Tribal Hunting.

[Yak-NDN]

That was definately done by the Yakamas at the firing center.    And they definately are pretty skilled at deer hunting. 

That must have been the last five deer.

[JoeE]

Who are the well known tribal hunters? It's strange, in 31 years of spending a large amount of my time around Inchelium I have never seen a truck "piled with deer". The most I've ever seen in one truck is two.

[Yak-NDN]

We have had 6 bucks piled up in the back of a truck coming home from Republic before. Got a lot of thumbs up on the way back to the wet side and a few dirty looks.  The difference is that it was obvious that we weren't tribal "hunters".  The trucks that I speak of with deer piled in them were driven by well known tribal members with tribal decals all over the rig.  There was no doubt what was going on.   Sometime ask the guy on the Keller Ferry about how many truck loads of tribal killed deer go across there.

So  as long as I continue to drive a brand new Tacoma I'm in disguise?  That's funny because I got a new north river boat and was trolling just past the bridge at Drano and and the game dep called me over to ticket me even said I got you. lol got me what? They said its closed out here. So I showed them my ID and they said they didn't recognize me. So I asked what I need a fiber  glass patched boat and you would recognize me.

[PolarBear]

Now that is funny.

[PlateauNDN]

Man oh Man, talk about funny!   I've had the same response quite a few times in the mountains.  When I still had my dakota I kept it looking clean and new and everytime I was in the mountains some people would pull up smiling until they seen me and the smile turned upside down and man did they take off.  Not all did that but I did get quite a few questions about my truck and even my new truck now. 

I'm incognito with them because all I have to do to is take down my feathers from the rear view and you'd assume it wasn't a tribal members truck.  I've heard it on here and in the public, "you can spot an Indian truck because there old and beat up."  I've had game officers pull up and ask me a million questions about my intentions and my truck and after a while when they realized I don't have warrants, I'm not drunk nor have any alcohol in my truck and its not stolen they finally let me go after killing almost an hour. 

Last year when I and the family and my father came out with a couple of deer a WSP trooper was passing me and then he noticed we looked "SUSPICIOUS"   so he slammed on his brakes and got behind us and started running my plates and followed me from a few miles west of Yakima to the exit leading to highway 97 and finally stopped following us.

[Karl Blanchard]

Hey Yak that was my truck and it was in montana!  They state of montana allows you up to 7 doe's a piece.  There were 3 of us.  I would appreciate it if you would not compare that to some guys driving around shooting deer on the winter range trying to survive (super hunters) because there is a big difference.  Those deer in my truck were taken legally with a tag that was bought and paid for.  They were also skinned deboned and put in coolers not hanging out of the truck for the world to see! 

[PlateauNDN]

Had a game officer approach me in camp while I was taking a break during our fishing trip and man oh man did he have a million questions and honestly I know he was upset that I answered all his questions and knew what I was referencing in our guidelines. 

I even let him search my truck, camp and coolers just so I could prove to him we don't have alcohol nor do we drink.  I wasted over half an hour debating with him about regs until he finally gave up when I pulled out my copy I had in my truck that didn't contain alcohol.

[PlateauNDN]

BLR, I believe he was trying to make a point about a vehicle with animals in the back and not knowing who they were and was not intentionally calling you out.   I understand MT. has different regs and I don't think he was targeting you in regards to that.

The picture below was I, my fathers harvest and yes my family was with me.  That was for the whole year last year.  I harvested 2 does and one buck and my father (who hadn't hunted in almost 13 years) harvested 1 doe.  1 doe went to my grandmothers household, 1 doe to my mother-in-laws household and the buck stayed in my household. 

These were at the end of Oct. and that was the last time we went up hunting until a couple of weeks ago.  My father has yet to harvest anything this year while I "tagged" out already. 

I blacked out my father because he doesn't need to be involved in my business and I don't think he would like his picture floating around the net.

Those deer were harvested legally and not on some reserve, winter feeding ground or feed station so please don't compare me to the lazy tribal hunters that do break the law doing that type of stuff.

