Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
The Butte County Hunting Map and private boundaries
Good scouting near Arco starts with knowing whose ground you're on.
Main page: Butte County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Scouting ground near Arco for the coming season? Think of the Butte County hunting map as two layers: state-managed land plus the county's parcel boundaries. Covered here for this county: where public hunting land is mapped, using the parcel viewer for boundaries, and how to ask for permission for land near Arco.
Building your Butte County hunting map
Near Little Lost River, public hunting areas are mapped by Idaho Department of Fish and Game, including wildlife management areas and other access programs where they exist.
The viewer Butte County publishes
Your first stop is the Butte County ArcGIS parcel map; it maps every tax parcel around Arco and Snake River Plain. If you only know roughly where the land is, follow the nearest road on the aerial and click the parcel itself, for land near Big Lost River included. With a lot near Big Lost River, save the parcel ID from that panel; each clerk in the county asks for it first.
Reading the legal description
Idaho uses the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Howe 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 Snake River Plain can be irregular. Keep the legal description for land near Butte City when you talk to a surveyor.
Private land and parcel lines
The Butte County ArcGIS parcel map shows private parcel lines, and each tract near Little Lost River lists an owner.
Asking for permission
If the land is near Butte City, offer details: who you are, when you'd hunt and how to reach you, and put any agreement in writing if the owner prefers.
Where the recorded documents are
Before you sign anything, get the recorded deed from the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder); the parcel map near Snake River Plain only summarizes it. For a tract near Snake River Plain, older tracts in the county can trace back through a long string of deeds, and a title company earns its fee before a purchase.
On site with the map
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, useful out on a road near Snake River Plain, though signal can drop in rural spots. A printout of the tract near Butte City is a good backup.
Rules and responsibility
Check Idaho Department of Fish and Game for seasons and licensing, and trespass rules differ by state for land around Snake River Plain.
Scouting from the aerial
On the aerial around Moore, look for field edges, creek bottoms and timber lines; then confirm whose land each feature is on.
What the map can't tell you
For property near Snake River Plain, acreage on the record is an estimate; just a licensed surveyor establishes the real corners on the ground. For a home near Arco, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Next door to this county, especially near Big Lost River.
Butte County borders Bingham County, Blaine County, Clark County, Custer County, and Jefferson County, all with their own assessor records. A tract near the line by Moore can be split in two county records, so open the neighboring map as well. For property near Big Lost River, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map for Idaho.
Good habits afield
Respect livestock and crops around Snake River Plain, and carry the owner's contact info; it keeps permission coming back.
Getting answers from the right desk
Recorded documents for a parcel near Little Lost River sit in the index kept by the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), often with an online index. Questions about what you can build around Butte City are for the local planning and health departments, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Getting your bearings
Arco is the county seat, which is where the courthouse records live. Other places on the map include Butte City, Moore, Howe, and Little Lost River, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Roughly 2,758 people live in Butte County (Census estimate, 2023) on roughly 2,236 square miles. The county dates to 1917, and some chains of title near Big Lost River are long. Landmarks such as Little Lost River, Big Lost River, and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve help you orient on the aerial.
Quick answers
Do hunting apps show parcel lines near Little Lost River?
In most cases, apps can help near Butte City, but lines are still approximate.
Do I need written permission to hunt near Big Lost River?
With a lot near Big Lost River, written permission is a good idea even where not required.
Is there public land to hunt in Butte County?
Good question; public areas near Moore are listed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game; rules vary by area.
Where do I buy a hunting license for land near Little Lost River?
If the land is near Little Lost River, check Idaho Department of Fish and Game for current dates and rules; rules change yearly.
Which office handles records for land near Moore?
For land near Little Lost River, assessment goes to the County Assessor and deeds to the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder).
Open the official Butte 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.