Gathering / Ricing


Announcements

  • Permits are available online for camping, gathering, ricing, deer, bear, small game, turkey, and migratory bird hunting during and ~ 2 weeks prior to their opening dates. If you already have a NAGFA account set up, you can issue your own permits. Detailed instructions for issuing permits online can be found here. If you have not previously been issued an off-reservation permit, you will need to contact your registration station or conservation law enforcement office to set up an account.
  • Updated Treaty Hunting Regulation Summary for the 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territories in Wisconsin and Minnesota is available here.
  • Updated Model Off-Reservation Conservation Code for the 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territories in Wisconsin is available here.

How To Get Off-Reservation Treaty Harvest Permits

Off-reservation treaty harvest permits are required for hunting, trapping, fishing, and gathering activities in the ceded territories. Permits can be obtained at your tribal registration station or conservation office. A tribal ID from one of GLIFWC’s member tribes is required to be issued a permit for off-reservation treaty hunting, trapping, fishing or gathering in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Permits are also available online for some activities after establishing an online account at a tribal registration station or conservation office.

Where Can I Exercise My Treaty Rights?

In general, off-reservation treaty rights may be exercised on publicly accessible lands within the ceded territory. An interactive map of the ceded territory can be accessed here:

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Useful PDF Documents:

Tagging and Registration

SPECIES TAGGING REQUIREMENTS REGISTRATION
ELK You must have a carcass tag in your possession to hunt elk. Attach the carcass tag immediatley upon harvest. Elk must be registered in person at a tribal registration station or by a GLIFWC warden by 5 pm on the day after harvest.
DEER You must have a deer or bear stamp on your hunting license to hunt deer or bear. A carcass tag is not required, however, if you leave a carcass unattended in the field, attach a tag to the carcass with your NAGFA ID and Stamp#. Registration can be via phone, online, or in person at a tribal registration station or by a GLIFWC warden. Deadlines: in-person, by 5 pm on the third working day after harvest; phone/online/GLIFWC warden, by 5 pm the day after harvest. A registration tag is not required, however, if you leave the carcass with a third party, attach a tag to the carcass with your NAGFA ID, Stamp# and Harvest Report#.
BEAR
BOBCAT You must have a carcass tag in your possession to harvest bobcat, otter, fisher, and marten. Attach the carcass tag immediatley upon harvest.
CITES tags are required for bobcat and otter if the pelts will be sold. CITES tags can be obtained from a GLIFWC warden.
Bobcat, otter, fisher, and marten must be registered in person at a tribal registration station or by a GLIFWC warden by 5 pm on the third working day after harvest.
OTTER
FISHER
MARTEN
TURKEY You must have a turkey stamp on your hunting license to hunt turkey. Turkey must be registered by 5 pm on the third working day after harvest. Registration can be via phone, online, or in person at a tribal registration station or by a GLIFWC warden.
SWAN You must have a swan stamp on your hunting license to hunt swans. All swans must be registered in person by presenting a fully feathered carcass to a tribal registration station or GLIFWC warden within 48 hours of harvest.
CRANE You must have a sandhill crane stamp on your hunting license to hunt sandhill cranes. Cranes must be registered within 48 hours of harvest. Registration can be via phone, online, or in person at a tribal registration station or by a GLIFWC warden.
  • Phone Registration: 844-234-5439

Shooting Hours

Local sunrise and sunset times can be determined here.


SPECIES SHOOTING HOURS
START END
Bear 30 minutes before sunrise 20 minutes after sunset
Deer
Elk
Bobcat
Beaver
Bobwhite Quail
Hungarian Partridge
Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Turkey Spring: sunset; Fall: 20 minutes after sunset
Coyote 24 hours per day*

*During the Wisconsin regular firearm deer season:

30 minutes before sunrise - 20 minutes after sunset
Cottontail Rabbit
Raccoon
Red Fox
Gray Fox
Red, Gray, Fox Squirrel
Snowshoe Hare
Unprotected Species
Night Hunting Deer 1 hour after sunset 1 hour before sunrise

Local sunrise and sunset times can be determined here.


