Facility Rules and Policies

We welcome you to visit Northern Tallgrass National Wildlife Refuge year-round to learn about the tallgrass prairie and to recreate. We ask that you follow our specific public use regulations and reach out to our refuge manager if you have questions.

General Restrictions

Access to the refuge is open from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset, unless otherwise posted or stated in hunting regulations.

Prohibited activities:

  • Target shooting
  • Training pets and allowing pets off leash
  • All types of motorized vehicles on all refuge land, including on frozen bodies of water and except on designated parking areas, access roads and public roads
  • Motorized watercraft use is prohibited
  • Camping, open fires and overnight parking is prohibited
  • Abandoning, discarding or otherwise leaving any personal property. All property brought onto a refuge must be removed at the end of each day. This includes all common items like vehicles, boats, decoys, trail cameras, blinds, photography equipment, portable stands, climbing sticks and trash.
  • Destructing, defacing, disturbing or unauthorized removal of any natural object, artifact, cultural resource or government property
  • Introducing, liberating or placing plants or animals or their parts taken elsewhere on refuge lands or waters
  • Disposing of animal carcasses, trash, refuse, rocks, wood or other debris
  • Cutting, mowing, sawing, digging, collecting, injuring or removing vegetation
  • Use, launching, landing or disturbing of wildlife by drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles for either use, recreational or commercial purposes
  • Commercial enterprise without a special use permit
  • Use or possession of any illegal drug or drug paraphernalia is prohibited
Hunting
  • The refuge is open to hunting per State of Minnesota or Iowa regulations, unless specifically prohibited.
  • For small game hunting hunters using shotguns, including turkey hunters, are required to use and possess only non-toxic shot
  • During the small game and migratory bird seasons, hunting dogs must be under the immediate control of the hunter
  • Hunters must wear an article of blaze orange or pink consistent with state regulations
  • We prohibit constructing or occupying permanent stands or blinds. We also prohibit the use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach a stand to a tree or hunting from a tree, into which a metal object has been driven to support a hunter. 
  • We prohibit the use or possession of alcoholic beverages while hunting
  • We prohibit distribution of feed or bait or hunting over bait, this includes salts and minerals

Minnesota

  • For the unit located within the Hiawatha Game Refuge in Pipestone County, you must follow the Hiawatha Game Refuge Regulations
  • For the Spieker Unit in Clay County, you must follow the Clay County Game Refuge Regulations
  • We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers
  • We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel or clam species by any method
  • You must remove all boats, decoys, blind materials, stands, platforms, and other personal property brought onto the refuge at the end of each day (see §§ 27.93 and 27.94 of this chapter)

Iowa

  • For units adjacent to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, you must follow Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge specific regulations
  • We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers
  • We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel or clam species by any method
  • You must remove all boats, decoys, blind materials, and other personal property brought onto the refuge at the end of each day (see §§ 27.93 and 27.94 of this chapter) 
  • For all counties with the exception of Jasper, you may leave tree stands in an area for a continuous period of time beginning 7 days prior to the open season for hunting deer and ending 7 days after the final day of that season. You must clearly mark the stand with your Iowa hunting license number. 

Download Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge hunt brochure

Trapping

Motorized Watercraft use is prohibited

Fishing
  • The refuge is open to fishing. See refuge specific regulations below.
  • Motorized Watercraft use is prohibited
  • We prohibit all types of motorized vehicles on frozen water bodies

  • We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech, minnow, crayfish, and mussel (clam) species by any method on the refuge

Artificial Lights

You may not use a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light to spot, locate or take any wild animal in a refuge.

Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge-specific Regulations
  • Non-motorized watercraft use is acceptable where physically possible

Minnesota

  • For the unit located within the Hiawatha Game Refuge in Pipestone County, you must follow the Hiawatha Game Refuge Regulations
  • For the Spieker Unit in Clay County, you must follow the Clay County Game Refuge Regulations
  • We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers
  • We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel or clam species by any method

Iowa

  • For units adjacent to Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, you must follow Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge specific regulations
  • We prohibit the use of dogs for hunting furbearers
  • We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech minnow, crayfish and mussel or clam species by any method
Additional Information 
  • The above information is a partial list of rules and regulations. Consult the Northern Tallgrass National Wildlife Refuge Public Use Brochure for more details.
  • Special use permits may be issued for compatible secondary uses upon approval of the refuge manager. Contact the appropriate refuge office listed above for application information.