Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Yellowstone County Hunting Map, Montana: a scouting guide
Parcel lines and public-land maps work together near Lockwood.
Main page: Yellowstone County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Scouting ground near Lockwood for the coming season? The Yellowstone County hunting map is really two maps: state-managed land plus the county's parcel boundaries. In this Yellowstone County guide: state sources for public ground, using the parcel viewer for boundaries, and getting landowner permission the right way.
Getting started with the Yellowstone County hunting map
For property near Pompeys Pillar National Monument, start with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for public areas, with rules that vary by area.
Where the parcel data lives
The official parcel map for this area is the Yellowstone County parcel viewer, and anyone can open it without signing up. Without an address in hand, zoom in from Acton and select the outline. For acreage around Ballantine, write down the parcel ID from that panel; every records desk in the county asks for it first.
Who owns the ground
The lines are tax drawings, so stay well inside them near Huntley; paint or posted signs on the ground matter too.
Asking for permission
If the land is near Acton, offer details: who you are, when you'd hunt and how to reach you, and put any agreement in writing if the owner prefers.
Rules and responsibility
Check Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for seasons and licensing, and trespass rules differ by state for land around Custer.
Legal descriptions in Montana
Montana follows the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Billings cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Laurel can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Broadview when you talk to a surveyor.
Using it on a phone
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Huntley, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A saved image of the lot near Custer and its lines is a good backup.
Before you lean on the lines
The acreage figure is a tax-roll number; only a licensed surveyor can set the real boundary on land around Huntley. For a tract near Ballantine, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Recorded documents worth pulling
For property near Ballantine, the map is an index, not the title: deeds, plats and easements for parcels in the county are filed with the County Clerk and Recorder. Long-held tracts near Acton can go back through a long string of deeds, and a title company is worth hiring if money is changing hands.
Next door to Yellowstone County
Yellowstone County meets Big Horn County, Carbon County, Golden Valley County, Musselshell County, and Rosebud County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. A tract near the line by Huntley may show up in two county records, so look at the adjacent map before you assume the acreage. For land near Custer, our state page lists every bordering county map across Montana.
Reading terrain
Switch to aerial imagery near Lockwood, look for field edges, creek bottoms and timber lines; then confirm whose land each feature is on.
Good habits afield
Leave gates as you found them on land near Billings, and carry the owner's contact info; owners remember good guests.
Which office to call
Recorded documents for a parcel near Billings come from the County Clerk and Recorder, often with an online index. Building or septic questions for a lot near Custer go to planning, building or health offices, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Getting your bearings
Billings serves as the county seat, where most land records are kept. Other places on the map include Laurel, Broadview, Acton, and Ballantine, each with its own cluster of lots. About 170,843 people call Yellowstone County home (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) on roughly 2,633 square miles. Yellowstone County was organized in 1883, and some chains of title near Acton are long. Landmarks such as Pompeys Pillar National Monument are easy to spot when you zoom out from Acton.
Frequently asked
Can I see owners on the parcel map near Pompeys Pillar National Monument?
On ground around Laurel, the parcel record lists the owner of record; be specific in your request.
Do I need written permission to hunt near Pompeys Pillar National Monument?
In and around Lockwood, rules vary by state, so check Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks guidance.
When is hunting season in Montana near Billings?
Around Pompeys Pillar National Monument, licenses are sold through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Can I trust the map at the property line near Pompeys Pillar National Monument?
If the land is near Laurel, the map isn't a survey.
Does the parcel map work on a phone near Broadview?
With a lot near Billings, no app is needed for most county viewers; screenshots help offline.
Open the official Yellowstone 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.