Tribal regulations regarding Hunting.. Input from tribal members encouraged.

[Special T]

Another post got me thinking about tribal regs... I know not all the tribes are the same, and i know we have several tribal member here at Hunt-Wa... I would like a conversation about hunting regs for tribal members... What they are, how they work etc... I think some confusion could be eliminated if some basic questions were answered... I'm not interested in this being a Indian Beating session, just some questions and answers.... From one hunter to another like i would ask some one from Wyoming or any other state...

I kinda got the idea of this from the InsideWDFW guy that has been doing question answer stuff...

So to start off with, where do you get your regs for hunting season? is it posted on line? What are the seasons? How does the non claimed land hunting rights work? Is there restrictions on it(geographical regions?)

Lets try and keep the input from Indian hunters only unless you know of some kind of physical source  like a reg booklet or web sight...  OR questions from non tribal members wanting to know more about how it all works...

[bobcat]

Colville and Yakama tribes have their regulations available online. Links to those sites have been posted on here before. If you do a Google search you should be able to find them.

[Special T]

The Yakima regs for tribal members
http://www.ynwildlife.org/pdf/wildlifecode2005.pdf

I noticed they had daily limits on some small game species but none for deer and elk... Did i miss some thing?

the Colville tribal regs
http://nrd.colvilletribes.com/pdfs/08-09_memberhuntingseasons.pdf
it seems that on the reservation there are only limits of one elk per Indian per year and one for the north hunting area. The north hunting area(traditional hunting grounds) seem to be more like controlled with bag limits of every kind.... Similar to WDFW regulations as well...

Does any one know why these regs are so different from each other?

[bobcat]

The Colville's "north" hunting area is OFF their reservation. That's why they have regulations more in line with ours, I guess.

[Coastal_native]

I noticed they had daily limits on some small game species but none for deer and elk... Did i miss some thing?

I think there might be a slight misunderstanding...I'm pretty sure what you're looking at are not necessarily hunting regulations, but tribal codes/laws...similar to the difference between RCW's and WDFW's annual hunting regulations.  There is a section that gives authority to a subcommittee to develop annual hunting regulations (most likely including bag limits).  This is very similar to how our tribe operates, as well as other tribes in our area.  Our F&G committee takes regulation recommendations from wildlife technical staff and they are approved annually at the executive level.  This way it is much easier to adjust bag limits and seasons from year to year without having to change tribal law.

Interesting...I noticed that by tribal law the feeding stations are closed to hunting, but I hear a lot of complaints about tribal members harvesting animals from them throughout the year...Is it an enforcement issue or are the tribes using the opportunity for ceremonial hunts?

Sorry for the late response, I just noticed this thread.

[luvtohnt]

Interesting...I noticed that by tribal law the feeding stations are closed to hunting, but I hear a lot of complaints about tribal members harvesting animals from them throughout the year...Is it an enforcement issue or are the tribes using the opportunity for ceremonial hunts?

From what I have seen the enforcement makes an effort to stop this behavior, but the ticket is transfered to the tribal courts and the violator gets a slap on the wrist or nothing at all.

As far as the Collville's vs Yakima's and their tribal rules I think it comes down to some tribes are better at conservation than others!!

Brandon

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I also believe (But could be wrong) that some smaller tribes follow their own rules.
We all hear about the Yakima, and Colville, but a few years ago, there was an incident regarding some "Tribal Members" who drove over to NE Washington, shot several deer and when they got back to this side, they dumped them because they spoiled on the way over, then went back and did it again ! 
They were "Members" of a tribe that is located 20-30 miles north of Seattle......

[bigtex]

I also believe (But could be wrong) that some smaller tribes follow their own rules.
We all hear about the Yakima, and Colville, but a few years ago, there was an incident regarding some "Tribal Members" who drove over to NE Washington, shot several deer and when they got back to this side, they dumped them because they spoiled on the way over, then went back and did it again ! 
They were "Members" of a tribe that is located 20-30 miles north of Seattle......

