Letter Regarding Colockum Elk - The Reel News "The Tribes Killed Elk"

[loveipabeer]

Sorry if this has already been discussed.

There is an article titled "Tribes Killed the Elk" in the December 2008 issue of The Reel News, written by John Fulwiler. It details the recent plight of the Colockum Elk Herd. Somebody scanned it and emailed it to me today. I tried to attach it but as you can see it's a little small.

This article should be read and discussed and if it's true it's sad. 

[Diehard0123]

Sorry but I cant read that small print

[loveipabeer]

I don't know how to get it into a format where you all can read it? It would just piss you off anyway and it's the holidays, so I'll work on it in 2009.

[mkcj]

John is a good friend of mine and has written for the reel news for a long time and he is always very accurate in his reporting! You can pick up a copy of the Reel news at almost all the sporting good stores around the Seattle/Tacoma area.

[gasman]

How about a summary of the story?

[loveipabeer]

The article talks about a back door deal between the WDFW and the tribes, where the WDFW allowed for an expansion of the traditional tribal hunting areas. The article then goes on to detail the decline of the Colockum herd because of, out of season hunting, hunting on the reserve and spotlighting. He calls out the Yakama’s. The author is from the area and he has relatives who still live in the area (Colockum Ranch). As I said in my earlier post, it will just piss you off.

The article needs to get up on this site with a link to somebody’s email address at the WDFW, then we all can write a little nasty gram, and maybe somebody will at least acknowledge it’s actually going on…but it’s Christmas and peace love etc. prevails.

[NWTFhunter]

open the message, right click on it and see if you can obtain a url for the page.

[loveipabeer]

This is the article.


Remember about one year ago when THE REEL NEWS reported on the secret meetings that WDFW was having with the tribes? The main purpose of these meetings was to expand the various tribes hunting and fishing rights, and the areas to which these rights applied. As stated, it was to allow them into more traditional non-tribal areas. The tribes felt they should be allowed to hunt on the same land non-tribal hunters do using their laws. I have seen first hand what these rights amount to.

Long time readers know that I elk hunt in the Colockum Wildlife Area in Eastern Washington. My family settled in this area around 1880. At one time my grandfather owned or leased in excess of 3,500 acres, and along with two other families, was in the process of purchasing all of that and more. His untimely passing at a young age resulted in my grandmother selling his holdings to Washington State. My Uncle Neil owns the section of land that remained. It is the Colockum Ranch. The road from the Wenatchee side accessing the Colockum, runs past his and my cousins property. They see what goes up and down this road.

What they saw a lot of this summer was truck loads of dead elk. Starting at the end of July, as soon as antlers mature and harden, Yakima tribal hunters are decimating the Colockum elk herd. On the last Friday of deer season in the area, my dad and brother saw Indian hunters with a very large 7 point bull in the back. Nothing was open at the time for elk but the elk was dead, none the less. Relatives have seen truck loads of spikes, the only size bull us non-Indians are allowed to shoot. The man in charge of running the area has been told by his superiors, 'hands off." It is estimated by people in the area that the tribes killed 48 large bulls during the summer of 2008. My Uncle works very closely with the WDFW in the area. He tells me the Colockum elk herd is down by 1500 animals. All rules for this herd will change for the 2009 season.

I really have a hard time comprehending the greed in these hunters. They are absolutely classless as far as hunters go. For my lifetime, the top of the mountain in the Colockum has been the elk preserve. It was donated land from one Arthur Coffin. He donated the land for the preservation of elk. Non-tribal hunters cannot access this land at any time. Absolutely no trespassing. Doesn't apply to the tribes. They not only kill elk in the preserve, they camp on it. This year it was estimated that over 40 hunters made up this camp at one time. The elk have had decades of conditioned learning that they are safe in the preserve. Not any longer. And if tribal hunters can't kill their elk by hunting on a game preserve, they spot light at night, and it is legal by their rules. Amazing.

What is even more amazing to me is the fact that the Colockum elk herd was started by non-Indians around 1913. Elk were introduced to the area from the Yellowstone herd. Why do the tribes get to hunt for elk that weren't there prior to our putting them there? I asked this question and was told they have found drawings on caves near the Columbia River showing elk. According to the powers that be, this was enough to give them elk rights on the Colockum herd. I say it is shady closed door decision making at its worst.

