Hunting S.D. Sisseton/Wahpeton Reservation

[DCF]

We didn't get drawn for the SD duck hunting license this year. We are looking at hunting the Sisseton Reservation area. Has anyone done this before. How does it work. Thanks for any info.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

ive never heard of anybody hunting that particular res; best bet would be to see if they have a tribal game fish and parks office and go from there.

[Scouter]

I've hunted it and know of others who have as well.

Simply, IT SUCKED!!!

No doubt there are plenty of ducks and geese on the Res, but what you'll find is its a huge joke on boundary issues and tresspassing problems.

As you maybe know, the wetlands have increased and dried up numerous times in the last twenty year on the Upper Coteau West of Sisseton (and lots of SD). The problem that creates is the maps that the tribe offers are simply reproductions of VERY outdated county Plat maps.

The tribe does not post there land and the reservation looks like a checkerboad of Tribal Trust, Tribal Private owner, Private Owner, SD State land, Federal Land, County Land, and Schoolcraft Land.

The only things you can hunt w/ a Tribal License are the Tribal Trust Lands and the tribal member lands (you need their permission on this type, and its the majority of tribally owned land).

ALSO, don't think that you can hunt on public water w/ a tribal license. If the ground underneath the land (IN SD) is not tribal, you can't be hunting w/out a state license. We found numerous sloughs that had state land, fed land, tribal land, and SD resident owned land all in one, and all w/o clearly defined boundaries.

We got yelled at by a farmer on opening morning who ruined our 1st day (come to find out he was in the wrong, and we had rights to be there, but he thought he did since he leased only the haying rights from the tribe, not hunting...).

We also got a warning and almost a ticket from a state warden (thank God he was reasonable and nice, and the land owner didn't press charges when he found out it was and honest mistake). I had taken two scouting trips from MN that summer even and had spoke w/ the non tribal landowners to the West and to the East of the tribally owned slough. They both agreed the water in question was tribal and gave us permission to cross their land to hunt it. Needless to say, after a great start to the morning we had 3 beautiful Widgeons between me and my dad, then saw the CO truck bouncing across the field... After explaining ourselves, it turned out the one lady was the 30-something daughter of the landowner and mistakenly told us the wrong slough (the correct one was over the hill a couple hundred yards and the one we were on, wasn't listed on the CRAPPY tribal map!).

Day number 2 ruined.

I'm by no means a slob hunter and do more scouting and research than most people, so don't think its me. It sucks...

They are just scamming for your money.

The tribal CO was not usually available for questions, and when I did catch her on the phone once, and asked if we could use small duck boats on a slough half owned by the tribe, she said "Not really," when I asked what that meant, she said, " I'm not sure how to answer that, I recommend just having a good dog and not using a boat."

I couldn't believe she thought on a larger larger lake a dog would suffice. I asked what she recommeded if a goose or a mallard sailed too far for a dog to get a mark and dropped dead, leave it???

Its a joke. Don't waste your time. Go to ND if you must.

[DCF]

Thanks for the info. Was kind wondering how it would go. Are they all like that? Any one hunted the Lower Brule Reservation?????

[dakotakid31]

Simple solution-go to North Dakota.

[tweedlap]

Scouter said it perfectly. The map is a joke and it it stapled together with no rhyme or reason.

You will probably need an oil change before you find a place to hunt.

Difficult situation, at best.

Spinning wings are Not legal on any Res land.

tweed