First tribal elk kill of the summer?

[whacker1]

The tribe has a system in place to monitor the numbers coming off the rez.

  Just a question to all of you how many animals do you think the Yakama tribes harvests off the rez each year?

Yak, This is just my point.  The tribe hasn't done any sort of publicity with their system of recording harvests.  Nothing would make me happier than to see an article on the WDFW web-site to say something along the line of "Yakama tribe reports their tribal harvest for both on reservation and off reservation harvest.  WDFW enjoys working with Yakama tribe as they are setting an example for other tribes in game management."  

But the reality is that we haven't seen any such article, and have no way of knowing how many hunters you have in the tribe, let alone how many animals these hunters harvest each year.   See our records are public information, because WDFW keeps the information.  So if they don't publicize the information from WDFW controlled hunts and biology reports, then we can do a public records request under the freedom of informaiton act.   Because many tribes are soverign nations, I don't think the public records request would do us much good.


If the Yakama tribe keeps this information, it would be nice to see them work with the WDFW and do some press releases about their working relationship with the WDFW, so that we can improve game management.

I did a little research on the Yakama hunting and fishing web-site.  The information is better than what I remember from similar conversations from this winter.

What I did learn is that the tribe is prohibited from taking female deer and elk from January - 1 through August 31st.  This is a step in the right direction.  Special permits for ceremnoial purposes for this time are available.  But the season for taking male deer and elk is year round.  I would like to see the year round hunting of male deer and elk limited in the future to enhance the opportunity to breed.

Rasbo for you - it looked like the combo hunting and fishing license was around $37 after the fee.  I didn't see any additional costs associated by species.

no hunting in winter feeding areas dec 15 - march 31.
I checked the "report your harvest" portion of the web-site, but it shows as under construction and gives a phone number for tribal police to report violations .  I would like to see the data on animals taken throughout the year by location, by sex, and by age or antler size, and by month and weapon.  Much like the way WDFW and other states keep their data.

i don't want to take away the tribes ability to hunt, but I would like the tribes (not specific to Yakama, but to all tribes) to do some additional regulating to help improve quality and size of herds.  We will all be faced with herd size declining over the next several years, based on the wolf species' added pressure to the various herds.  One must keep in mind that it isn't just the animal that is taken by a wolf, but the amount they run the herd during the winter months in attempt to take an animal.  The additional pressure the wolf applies to animals will add to the winter kill number, because of the additional stress.

It won't be but 5 or so years, before we notice an noticeable population of wolves in the state of WA.  We will definitely be asking for more help from the various tribes, so we can determine a way to deal with the wolf population.  Who knows, maybe the tribes will be able to take some wolves for us in this process in their ceded areas.  Maybe they will invite us to the newest of tribal barbecues known in the future as the wolfecue.

Again appreciate you responding on the site, sorry I don't have a guess to the numbers yakama harvested animals, but would be very interested if you could share the data.

Yak - how many hunters does the tribe have?  I assume it is more than the 35 that applied for the big horn sheep tag you mentioned?

[whacker1]

for those that are interested - here is the Yakama hunting web-site.  It gives more information than I thought it would.  Quite a bit more information than some of the other tribes. 

http://www.ynwildlife.org/

Yak and Whitefoot - I hope you don't think that we are picking on you.  You just happen to be the only representation we have from any tribes, so you are probably getting vented on, based on the activities of some bad apples of many tribes.

All of the information you guys give is helpful to the overall discussion (well most of it anyway )

[oneezreiter]

Well put Whacker.  I am just looking for the facts, that way I can form an educated opinion.

[boneaddict]

Kudos out to the Colville tribe, who are allowed only one elk per year per member.  Course I think one member can kill for a bunch of them, but at least they have some limits.   I think their deer is now limited at 2 per day per member. LOL No limit on th eRez, but 3 per year on the North half.  I also really respect them for having an archery draw for an area that you have to qualify(3D target shoot etc.) for to apply, in their words to  promote "unique traditional, cultural, and subsistence opportunities to tribal members."

[huntnphool]

 It would take an act of congress to change the treaties and that will NEVER happen. This thread is going the same direction eveyr thread on the subject goes, nowhere!!!!

 The tribes are not going to change a single thing and the reason is THEY DON"T HAVE TO!!!!! Do you guys honestly think they will give up anything when they know there is absolutely no recourse to make them do it? Come on guys, wake the f*** up, you are all more intelligent than the posts you're putting up.

 

 

[boneaddict]

It will come to violence before too long.  People will perform illegal acts as they get desperate and think the government isn't acting.  Much like the SSS of native hunting as compared to wolves. 

[whacker1]

It will come to violence before too long.  People will perform illegal acts as they get desperate and think the government isn't acting.  Much like the SSS of native hunting as compared to wolves. 

my thoughts exactly. 

I also believe that the tribes are viewed in such a negative light that someday, the younger generations might feel the need to try to improve their image.  This is one of many areas where the tribe as a whole has the opportunity to improve their image through public outreach and still maintain fairly liberal seasons.

[huntnphool]

It will come to violence before too long.

 Unfortunately you are spot on.

