Tribe official explains buffalo hunt decision

Joseph Oatman talks about the Nez Perce Tribe's decision to end the annual buffalo hunt early.

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Story Published: Mar 10, 2008 at 4:06 PM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 10, 2008 at 6:16 PM PDT

By Matt Loveless

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LAPWAI - Nez Perce Tribe officials say cutting short the annual buffalo hunt was a matter of showing good faith with the state of Montana.

Tribal Fish and Wildlife Commission Chairman Joseph Oatman said they hope the decision to cut short the season by a week and a half will help settle a recent disagreement between the two entities.

"They felt that they wanted to see a lower number of buffalo being harvested and we think that one of the principal reasons why was that they wanted to reduce the number of permits they would issue out to sport hunters, so basically they would have a 100 percent success rate in their hunt."

The buffalo in question are in the Yellowstone National Park area. Last year, Oatman said they harvested 28 buffalo, and talks last summer about increasing that number fueled the disagreement.

"The Nez Perce Tribe felt it was prudent to issue the closure, review the hunt, and how it performed this year, and look at how to further expand and advance our treaty hunting right over the greater Yellowstone area," he said.

Tribal officials say the treaty of 1855 gives the Nez Perce the right to hunt buffalo as needed. Oatman said the tribe is now adapting to historically lower numbers and a possible bison management plan.

"It is our obligation in this generation to make sure we have that right intact and that we our responsibly conducting our hunt, that we are trying everything that we can to help restore some semblance of what the herd size, distribution and movements were historically," said Oatman.

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