SEQUIM — Two separate investigations are under way in the shooting of three elk, including one collared with a radio transmitter.
Two Jamestown S’Klallam tribal hunters killed two elk on private land in Happy Valley earlier this month, prompting an investigation into a possible tribal hunting rights violation.
And officials are also looking into the shooting death of a collared elk being monitored by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Officials said Tuesday it is unclear if the same two hunters are responsible for killing the collared elk.
At issue in the first investigation is whether tribal members can hunt on private property with the landowner’s permission, a right granted to all other hunters.
The Jamestown S’Klallam hunters killed two elk Oct. 1 near Sporseen Road, Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Larry Baker said.
They were hunting with licenses and legal tags, he said. And they had permission from the landowner.
But they were hunting on private property in violation of the Point No Point treaty, which allows tribal members to hunt only on “open and unclaimed” land, Baker said.
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