Butte Valley Wildlife Area

Recreational Opportunities

Activities: camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, hunting

• Butte Valley Birding Checklist (PDF)

[PASSESHUNTING]

Hunting: Waterfowl, coots, moorhens, snipe, and doves may be present.

Type B: Butte Valley Wildlife Area require adult hunters to purchase a Type A or B season hunting pass in advance for waterfowl and pheasant hunting for all authorized shoot days of the season. Reservations are required for the opening weekend of waterfowl season for Type B wildlife areas and may be required for the opening of pheasant season.

• Hunting Map (PDF)

Facilities: Camping

[HUNTINGLINKSB]

Area History

The property was initially established in 1872. From 1883 to 1940 it was owned by Louis Meiss and called “Meiss Ranch”. The next owners built a dike to reclaim land from the west side of Meiss Lake and excavated drain ditches to develop additional grain land. In 1944, the ranch changed ownership again and the first irrigation well was dug. More land was purchased, increasing the acreage of the property, and the first dams were constructed to irrigate the meadows on the west side of the ranch.

From 1952 on, the ranch changed hands a number of times until it was purchased by the State. The property was designated as a wildlife area by the Fish and Game Commission in 1981.