The treaty Indian tribes in western Washington have a long history of co-managing natural resources with the State of Washington. The tribes and state have had numerous successes in implementing cooperative natural resource management efforts to protect, restore and enhance the productivity of natural resources in Washington. In a recent policy decision, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission recognized that the preservation of healthy, robust and diverse fish and wildlife populations is largely dependent on the state and tribes working in a cooperative and collaborative manner. It is important to understand that tribal hunters do not hunt for sport. Hunting is a spiritual and personal undertaking for each hunter.
All tribes prohibit hunting for commercial purposes.
Western Washington treaty tribal hunters account for only about 3 percent of the total combined deer and elk harvest in the state. According to state and tribal statistics for 1998, non-Indians harvested 30,253 deer, while tribal members harvested 702. Most tribal hunters do not hunt only for themselves. The culture of tribes in western Washington is based on extended family relationships of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives. A tribal hunter usually shares his game with several families.