Bird Hunting in South Dakota Indian Reservations

Wild Turkey

Bird hunters will find many beautiful venues for their sport on Native American lands in South Dakota. You should be aware, though, that hunting licenses issued by the state of South Dakota are not valid on tribal lands. Each tribal government has its own hunting regulations and issues licenses separately. Five of the nine tribal governments have specialized departments that maintain websites with current information for hunters.

Standing Rock

The Standing Rock Sioux tribal lands are on the Canadian border west of Mobridge. The website of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Game and Fish Department provides information on bird hunting there. Birds listed in the menu of dates and fees include grouse, partridge, dove, pheasant, spring light geese, turkey and waterfowl. Licenses are available online, except for turkey licenses, which must be purchased directly through the tribal Game and Fish Office. The site also lists local guides and license vendors.

Cheyenne River

Just south of Standing Rock are the Cheyenne River Sioux tribal lands. The tribal Game, Fish and Parks and Tourism Department maintains a website with information on hunting. Turkeys are the only birds mentioned in the listings for applications. The site provides a list of vendors, but indicates that turkey licenses are available only at the department's office.

Lower Brule

The Lower Brule tribal lands border the west bank of the Missouri River between Pierre and Chamberlain. The website of the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe offers access to information on license fees, hunting seasons, application deadlines and limits for several birds: mourning dove, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, pheasant, partridge, quail, turkey and waterfowl. The site provides a printable application form to mail in, as well as a printable color hunting map and a brochure on the tribe's hunting rules and regulations.

Pine Ridge

The Parks and Recreation Authority of the Oglala Lakota Nation manages wildlife resources on the Pine Ridge Reservation southeast of Rapid City. They include three birds in their regulations for small game: sharp-tail grouse, pheasant and mourning dove. Turkeys are considered big game. The site provides information on limits, regulations and eligibility for tribal and nontribal members.

Rosebud

For its tribal lands in the south-central part of the state, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Game, and Fish and Parks Department offers information for bird hunters on its website. A listing of seasons and stamps for 2010 gives dates, deadlines and prices. Stamps are listed for turkey, pheasant, grouse and prairie chicken, waterfowl, upland bird and an upland bird combo that includes dove. The site also provides information about hunting regulations and listings of guides and vendors. Licenses can be purchased online, but you will need to go to the department's office to obtain tags.

Other Tribal Lands

For current information about hunting on the other four tribal areas, those of the Crow Creek Sioux, Flandreau Santee Sioux, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and Yankton Sioux tribes, contact the tribal governments. The South Dakota Office of Tribal Government Relations maintains a listing of current contact information for the tribal governments. These other four tribal areas are much smaller than the five that maintain websites.

References

• Standing Rock Game and Fish
• Cheyenne River Sioux Game, Fish, and Parks and Tourism Department
• Lower Brule Sioux Tribe: Department of Wildlife, Fish and Recreation
• Oglala Sioux Parks and Recreation Authority: Hunting
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe Game, and Fish and Parks Department

Resources

• South Dakota Office of Tribal Government Relations: Nine Tribes of South Dakota