer details: who you are, when you'd hunt and how to reach you, and respect a no.
Scouting from the aerial
On the aerial around Tensed, travel corridors and edges stand out; match each spot to its parcel.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, subdivision plats and easements covering ground around Heyburn State Park are kept by the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder). If you're looking near Tensed, have ready the instrument number shown in the record panel and the lookup takes minutes.
Neighboring parcel maps
Benewah County borders Kootenai County, Latah County, Shoshone County, Spokane County, WA, and Whitman County, WA, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. Ground near Plummer that runs to the line may be split across two assessors' files, so check the neighboring map too. Near De Smet, our state page links each neighboring county map across Idaho.
Getting your bearings
St. Maries is the county seat, home to the main records offices. Smaller places on the map include Plummer, Tensed, De Smet, and Fernwood, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Around 10,369 people live in Benewah County (Census estimate, 2023) spread over roughly 777 square miles. Benewah County was formed in 1915, so old deeds can run back a long way. Landmarks such as Heyburn State Park are easy to spot when you zoom out.
Limits of the parcel data
For property near St. Maries, the acreage figure is a tax-roll number; only a licensed surveyor establishes the real boundary on the ground. Near St. Maries, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Reading the legal description
Idaho uses the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near McCroskey State Park cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though sections near Plummer can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Chatcolet before you request a deed or survey.
Staying legal
Check Idaho Department of Fish and Game for seasons and licensing, and know your state's trespass rules for land around McCroskey State Park.
Good habits afield
Leave gates as you found them on land near De Smet, and tell someone where you'll be; it keeps permission coming back.
Getting answers from the right desk
Deeds, mortgages and recorded plats for land near Plummer come from the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), often with an online index. Building or septic questions for a lot near Tensed go to planning, building or health offices, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Quick answers
Is verbal permission enough in Benewah County?
Near McCroskey State Park, written permission is a good idea even where not required.
How close to the line can I hunt around McCroskey State Park?
For a home near De Smet, the map isn't a survey.
Where do I buy a hunting license near De Smet?
Closer to Emida, licenses are sold through Idaho Department of Fish and Game; rules change yearly.
Where is public hunting land near Fernwood?
For a home near St. Maries, start with Idaho Department of Fish and Game area listings; read the regulations for each.
Is the parcel map a survey around St. Maries?
Out toward McCroskey State Park, parcel lines are tax drawings, not surveys; a survey sets the real corners
Open the official Benewah County, ID parcel map See it in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.