Little Shell to Bullock: We’re entitled to more than 2 bison

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Leaders of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians want Montana officials to allow its members to hunt more bison that leave Yellowstone National Park.

Tribal Chairman Gerald Gray told Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Monday that the state-recognized tribe is entitled to and would benefit significantly from additional bison.

“This meat’s used for the homeless, the needy, the elderly, our diabetes program,” Gray said. “It’s not just a free-for-all.”

Gray said tribal historians are determining which route to take in seeking hunting access for the landless tribe of about 4,500 people near Great Falls.

A state law expiring July 1 allows each of the eight Native American tribes in Montana to hunt two bison if they leave refuge land. Gray said he would like to see the Little Shell Tribe access 10-15 bison per year, each of which can feed as many as 20 families.

“We’re just looking for more than two token tags to supply our people with much-needed food,” Gray said.

Some tribes never use their two state-issued hunting licenses because they keep private herds or invoke treaty rights to hunt without a license.

Gray asked Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks earlier this year if the Little Shell could claim the bison licenses that other tribes don’t use. Sam Sheppard, an FWP supervisor in Bozeman, said he told Gray that the law does not allow tribes to share the licenses.

Four tribes with treaty rights to hunt in the Yellowstone area – The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and Nez Perce Tribe – killed about 170 bison that left the park last winter.

Little Shell may pursue that right, Gray said, by asking Montana to recognize an 1855 treaty that established a common hunting ground for the United States and Little Shell predecessors. Gray said Little Shell historians are also considering proclaiming that, since their specific band of Chippewa descendants has not endorsed a federal treaty, the tribal members never signed away their sovereign right to hunt.

Bullock said the Little Shell Tribe, which is recognized by the state but not the federal government, is in a unique and complicated situation. Chief of Staff Ali Bovingdon said she’ll suggest Bullock’s legal counsel research whether any statutory options exist to expand the tribe’s hunting access.