I have two references in my collection that state elk were not readily available in Washington, except for the Roosevelt's. In the diary of Lewis and Clark. Lewis wrote that the tribes on the Columbia River really liked elk meat and were quite willing to trade for it, as they didn't have a successful means of killing them unless one stumbled into a bear pit. I have read that the Nez Pierce traveled to Idaho for their elk hunts. In another publication I have, written by R. Roundtree about himself, he describes how he and his brothers had to travel to Idaho for elk. They settled the Pe Ell area prior to the Civil War. But. because now they found a drawing, all the history goes aside.
Unless I am very mistaken about Indi-an traditions, they drew pictures of animals for reasons other than they were in the area. They would draw them to gain power over them for the hunt. They drew pictures in thanks for a successful hunt. Those pictures they found could have been elk killed in Idaho, which everything I have read shows both tribal hunters and non-tribal hunters went for Rocky Mountain elk, prior to their introduction here.

Non-tribal hunters have to draw a permit to shoot a branch antlered bull. In 2004, when my dad and brother were drawn, 28 permits were issued. This year 3 were issued. Just when we thought the practice of not shooting big bulls was starting to pay off, the Yakima tribe is decimating them. Plus, they kill spikes and cows also. I would like to see the spike only rule go away. All it is doing is giving classless tribal hunters carte blanche on big elk. Another item I intend to pursue is getting my hands on the paperwork that had to have been drawn up when Mr. Coffin donated all the land to the state for the elk preserve. It has to contain language pertaining to preservation. Allowing tribal hunters onto that land is not preservation. I am thinking someone could take that information and make the state nervous.

Hunting in this area has been going downhill for the past 3 years. Now we know why. When TRN sent out the questionnaires to the gubernatorial candidates, one of the questions was whether they supported these closed door secret meetings. Our newly re-elected governor chose not to respond. Guess what? We already knew the answer. Soon, elk in the Colockum will go the way of salmon, crab and the Nooksack elk herd, which was nearly wiped out by tribal hunters.

[WDFW-SUX]

If this is how that herd is going to be managed they need to open it for any elk and let run from the end of July to February so everyone has a crack at it...........there is no point in continuing the current clown show.

[NCWCracker]

Sick & wrong.  I don't see much that is going to cause them to change either.  Somehow the hunting population needs to put big pressure on WDFW and the Yakama’s to come together and make an overall, good game management plan that will sustain that herd in the long term.  The way things are going, nothing is getting done.  The State is being politically correct, the Tribe just keeps killing and rubbing their treaty rights in our faces, and meanwhile the herd is being decimated while we all sit around and stew over it and don’t take any real legit action to try to change things….

…How 'bout this; get some organization like RMEF to pay someone (maybe Littlefoot???) to follow these clowns around with a video camera, to document the killing, then release it to the media….think that might get the tribe’s attention???   

[NCWCracker]

From the WDFW Elk Mgt. Statement RE: Colockum herd….

Issue Statement:

The Colockum elk herd has long been plagued by low bull: cow ratios, and calf: cow ratios have

also declined precipitously during the last decade. In 1994, spike-only hunting was adopted for

general license holders. This regulatory change occurred throughout eastern Washington and was

designed to increase bull survival, increase the ratios of adult bulls to adult cows, and to promote

early, synchronized breeding. In the Yakima elk herd the effect on bull: cow ratios was rapid and

dramatic. A similar response has not occurred in the Colockum herd. Bull survival apparently

remains low. Bull: cow ratios have generally remained below objective. Branch-antlered bull

hunting has essentially been eliminated. No positive effects have been seen in recruitment

patterns in the Colockum herd as well. Habitat condition also appears to be generally poor in

some concentrated use areas, such as the Coffin Game Reserve. There are a number of potential

factors that may be impacting elk recruitment, including poor nutrition, predation, and low

numbers of breeding adult bulls. Defensible estimates of yearling bull survival and calf survival

are needed. Movements and population dynamics of elk and deer in the upper Kittitas Valley are

poorly understood. Elk-landowner conflicts have been increasing on private lands in the upper

Kittitas Valley. Gain a better understanding of the population dynamics and habitat use of elk in

the upper Kittitas Valley.[/i]

   Hmmmmmmm……I wonder why there is a problem here???  Hello!! Yakama Indians maybe!!  Not even acknowledged!! 

[Craig]

If this don't piss you off I don't know what will.

"It is estimated by people in the area that the tribes killed 48 large bulls during the summer of 2008."

If they only gave out 3 permits last year the indians killed 16 years worth of bulls in one year.

[buck470]

We'll see if this attachment comes thru, If it Does, It will make you shake your head.

[NCWCracker]

....sustenance & ceremonial purposes....ha!

[logger]

The rmef calls the tribe thier partners in mangement and conservation so no help there. If someone that hangs out with higher class people than me could somehow get the media on this I think maybe the people of king county could have a flip out attack instead of being sympathisers. I know i spelled that wrong.