Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Using the Stillwater County Hunting Map
Good scouting near Park City starts with knowing whose ground you're on.
Main page: Stillwater County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Scouting ground near Fishtail for the coming season? The Stillwater County hunting map is really two maps: state-managed land plus the county's parcel boundaries. What this Stillwater County guide covers: where public hunting land is mapped, how to read private parcel lines, and getting landowner permission the right way.
Building your Stillwater County hunting map
For land near Rapelje, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks publishes the public-land maps, with rules that vary by area.
Pulling up a parcel
Your first stop is the Stillwater County ArcGIS parcel map; it covers every tax parcel from Nye to Absarokee. If you only know roughly where the land is, pan along the nearest road and click the parcel itself, for land near Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge included. In and around Rapelje, the record panel usually lists the owner of record, assessed acreage, the parcel number and sometimes recent sales.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, useful out on a road near Nye, so load it before you lose signal. A printout of the tract near Park City is a good backup.
Who handles what
Questions about value or the owner field for land near Absarokee are handled by the Montana Department of Revenue, which maintains the tax roll. Building or septic questions for a lot near Columbus need the planning or permitting office, town or county, depending on location.
Being a good guest
Respect livestock and crops around Rapelje, and tell someone where you'll be; owners remember good guests.
Getting your bearings
Columbus holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. Smaller places on the map include Absarokee, Fishtail, Nye, and Park City. Around 9,173 people live in the county (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) across about 1,797 square miles for land near Rapelje. Stillwater County was organized in 1913, which matters when you trace an old farm's title. Landmarks such as Custer National Forest help you orient on the aerial.
Aerial scouting
On the aerial around Fishtail, travel corridors and edges stand out; match each spot to its parcel.
How land is described here
Montana uses the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge reference sections and townships. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge can be irregular. Write down the legal description for the tract near Fishtail before you request a deed or survey.
Reading boundaries on the county map
For private ground, the Stillwater County ArcGIS parcel map is the free source, and each tract near Nye lists an owner.
Asking for permission
Closer to Park City, offer details: who you are, when you'd hunt and how to reach you, and respect a no.
Recorded documents worth pulling
Before you sign anything, request the recorded deed from the County Clerk and Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, and that holds around Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge too. Older tracts around Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge may trace back through a long string of deeds, so a title company can sort it out if money is changing hands.
Regulations to check
Check Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for seasons and licensing, and know your state's trespass rules for land around Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge.
Limits of the parcel data
For a parcel near Columbus, acreage on the record is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor can set the real corners on the ground. For property near Fishtail, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Next door to the county around Custer National Forest.
The county touches Carbon County, Golden Valley County, Park County, Sweet Grass County, and Yellowstone County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map around Rapelje. Acreage along the edge near Absarokee can be split across two assessors' files, so look at the adjacent map too. Out toward Fishtail, our state page lists every neighboring county map for Montana.
Quick answers
Do hunting apps show parcel lines around Absarokee?
For most people, apps can help near Rapelje, but lines are still approximate.
Is there public land to hunt in Stillwater County?
For a parcel near Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks publishes maps of public hunting areas.
Where do I buy a hunting license in Stillwater County?
For property near Columbus, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sets seasons, licenses and regulations.
Can I trust the map at the property line near Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
For a tract near Rapelje, lines are approximate, so stay well inside them; respect marked boundaries.
How is land described in Montana deeds around Park City?
For a tract near Fishtail, deeds use lot and block, metes and bounds or survey descriptions, and the parcel record often summarizes it.
Open the official Stillwater County, MT 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.