When Custer struck the trail of the "non reservation" Sioux the scouts' count of 400 lodges in the encampment confirmed army sources indicting an "off reservation" nomadic group of about 800 warriors.
When Custer struck the trail of the encampment of the "non reservation" Sioux moving up the Rosebud valley, the trail was about a month old. The scouts' evaluation of this encampment size confirmed army sources indicting an "off reservation" nomadic group with about 800 warriors.