Game and Fish Licenses and Permits

Applicants must be a resident of South Dakota and meet at least one of the following conditions

*A copy of a letter from the VA indicating they have received the K Award or they receive a veterans allotment for a 40% or greater disability which is deemed a service-connected injury and will meet eligibility as established in state law SDCL 41-6-10.2, OR,

*A copy of a benefit verification letter from the Social Security Administration indicating that they are receiving Social Security disability and verification that they have served on active duty in the armed forces or as a member of the armed forces reserve or national guard. The social security letter can be obtained online by creating an account at http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ OR,

*A copy of the discharge papers verifying the Prisoner of War status.

If the veteran does not have the verification papers in his or her possession, contact the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs for assistance (https://vetaffairs.sd.gov) or the Veterans Benefits Administration in Sioux Falls and have them mailed. If the veteran has received a prior reduced fee license and papers as described above have been submitted, there is no need to submit them again unless there has been a status change.

Application and verification papers, along with the $10.00 fee, must be submitted to: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, ATTN: Disability License, 20641 SD Hwy 1806, Ft. Pierre, SD 57532. To complete the application visit https://gfp.sd.gov/vet-pow-hunting// . Upon completion of this form and verification of eligibility, South Dakota residents will receive a Reduced Fee Hunting & Fishing License. This license (card) will be a replacement for the resident small game license and resident fishing license. The license is valid for a four-year period.

Residents who are serving on Active Duty and stationed at a location outside of the state may fish and hunt small game without payment of a fee or the applicable hunting and fishing license. If the resident is hunting migratory birds, the federal migratory bird stamp and the migratory bird certification permit must be purchased.

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Individuals who are missing an upper limb, or are physically incapable of using an upper limb or who are confined to a wheelchair may use a crossbow to take game birds and animals once they have obtained a disabled hunter permit.

A legally blind or quadriplegic, legally licensed individual who possesses a disabled hunter permit and who is physically present and participating in the hunt may claim game birds and animals taken by a designated hunter in accordance with the license or licenses possessed by the handicapped hunter.

Applications are obtained from the Game, Fish and Parks office in Pierre or from a game warden.

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