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boneaddict
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AS IN THE Yakima Herald 11-20-06
Three hunters-two of them Yakama Nation members and one non-tribal hunter- were caught Saturday morning and charged with illegallyusing a spotlight to hunt elk in the Oak Creek Wildlife area.
Sgt Morgan Grant of the enforcement division of the Washinton Department of Fish and Wildlife said that officer Skip Caton was patrolling Forest Service road 1400 often referred to by hunters the Oak Creek road- on Saturday morning when he saw 4 dead elk. He got out to check around and found some empty shell casings and called for back-up.
Continuing up the road another mile or two, Caton found three more dead elk. Further still up the road, he came upon a pickup truck with a dead spike in the truck bed and three-firearm toting men alongside. The mend said they had just killed three deer and were about to hike up onto the hill to retrieve the deer, Grant said.
At this point, Grant arrived with another officer, Shawn Myers. The WDFW crew conducted a more thorough interview of the men, who admitted having used a spotlight to kill the seven elk before sunrise and had intended to pick up the carcasses later.
Had they not used the spotlight, the two tribal members would have been within their treaty hunting rights, Grant said. But theres both tribal and state law that prohibits the use of spotlight to aid in the hunting of big game.
Tribal police subsequently charged the two tribal members with the hunting big game with the aid of a spotlight, Grant said. The WDFW officers forwarded to prosecuters the case of the non-tribal member, who was hunting out of season and for that matter, didn't even have a hunting license. All three hunters live in the Toppenish area, Grant said.
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this!!!!!!!!!!or am I just a bigot. I hope they hang whitie, but what a slap on the wrist for killing 8 elk and leaving the bodies. Why is that within treaty?????????????
Three hunters-two of them Yakama Nation members and one non-tribal hunter- were caught Saturday morning and charged with illegallyusing a spotlight to hunt elk in the Oak Creek Wildlife area.
Sgt Morgan Grant of the enforcement division of the Washinton Department of Fish and Wildlife said that officer Skip Caton was patrolling Forest Service road 1400 often referred to by hunters the Oak Creek road- on Saturday morning when he saw 4 dead elk. He got out to check around and found some empty shell casings and called for back-up.
Continuing up the road another mile or two, Caton found three more dead elk. Further still up the road, he came upon a pickup truck with a dead spike in the truck bed and three-firearm toting men alongside. The mend said they had just killed three deer and were about to hike up onto the hill to retrieve the deer, Grant said.
At this point, Grant arrived with another officer, Shawn Myers. The WDFW crew conducted a more thorough interview of the men, who admitted having used a spotlight to kill the seven elk before sunrise and had intended to pick up the carcasses later.
Had they not used the spotlight, the two tribal members would have been within their treaty hunting rights, Grant said. But theres both tribal and state law that prohibits the use of spotlight to aid in the hunting of big game.
Tribal police subsequently charged the two tribal members with the hunting big game with the aid of a spotlight, Grant said. The WDFW officers forwarded to prosecuters the case of the non-tribal member, who was hunting out of season and for that matter, didn't even have a hunting license. All three hunters live in the Toppenish area, Grant said.
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this!!!!!!!!!!or am I just a bigot. I hope they hang whitie, but what a slap on the wrist for killing 8 elk and leaving the bodies. Why is that within treaty?????????????