[boneaddict]

and I think thats what the Colville tribe is trying to do Whacker.  We'll see how it turns out. 

[whacker1]

Yes, Colville has been making an attempt at doing that, but they have a tough road ahead of them.

My understanding is that they are dumping the house boat operation at Keller ferry in the fall.  Some hearsay, but I have been hearing from a lot of different sources.  I hear that it is because it is not profitable, but I also hear that the contract with park service for the operation of that marina is up in 2010.  Could be a culmination of factors.  Colville is also a huge geography - lots of land and the federation of tribes gets messy.  It will be interesting to see what comes out of this next few years with the colvilles.

[dreamingbig]

Wacker
  
  The tribe has a system in place to monitor the numbers coming off the rez.

  Just a question to all of you how many animals do you think the Yakama tribes harvests off the rez each year?

I have no idea and that is the problem!  No one else knows either.  It needs to be tracked to determine how many actually are being taken by Native Americans off of the reservation.  The problem is that means work that somebody in the tribe would have to do it and I have very little faith in actually being done.  It also needs to be voluntary as the state can not enforce it.  A bad track record thus far...

[teal101]

It would take an act of congress to change the treaties and that will NEVER happen. This thread is going the same direction eveyr thread on the subject goes, nowhere!!!!

 The tribes are not going to change a single thing and the reason is THEY DON"T HAVE TO!!!!! Do you guys honestly think they will give up anything when they know there is absolutely no recourse to make them do it? Come on guys, wake the f*** up, you are all more intelligent than the posts you're putting up.

 

 

And that's whats screwed up.  They don't have to change sh*t.  Congress isn't gonna do jack.  We're left here twiddling our thumbs watching these slob ass pigs destroy what they should be preserving.

The fact that they aren't changing their ways and have no interest in doing so further cements my hatred of the current "tribes".  IMO they're no better than a greedy corporate CEO who abuses his power for personal gain.

[6x6in6]

It would take an act of congress to change the treaties and that will NEVER happen. This thread is going the same direction eveyr thread on the subject goes, nowhere!!!!

 The tribes are not going to change a single thing and the reason is THEY DON"T HAVE TO!!!!! Do you guys honestly think they will give up anything when they know there is absolutely no recourse to make them do it? Come on guys, wake the f*** up, you are all more intelligent than the posts you're putting up.

 

 

And that's whats screwed up.  They don't have to change sh*t.  Congress isn't gonna do jack.  We're left here twiddling our thumbs watching these slob ass pigs destroy what they should be preserving.

The fact that they aren't changing their ways and have no interest in doing so further cements my hatred of the current "tribes".  IMO they're no better than a greedy corporate CEO who abuses his power for personal gain.

Join us an become Americans or get the f out and don't bitch and moan when you get shot at for coming off your land
(not that I advocate violence, but its going to happen sooner or later)

Phool, you nailed it too!!!

Teal, they don't have to worry about preservation.  Your's, mine, and every other license paying/tax paying resident takes care of the challenge the WDFW has in there futile attempt at game management.  But that's a whole nuther subject that's been beat to hell now isn't it.
Why should they change their ways?  They don't have to. Period!
They don't have to get out either.  It's there land they live on.  It's there land outside of the rez, via treaty, they have right to use.  It's simple really.

And Yak and Wfoot, I completely understand why you don't want to answer the pointed questions on how many animals you whacked last year.  BECAUSE YOU DON,T HAVE TOO!!!  Don't blame you a sec for not saying it either.  It would only add the fuel to the fire of the countless morons who fail to understand the limits of the language of the treaty and what you can and can't do.

Don't get me wrong here people.  I don't like it any better than the rest of you.  But realistically, there just ain't *censored* we can do about it so why the hell piss and moan about it. 

[KillBilly]

I guess in your way of thinking Killbilly is that we shouldn't talk about it anymore.  Just come up with a presentation on our own and convince the High and mighty goverment what should be done.    Feel free to do that if you have all the time on your hands.  I generally think its nice to understand both sides of the coin, figure out how it applies to todays standards, get all of the hot headed anger out of it, then come up with a plan.  I also think the plan would be better enacted upon if both sides agree on it.  I think the days of ramming a plan down someones throat is kind of what got us in this predictament in the first place. 

Whatever Bone, I guess you are telling me that we have exactly the right people here arguing/discussing these issues just like every time before because it is the plan to take all of this to Washington and tell them we worked it out.... 

Face it, Just like Rob stated in his post, we are never going to change the treaties and the Tribes will continue to act as they deem necessary.

[Yak-NDN]

You didn't ask me how many I whacked last year it is a grand total of four didn't even kill a bull last year or a branch bull anyway. Now you say it is OK to kill up to three elk in one year for a non member if it is in another state. My kills could be spread over 12 Million acres. The Tribes gave up all that land so settlers could move in and they were told they could retain all of there hunting and fishing in usual and accustom places it is not a privilege that was traded it was all ours to begin with and if settlers didn't like it they could move on just like you can. Tribal kills compared to non Tribal kills Tribal kill might be at the low end of less than 5% on Yakama ceded land compared to non Tribal not a true fact number just a guess.. What is the number for our ceded area that the state kills 3000 animals?