Those dang NATIVES!!!!!

[WildHawg]

In the spirit of KT's thread below, I thought I'd share my own thoughts on the subject of poaching and waste of game. Hmmmm...

I could tell you about my neighbor on the Mckenzie (2 houses down), Ken Yi (he was convicted, so I figure I can print his name), who was involved in a ring of poachers who sold bear gall bladders. He's Korean, and lets face it, most all the bear gall bladders go to Asia--right? Must mean that all Asians are proponents of poaching?

Then there's those dang Russians!! They darn near wiped out the spawning Brown Trout in Wickiup--next thing ya know, they're gillnetting for undersize sturgeon, walleye, and carp in the Willamette!! Them dang Russkies are gonna kill all are fish!!!

Then there's the White American folk that I hear much more about than any of the above mentioned groups (including Indigenous Peoples). Need I recount the senseless waste of wildlife the White Race has inflicted on America? The Passenger Pigeon, the Buffalo, Eastern and Merriam's Elk (the largest modern subspecies!), the Grizzly Bear from 98% of its native habitat, just to name a few. The vast majority were left to rot.

How about closer to home? The Columbia Whitetail was the dominant valley deer upon the arrival of Europeans. The Blacktails lived on the fringes and in the foothills. Whatever happened to them?

How about the runs of 11-16 million anadromous fish in the Columbia each year? I figure with those kind of numbers returning, we wouldn't squabble with the natives near as much!! But they're gone, thanks to the ingenuity of our forefathers.

I don't have the numbers to back this statement up--but I would wager that non-native poachers take a far larger toll on our wildlife than all Native harvest, including that which is illegal.

Believe it or not--I am a Conservative Republican, not a liberal wacko. I am not asking you to condone poaching by Native Americans for any reason.

All western tribal authorties have strict regulations--none of which allow for the harvest of the numbers you witnessed KT. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs do not condone such actions.

Just like there are poachers among our own race (among the worst both historically and contemporaneously I would argue), there are poachers among Native Americans. Not all non-natives are poachers, and neither are all natives.

[Dave Smith]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nuttinbutnet]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Hoosier Daddy]

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[sportsman]

Well said, WildHawg!! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Hawg,
I agree with you to a certain extent. Our forefathers were not enviromentally firendly, and there are people who lack ethics and morals when it comes to our fish and game,that is beacuse of greed, which is a common thread through out all societies. But to allow a culture to do it completely based on race while working under the guise of "the great spirit" is wrong. By lack of respect I mean wanton waste (chum run in puget sound) clear cutting and mining in national forests that were origionally everyones but are now theirs. Claiming a subsistence need while bringing in millions from casinos. Being on the river or in the woods is my church, that is my higher being.. Does that mean that I can take endangered steelhead with a net and sell them? My dad, and his dad before him did look for an adipose clip so does that mean that it is in my heritage so I can keep any fish? No, it doesn't. These laws are based on skin color which is wrong.