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

[Elkaholic daWg]

 If only things were as they were in 1951...when these lands were privately owned.... the Coffins and Dilling brothers are rolling in their graves over what is going on up there.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lGwKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xEoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6529%2C3593375





 If one could only travel in time.....

[slyrei]

I might be the only person standing up for the tribesman, and I'm sure this will get attacked, but maybe it will make you think.  I really think you all are being a little quick to judge. How many of you would not hunt those same elk if given the opportunity? Plus, I'm certain that throughout the US there are far more White poachers than tribal poachers, or even tribal hunters.  There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived and i'm sure if given the choice, Native Americans would love to have us gone.  The reason wildlife populations decrease usually has more to do with habitat loss than hunting.  I don't know the situation specifically for elk but the article also mentions salmon, and tribesmen are definitely not to blame for that!  Commercial fishing aside, salmon habitat loss has devastated the population. Even if less were fished, they would have no where to go. We(non-natives) have done so much damage to both the wildlife and to the Native American way of life. Why not let them have a few privledges?! They probably wouldn't over-hunt them if there weren't white people buying elk products.

Wait... wait... I take it all back. Like Maverick said in the movie:
"I figure its their fault... for being on our land before we got here."

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

 

There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived

that is a false statement. Check your history.
It was the clearing of the land and fires of the early 1900's that made habitat for deer (whitetail) and elk, populations are higher now than then, with habitat loss they are crowded onto less land, causing problems.

[whacker1]

 

hunting & trapping of predators helped increase the number of animals as well in the late 1800's and 1900's

[sako223]

I don't think the elk were here when Lewis & Clark arrived. It is even debatable if they were ever in central WA before they came in on the train.
No question habitat has diminished and been polluted.

[Elkaholic daWg]

I might be the only person standing up for the tribesman, and I'm sure this will get attacked, but maybe it will make you think.  I really think you all are being a little quick to judge. How many of you would not hunt those same elk if given the opportunity? Plus, I'm certain that throughout the US there are far more White poachers than tribal poachers, or even tribal hunters.  There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived and i'm sure if given the choice, Native Americans would love to have us gone.  The reason wildlife populations decrease usually has more to do with habitat loss than hunting.  I don't know the situation specifically for elk but the article also mentions salmon, and tribesmen are definitely not to blame for that!  Commercial fishing aside, salmon habitat loss has devastated the population. Even if less were fished, they would have no where to go. We(non-natives) have done so much damage to both the wildlife and to the Native American way of life. Why not let them have a few privledges?! They probably wouldn't over-hunt them if there weren't white people buying elk products

Wait... wait... I take it all back. Like Maverick said in the movie:
"I figure its their fault... for being on our land before we got here."

#1 I see this is your first post
#2 this is not poachingwashington.com
#3 You have not done your homework before making the statement about " a LOT more wildlife"
 #4 You obviously have never hunted the Colockum area as many on here have for years or decades or generations and seen the changes
#5 As others have stated there were NO elk when the treaty was signed in this area

[bonkellekter]

I might be the only person standing up for the tribesman, and I'm sure this will get attacked, but maybe it will make you think.  I really think you all are being a little quick to judge. How many of you would not hunt those same elk if given the opportunity? Plus, I'm certain that throughout the US there are far more White poachers than tribal poachers, or even tribal hunters.  There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived and i'm sure if given the choice, Native Americans would love to have us gone.  The reason wildlife populations decrease usually has more to do with habitat loss than hunting.  I don't know the situation specifically for elk but the article also mentions salmon, and tribesmen are definitely not to blame for that!  Commercial fishing aside, salmon habitat loss has devastated the population. Even if less were fished, they would have no where to go. We(non-natives) have done so much damage to both the wildlife and to the Native American way of life. Why not let them have a few privledges?! They probably wouldn't over-hunt them if there weren't white people buying elk products

Wait... wait... I take it all back. Like Maverick said in the movie:
"I figure its their fault... for being on our land before we got here."

#1 I see this is your first post
#2 this is not poachingwashington.com
#3 You have not done your homework before making the statement about " a LOT more wildlife"
 #4 You obviously have never hunted the Colockum area as many on here have for years or decades or generations and seen the changes
#5 As others have stated there were NO elk when the treaty was signed in this area

 

It does not matter who was where when. We are all here now and none of us alive today played any part in what went down back in the day. And with all the efforts that have gone into equal rights in this country I just have to say that it is BS when a certain "people" get special rights above and beyond everyones "equal rights"

[high country]

as long as there is entitlement ther will be jealousy an hatred.

chances are that not one of the surviving tribesmen have endured a single moment of hardship that was not brought upon themselves. should we donate the train right of ways to the chinese who were forced to slave on them? should we give the japanese reservations to repay the land that was taken from them during ww2 internment? those were the times as are these....deal with it. I have respect for native corps in alaska....they run their land like a business.