SPECIES SHOOTING HOURS
START END
Bear 30 minutes before sunrise 30 minutes after sunset
Deer
Badger
Bobcat
Beaver
Bobwhite Quail
Coyote
Cottontail Rabbit
Hungarian Partridge
Mink
Muskrat
Pheasant
Red, Gray, Fox Squirrel
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Snowshoe Hare
Turkey
Raccoon 24 hours per day*

*During the Minnesota regular firearm deer season:

30 minutes before sunrise - 30 minutes after sunset
Red Fox
Gray Fox
Unprotected Species
Night Hunting Deer 30 minutes after sunset 30 minutes before sunrise
Night Hunting Bear

Local sunrise and sunset times can be determined here.


AREA SHOOTING HOURS
START END
1837/1842 Ceded Territory 30 minutes before sunrise 30 minutes after sunset
1836 Ceded Territory
1837/1842 Ceded Territory HAND HARVEST METHODS 24 hours per day

Non-Timber Forest Product Small-Scale Harvest Limits Harvest Guidelines
Bark > 20 trees requires site management plan
Boughs > 2 tons (pickup loads) requires site management plan
Firewood > 10 cords (pickup loads) requires site management plan
Ginseng Closed November 1 - August 31
Lodgepoles (non-birch) > 75 lodgepoles requires site management plan No more than 50% of a species in any particular harvest area unless covered by a site management plan
Maple Sap/Sugarbushes Requires site management plan

Note: These limits apply to 1836, 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territory National Forests, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and Wisconsin State Properties

Live Trees > 5" DBH Small-Scale Harvest Limits
Live Trees > 5 trees requires Tribal Timber Harvest Framework Agreement
Salvage Timber > 5 trees requires Tribal Timber Harvest Framework Agreement

Note: These limits apply to 1836, 1837 and 1842 Ceded Territory National Forests

PERMITS:

A tribal Off-Reservation Natural Resource Harvesting Permit is required for off-reservation ricing. This permit is available free of charge at your tribal conservation department. You must carry your permit with you when ricing off-reservation.

RICING STICKS:

You must use smooth, rounded, cedar rods or sticks no longer than 38 inches. (Note: "binding" the rice is not permitted.)

BOATS:

Boats can be no longer than 17 feet, or wider than 38 inches. The gunwales of the boat cannot be modified to capture rice outside of the boat. Boats can only be propelled with push poles or paddles.

RICING HOURS:

10 am until sunset on all date-regulated and non-regulated public rice waters.

DATE-REGULATED LAKES:

No ricing is allowed on the off-reservation lakes listed except for the days they have been named open by the tribal ricing authority. The dates that a date-regulated lake is open for harvesting will be posted at access points to the lake. Rice waters not listed may be harvested whenever the rice is ripe.

PERMITS:

A tribal ID is required for off-reservation ricing.

RICING STICKS:

You must use smooth, rounded, cedar rods or sticks no longer than 32 inches in length and which are held and operated by hand. (Note: "binding" the rice is not permitted.)

BOATS:

Boats can be no longer than 18 feet, or wider than 38 inches. The gunwales of the boat cannot be modified to capture rice outside of the boat. Boats can only be propelled with push poles or paddles.

RICING HOURS:

9 am until sunset on all public waters.

OPEN SEASON:

No member shall harvest wild rice in any body of water except during the times(s) as such body of water is posted open by the Mille Lacs Wild Rice Authority.  Posting will be done on the shores of and at places of access to the wild rice waters.


An interactive map of rice waters with opening dates, aerial photos and relative abundance estimates are available here to help plan your trip.



These maps depict forest stands containing birch that are scheduled for timber harvest in the near future.