Is Eastern Washington Elk Hunting dying?

[meatwhack]

Don’t the treaties say “in common with” for hunting off the reservation?

[idaho guy]

I agree most tribal hunting has upheld in the courts and those fights are over. I still can’t help complaining about it once in a while  But what is wrong with some common goals for actual herd management? It’s way past time the tribes at least work with state agencies. Stronger herds Would benefit the tribes too.

[idahohuntr]

Don’t the treaties say “in common with” for hunting off the reservation?

Many do, and it's been the subject of litigation many times.  In short, SCOTUS holds that the language does not mean equal rights/opportunities as non tribal people...otherwise what was the treaty for?

[meatwhack]

The treaties were to maintain rights for them to hunt and fish off the reservation. The in common with portion was intended for them to do so in common with the white man. I believe the intent wasn’t for them to have a free for all off the reservation.

[jstone]

I’m sure it means something like that but the government and lawyers got a hold of it

[huntnnw]

Lot of misunderstanding and misinformation in some of these posts...let me clarify a few things:

Elk are native to most of North America, including the Blue Mountains in Oregon and Washington.  Overharvest and unregulated hunting in the middle 1800's drove elk to near extinction in much of the Northwest. Elk were brought back as a result of several conservation measures including transplants from Yellowstone. 

Tribes have treaties with the United States - those treaties supersede state law and thus do not require Tribes to have any permission or cooperation with state fish and game agencies.  Those treaties reserved the right to harvest elk - nothing about them limited tribes to any particular method or technology.  The rights to hunt and fish were not limited to just the reservation boundaries...it explicitly included areas off reservation.  Nearly everything I mention above has been adjudicated in the Supreme Court.

All that said, of course co-management would be desirable for everyone, but we won't get anywhere if non-tribal attitudes are that Tribes need to follow state law or that non-tribal hunters should have the same rights and opportunities as tribal hunters.  I don't state this as my opinion of what is right/wrong - just the facts as I see them.   

 history of the Blue mt elk

https://lmtribune.com/feature/blue-mountain-elk-herd-was-started-years-ago-this-is/article_33556b19-6860-5284-89f1-51e5a326c35b.html

[idahohuntr]

Yes, when settlers started taking hold, elk and other wildlife numbers dropped significantly and were nearly eradicated in some cases.  Elk are native to the area...although the way things are going here we might need another train load in a few years 

[Skyvalhunter]

Another trainload of settlers? We have enough at the border as it is

[nwwanderer]

Certainly some issues in eastern WA.  Long ways from being gone.  A little reality from WDFW would help.  With a target of 5000 in the blues and wanting them all on public ground, paying very little crop damage and issuing depredation permits at stress times, the real number is probably 2000 with current predator mix and populations.   

[Stein]

If the term "dying" means the numbers are consistently headed toward zero, then it would be hard to argue against that if you use the tag numbers over the last 5-10 years as a proxy of herd size.  This year is no different, referencing another thread.  It's hard to argue we are in a period of normal oscillation, in my opinion there is a clear trend and zero from WDFW on the causes or plan for recovery or if the plan is to just let "nature" take it's course.