[Geno]

I don't think the elk were here when Lewis & Clark arrived.

The tribes claim they have the right to hunt animals in their "ceded" lands. The elk never existed there when the treaty was signed. What gives them the legal right to hunt them? I think they should follow all game laws for eastern wa elk herds except those elk found on the reservation.

[Houndhunter]

im suprized some indians have the ambition to do anything

[Sporting_Man]

Is this campaign still alive? Any new developments since last Christmas? I red this whole thread yesterday (took me 2 hours+)...
Made me think about 2009 salmon season, that was supposed to be historic. Yes, it was, but netting was of a historic proportions too. All in all, Feds seem to hold keys of this game, but State should be more honest and keep its face while dealing with tribes. That way, truth would be a good instrument of justice. The way it works now, sportsmen are entitled to , and that is not enough. I think that this fight has to be fought on two fronts: one is to press WA state for transparency and tougher policy (for whatever it is worth), and the other is straight forward to the Fed Courts to clear the language or do something about these treaties. Maybe to isolate the case to one area only (Colockum) and show what goes on there...

[Brooks]

You can correct me if I am wrong but I do not believe so.  The Rocky Mountain Elk were first introduced in Yakima County by landowners, sportsmans and the county officials in 1913.  The only native elk we have in Washington are the Roosevelt elk on the west side and that is west of I-5 and the Olympics.  The Yakima's were fisherman and gatherers and to some extent hunters of the native mule deer.   

[haus]

I might be the only person standing up for the tribesman, and I'm sure this will get attacked, but maybe it will make you think.  I really think you all are being a little quick to judge. How many of you would not hunt those same elk if given the opportunity? Plus, I'm certain that throughout the US there are far more White poachers than tribal poachers, or even tribal hunters.  There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived and i'm sure if given the choice, Native Americans would love to have us gone.  The reason wildlife populations decrease usually has more to do with habitat loss than hunting.  I don't know the situation specifically for elk but the article also mentions salmon, and tribesmen are definitely not to blame for that!  Commercial fishing aside, salmon habitat loss has devastated the population. Even if less were fished, they would have no where to go. We(non-natives) have done so much damage to both the wildlife and to the Native American way of life. Why not let them have a few privledges?! They probably wouldn't over-hunt them if there weren't white people buying elk products.

Wait... wait... I take it all back. Like Maverick said in the movie:
"I figure its their fault... for being on our land before we got here."

The priviledge to what, kill *censored* and leave most of it? I'd expect the opposite wouldn't you? Nothin' says I killed it for the coin and a snack like some backstraps and antlers missing from a kill. If you want to know what a non-native market hunters mentality may have been like, you don't have to look far to find out.

I don't doubt that non-native poachers do more damage on average to game animal herds in this state though.

[colockumelk]

I might be the only person standing up for the tribesman, and I'm sure this will get attacked, but maybe it will make you think.Only that you havn't done your homework.  I really think you all are being a little quick to judge. How many of you would not hunt those same elk if given the opportunity?We do hunt these elk. However we also pay for our licenses and we have rules and regulations that scientifically restricts the amount of harvest so we don't kill all of the elk off.  The Indians don't have this. Plus, I'm certain that throughout the US there are far more White poachers than tribal poachers, or even tribal hunters.The difference is that as Americans we prosecute and punish those of us who are not ethical.  Where for the Indians it's just another day at the office.  There was a LOT more wildlife before non-natives arrived and i'm sure if given the choice, Native Americans would love to have us gone.This is FALSE.  With the exeption of the bison there are more elk deer and turkey and waterfowl than there has ever been.  The reason wildlife populations decrease usually has more to do with habitat loss than hunting.In the Colockum it has more to do with a low bull:cow ratio.  I don't know the situation specifically for elk but the article also mentions salmon, and tribesmen are definitely not to blame for that!Really so while our state is trying it's hardest to bring the population back it's perfectly okay for the tribes to string their nets across the river and catch every last salmon they can?  I'm sure this has little to no impact on the salmon numbers.  Commercial fishing aside, salmon habitat loss has devastated the population. Even if less were fished, they would have no where to go. We(non-natives) have done so much damage to both the wildlife and to the Native American way of life. Why not let them have a few privledges?!The Romans destroyed the Germanic Tribes way of life and you don't see the German's or the French or the British etc demanding the Italians for reparations do you? They probably wouldn't over-hunt them if there weren't white people buying elk products. Or maybe they are not ethical hunters and unlike us Americans do not care about the wellfare of our wildlife.  But your right it's all our fault that they over hunt the elk.  Man now I really feal bad.  I should have known it's always the white guys fault no matter what.  Really  You can't be that ignorant can you?

Wait... wait... I take it all back. Like Maverick said in the movie:
"I figure its their fault... for being on our land before we got here."

This truly shows how little you know since you are quoting a COMMEDY!!!