Each tribe makes their own rules. Some tribes have some rules that are very similar to WDFW such as tagging and no loaded guns, spotlighting, etc. However each tribe can set its own rules. So if a tribe wants to use bazookas to shoot deer then they have the right to do so, and no other tribe can say they cant. For example, there is only one tribe in WA that allows the use of a crossbow, but if another tribe wants to legalize crossbows then they can do so. So in one area there might be 8 tribes that can hunt the area and there could be 8 different seasons and regulations.

[Elkaholic daWg]

I also believe (But could be wrong) that some smaller tribes follow their own rules.
We all hear about the Yakima, and Colville, but a few years ago, there was an incident regarding some "Tribal Members" who drove over to NE Washington, shot several deer and when they got back to this side, they dumped them because they spoiled on the way over, then went back and did it again ! 
They were "Members" of a tribe that is located 20-30 miles north of Seattle......

 Tulalip is the name of the Res. There are multiple tribes residing there

[halflife65]

Going off course - still interested in finding out the actual regulations.

[high country]

what is the ticket for impersonating a native?.......serious question.

[Practical Approach]

Going off course - still interested in finding out the actual regulations.

Many tribes are willing to share their regulations with other agencies.  WDFW has the majority of tribal regulations in hand.  Their officers carry them around with them in the field.  If you want the regs, you can either make requests with each tribal natural resource office or do a public disclosure request for the regs that WDFW already has.

[Mr T]

Read the colville regulations online trying to figure a way to hunt turkeys on the reservation but had no luck finding a loophole 

[Coastal_native]

Each tribe makes their own rules. Some tribes have some rules that are very similar to WDFW such as tagging and no loaded guns, spotlighting, etc. However each tribe can set its own rules. So if a tribe wants to use bazookas to shoot deer then they have the right to do so, and no other tribe can say they cant. For example, there is only one tribe in WA that allows the use of a crossbow, but if another tribe wants to legalize crossbows then they can do so. So in one area there might be 8 tribes that can hunt the area and there could be 8 different seasons and regulations.

Good summation bigtex, well...except for the bazooka unless we're talking about predator hunting...also, to complicate things even further, in general most tribes regulate hunting in an area defined in their treaty (treaty ceded area).  However, because most of the game management goals and objectives are centered on GMU's, some tribes define their hunting areas based on GMU's.  So, if a small portion of the treaty area overlaps a GMU, then the entire GMU will be open for hunting (in most cases).  This gets pretty confusing in areas where different tribal treaty areas share common boundaries...you might have multiple tribes hunting the same GMU, all with different regulations, and under different jurisdictions.  Definitely not ideal, but if co-management and cooperation is occurring, all interest groups can continue to hunt and wildlife sustainability will not be compromised.

...or maybe my outlook is unrealistic.
 

[Coastal_native]

Question here, not just hunting....What are firearms regs for natives?  Are they different on and off the reservation?  No matter how much I'm willing to pay the state, I can't USE a suppresor or POSSESS a full auto (certain cases--class 3 gunsmith or military/LEO excluded) within Washington.  Even if the natives don't use them for hunting, can they have them?

As far as hunting goes, most tribes have the same general firearm restrictions as the state.  When it comes to gun control, I think all federal laws applies to natives on or off reservation.  I'm sure it's a bit more complicated than that though...

[bigtex]

Question here, not just hunting....What are firearms regs for natives?  Are they different on and off the reservation?  No matter how much I'm willing to pay the state, I can't USE a suppresor or POSSESS a full auto (certain cases--class 3 gunsmith or military/LEO excluded) within Washington.  Even if the natives don't use them for hunting, can they have them?

As far as hunting goes, most tribes have the same general firearm restrictions as the state.  When it comes to gun control, I think all federal laws applies to natives on or off reservation.  I'm sure it's a bit more complicated than that though...

 

So here’s the thing, for the most part natives don’t have to follow RCW Title 77 laws which are fish and wildlife laws. The only firearm law that is a title 77 law is the loaded firearm law, which applies to not only hunters but also basic people who have loaded firearms in their vehicles. All other firearm laws (that aren’t hunting laws) fall under the general crimes law either RCW 9 or 9A, thus they must follow them like any other citizen. So if you can’t possess a certain firearm, such as a fully-auto under state or federal law then a native can’t possess them either.