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Hunting and Fishing at $10 for Four Years — From 40%

A resident veteran with a 40% or greater VA allotment — or the "K" award, or 40% Social Security disability plus service, or former POW status — licences for small game and fishing at a $10 fee, valid four years.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

A resident veteran with a 40% or greater VA allotment — or the "K" award, or 40% Social Security disability plus service, or former POW status — licences for small game and fishing at a $10 fee, valid four years.

What it's worth: $10 for four years of small game and fishing licences

  • A fourth route qualifies independently of the others: total disability, described as wheelchair-bound or permanently unable to walk.
  • That route does not depend on the 40 percent rating threshold, so a veteran rated below it may still qualify.

Who is entitled to it

  • Your VA allotment is at 40% or higher.
  • You are a resident of this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Mail the application with the $10 fee and one qualifying proof: the VA letter showing a 40%+ allotment or the "K" award, an SSA letter showing 40% disability plus verification of service (active, reserve or Guard), or discharge papers verifying POW status.
  2. 2The licence stays valid four calendar years while you remain a resident — one $10 fee covers all four.
  3. 3The SSA route is the one summaries miss: it needs no VA rating at all, only Social Security disability at 40% and proof you served.
Form
Disabled Veteran and Prisoner of War Reduced Fee Hunting and Fishing Application
File with
Game, Fish and Parks, Ft. Pierre
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
Periodic
Re-confirmed from time to time.
CorrectionThe threshold is 40%, not the 50% or 100% most states use and most summaries assume — and one route bypasses the VA entirely through Social Security disability plus service. A veteran told they "need 50%" for the licence discount is being quoted another state's rule.

Sources

Why only one source type: The department's own page states the $10 fee, the four-year validity and each qualifying route; the codified section is named on its face.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.