General Rules & Regulations

All animals shot, caught or trapped must be retrieved. Wanton waste of wildlife is a tribal offense (LB-82-C Sec. 29).
There will be restricted vehicle travel during wet weather or extremely dry conditions. Vehicles are allowed only on established roads and trails.
The Tribe reserves the right to close seasons in case of fire hazard, low wildlife populations, etc. Refunds will be offered for special hunts if they had not taken place.
No person shall hunt or trap on roadways or within 660 feet of any occupied dwelling, church, schoolhouse or livestock. No person shall hunt or trap within one mile of the community of Lower Brule (LB-82-C Sec. 35). No person shall drive off any established roadway or trail while hunting, fishing, trapping or recreating.
Trespass: You may not hunt or trap on private deeded or allotted land within the boundaries of the lower Brule Sioux Reservation without permission from the landowner.
License Revocation: Any person violating any rule or regulation may have their hunting license revoked on site.
Unarmed Retrieval: Any person may retrieve lawfully taken small and big game from private deeded or allotted land if you are unarmed and if you do not use a vehicle to make your retrieval. Remember, to be lawfully taken, game must have been shot within open areas or areas where permission has been granted.
Harassment: No person may intentionally interfere with persons lawfully engaged in taking or attempting to take game or fish. No person may scare or disturb game with specific intent to prevent its lawful taking.
Hunter Harvest Report Card: Any person hunting big game within the boundaries of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation is required to complete a hunter harvest report card and return it within seven days of the end of the season. The completed report card can either be given to a Tribal Conservation Officer or mailed to the Tribal Wildlife Department. Failure to submit a timely hunter harvest report card and tooth envelope will result in loss of future hunting privileges. Harvest report forms are also required for upland game and waterfowl hunters.
Road Hunting Prohibited: No hunting or shooting from a roadway or right-of-way of an improved road or highway maintained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, State, or County. No person shall at any time transport a firearm with a round in the chamber, or revolvers with cartridges in the cylinder, or a shotgun with more than two (2) shells in the magazine. No person shall transport any bow unless it is unstrung, encased or string is locked and unable to be drawn. No person with a special crossbow permit shall transport a cross bow unless it is encased or unstrung. No person shall hunt, load, or discharge a firearm, bow or crossbow from or across a roadway. No person shall load or discharge a firearm or bow of any type in or from a motor vehicle. No person shall lean or place any loaded firearm or bow of any type against any vehicle. No person shall allow a firearm or bow to protrude from a vehicle.
Restrictions on Use of Bait: No person shall place or hunt over bait unless such material is present from normal agricultural practices. No trapper or person shall set any trap within 30 feet of any exposed bait visible to airborne raptors. Exposed bait means meat or viscera of any animal, bird or fish with or without skin, hide or feathers. No person shall place, use or hunt over bait containing, or contained within, metal, plastic, glass, wood or non-biodegradable materials.
Unpermissible Conduct: No person shall leave any gate, bars or other devices used to enclose land or livestock open upon entering or exiting the premises for the purposes of hunting or pursuing wildlife unless he/she is in lawful possession of the premises. No person shall in any manner deface, destroy, or remove any signs posted in a legal manner. No person shall drive a vehicle of any type in an area that has been designated as a Walk-in-Hunting Area.
Harvesting with Another's Permit: No person shall hunt, fish, trap, recreate, gather or cut wood while in possession of any permit or tag issued to another except when authorized under permit issued by the Department Director.
Guiding: Only Tribal Members may guide on the Reservation.
ATV's: All-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles are prohibited for use in big game hunting.
Shining Animals: It shall be unlawful for any person to use or possess night vision equipment or shine a spotlight, headlight or any other artificial light for the purpose of locating, hunting, pursuing, taking or attempting to take or kill any fish or wildlife. This subsection shall not apply to: any person authorized to enforce the provisions of this code while on official business conducting an active investigation; any person authorized to conduct fish or wildlife censuses or surveys.
Firearm Restrictions: No person shall hunt big game animals: with a .22 caliber rimfire rifle, 5mm rimfire rifle, or a .17 caliber centerfire rifle to include any equivalent caliber or smaller; with a shot shell containing shot of any size less than a slug; with a gun having the capacity to hold more than eight (8) shells in the clip or magazine; with a gun capable of being fired as an automatic. No person shall hunt upland game birds with; a shotgun larger than 10 gauge; a shotgun with a barrel length less than 18 inches; shot shells of Double BB or larger; a rifle or handgun of any type. No lead-based ammunition allowed for shotguns.
Shed antler collecting: Removal of antlers from tribal or allotted lands by nonmembers of the Lower Brule Indian Tribe is prohibited. All shed antler collecting in the Big Game Unit is prohibited.
Narrows Culturally Sensitive Area: No motorized vehicles allowed from BIA 3 (Little Bend Road) west to the river's edge from the Wildlife Department driveway extending north approximately 2 miles to the Peterson Ranch.
All hunting accidents must be reported immediately to the Wildlife Department.
Special provisions may apply to disabled persons - please contact the Wildlife Department for more information.