[Karl Blanchard]

Plat,  I never said anything about native hunters.  Indian or white if you hunt winter ranges late in the year or shoot multiple big bulls or bucks a year (horn hunting) I consider that person a poacher plain and simple and that is what I meant by super hunters.  You harvest multiple animals to feed your family and I do the same.  One of those doe's goes to my mom and one to my grandparents.  I just have to go to Montana to do it, we only eat wild game in my home.  I guess what ticked me off was the use of my photo in a vague and out of context kind of way.  I apologize if it was taken any different.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I got a bowteck sticker in my window guess the guy that had the truck before me was a bow hunter.

WOW      you see that sticker everyday still cant read it huh?

[bearmanric]

 

[Cap.Silver]

I would have few questions :
a/do HOLOCUAST families children get credit cards without a fees or other perks from US government ?
b/becuase my father was an engineer ,got fired ,do I get right to take 8 yards of free dirt from the mine ?

I'm not a racist ,but it seems like every other nation is .

[inchtowntracking]

I am a Natural Resource Officer for the Colville tribe and I could help with some of the questions about our laws.  First if you have proof that deer are being harvested and being sold at orchards you can let me know I can pass it on and pursue it. But I need proof not just second hand knowledge, or just heresay. It is illegal for a tribal member to sell any edible part of any animal.  But non-edible parts can be sold such as claws, skulls or hides.
As for Indians using bows, we have a good number of people that use them. Some of them don't even use a gun because they said it is to easy since they have killed everything with a bow and want the challenge. For our bow tags you have to pass an efficiency test to even get one. I am not sure if WA or any other place even does that.  We have our rules were there is no limit on deer but we don't have as many hunters and those that do hunt, hunt for those that cant. Last year I killed ten deer but everyone of those went to a family that was in need and didn't have someone to hunt for them. I didn't just go out and slaughter, when I was asked if I could get a deer I would go out and shoot one. I skinned and deboned all of those deer and gave the meat away to who needed it. This year I have shot 4 and all those have been taken care of, I have been asked to help the Senior meal site because they have had budget problems and need meat. I do shoot a lot but it is because I help other people.
Our tribe does an awesome job of managing its wild life. I talked with our director and he even said that because of our programs we have that it has helped the salmon population in our area. We have laws that make sense and and work for our tribe.
My question is if you guys was told go for it shoot as many deer as you want how many would you kill just one or two or more?

[Gringo31]

Not sure where this applies....I think the common topic that gets beaten up is what is "fair" or "right".  With most of this we have laws in place and education on what laws we each are following is probably a very good first step.  Guys like myself who don't know all the details and hear and see things that don't set well often get a negative vibe from the whole ordeal.

This was in last weeks Yakima paper in regard to deer hunting "opportunity".

Our area used to be one of the most popular and productive for deer, but the population of mule deer crashed about five years ago and has not come back.
“It has been bouncing around,” Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Jeff Bernatowicz said of the local deer population. “There may be a slight increase in the population, but it is nothing significant. I’m not real optimistic about the deer season.”
Hunters in Population Management Unit (PMU) 33, which encompasses Yakima County, have had the poorest success rate in the state for deer, Bernatowicz said.
On top of that, Muckleshoot tribal hunters harvested 130 bucks in the Yakima area last fall and winter. Muckleshoot tribal regulations don’t include antler restrictions, so many of the younger bucks — which would make up the 3-point or better bucks this year — just won’t be there for hunters this year.
“I would say that hunters could go probably anywhere else and have more chance of success,” Bernatowicz said.

Again, to someone who doesn't know you have to ask just how many bucks were available?  Why the the mucks on this side of the mountains when they are from the West side?  Why not hunt the rez?  How does their harvest rate affect long term population goals?  Is it about harvesting what you can or sustaining a wildlife population that we all are a part of managing?

And the head scratching and general frustration continues....

[Gringo31]

One more general question...

When we hear "it's illegal" to do so in regard to tribal law....we never hear of what the consequences are.  I personally get the feeling that there is no major effort on enforcement.  But, like I said, I know next to nothing about the interworking relations within a tribe.