You guys from out of state and aren't familiar with this particular reservation, I'd suggest listening to what Osky says about it. One can't mistakenly think it's legal to shoot a bear there, it expressly shows in the regulations there is no permissible harvest there. The Red Lake Nation considers bears to be a clansman and are off limits to anyone.

The Red Lake Nation owns quite a bit of land that is outside of the reservation boundary in many broken up parcels, if this guy had shot that bear on one of those sometimes hard to determine pieces I'd have given him the benefit of the doubt about not knowing, where he shot it there is no doubt about his location. There are only a few good roads in or out of the reservation and they are well marked. There are some back gravel roads that will get one in there but if a person knows where those roads are at there is no doubt in my mind the person knows where he is at.

This guy is in trouble and is lucky that tribal enforcement didn't catch him there, he'd have left with maybe his underwear, they'd have confiscated everything else and good luck getting it back.

I don't give a ding dang about location. He hasn't been convicted of a crime by his peers. Have you the complete knowledge of what happened 9'er? So I say, no thank you, I'm not interested in condemning someone on what could be anti propaganda.

Keith I make all my assumptions based on location of the supposed kill. If it was done that deep onto that Rez
There is no way that guy went in alone. Two or three white people together there would only draw even more attention. I can see no way, if the location is as reported he did this without native help.
As I first posted I THINK there is more to the story, and I do. Catch if you consider that condemning then guilty as charged.
Osky

No I don't have complete knowledge, you are correct it's possible the DNR investigation screwed up. It's no secret that I don't think LE walks on water so cool your jets.

I don't live all that far from where this happened, it's a small world. It's not looking all that rosy for this dude. This isn't anti "propaganda"

They are charging this guy in federal court BTW and that is because it's alleged to have happened on the reservation. I hope this dudes sake he has a good attorney

A few years ago maybe 10 I hunted just south of the reservation Reall good area and was no Quota zone seen and harvested bear ,some real nice ones biggest was 500+ in our party mine was about 375 (Estimated}
0 another member took a 400 # Clearbrook area
Guess I got to rambling the natives became restless and were on the brige hollering insults and we didn't go back

You bring up a good point that this reservation in that it is a sovereign nation. Cases there can be either tribal or federal, rarely state. I believe it is the only reservation of its type in the state.

160 - i think the Nett Lake reservation is just like Red Lake, a sovereign nation with no private land inside it's boundaries

That is possible but I thought it was one of the 7 reservations within the MN agency. The REd Lake band never did sign the treaty and is completely sovereign. Local LE has no jurisdiction there and state/federal laws are enforced through the FBI. I thought it was the only one in the state but Bois Fort could be similar.

I seriously doubt that this pickle smoocher has any buddies.

I was under the impression it is one of two in the nation, the other being the large Navajo reservation in Arizona. I don’t know that it’s true but that is what the evidence suggests to me.

Based on his past"indescretions"I don't think we're eating our own.

I thought I had always heard that Red Lake is the only "closed" reservation in the state and is one of two as Clark mentioned but I'm not positive. Osky would probably be able to dispel any myths we may have or not have.

I'd wager if a guy was on the Leech Lake Reservation and broke a law on land that was owned in common by the reservation he'd have a chance of ending up in federal court. Maybe not, maybe it'd be in tribal court.

I do believe though, his Goose is cooked

160 - i think the Nett Lake reservation is just like Red Lake, a sovereign nation with no private land inside it's boundaries

Net Lake is not a sovereign nation like Red Lake. RL is the only closed rez. in MN. A friend of mine owned a lumber camp inside the NL rez. Got along great with the locals. Sold it to the then mayor of Duluth (for hunting) who didn't get along with them and got burned out. I think some of the old buildings might still be there. Unless the band bought the land it should still be private.

Red lake did not sign a land treaty with the US so they did not "give" their land to the US and then have it given back to them in perpetuity by a treaty. There are no non member private lands I know of within Rez boundaries.
Red lake has a civil and criminal legal system run by and for its own people. However they are still under the Federal Major Crimes act which covers murder, incest, criminal assault and more. The FMC does not cover wildlife offenses.
This all being said the DNR of Minnesota has powers over fisherman on upper red where non members are allowed. MN DNR manages that part of the lake and sets seasons and limits. I do not know if that's representing federal fisheries?
I had to look some of this up so I hope the info is correct. What I could not find and do not know is who has legal authority over a non tribal member poaching within tribal boundaries. I believe the red lake tribal court system is tribal only and non members are handed over to state or federal authorities ( after being thumped on a bit ).

Osky

Another very defiant group. Activities done near that Rez are also best done very inconspicuously.

Osky

That is going to be a packed court room when it comes up.....and a few members of the Bear Clan present.
This is going to be interesting.....



By the way you don't hear a cross-bow go off ...........vs a rifle........when poaching (weapon of choice)

There are hundreds of 1/4 and 1/2 sections across Minn that this band controls just look at their deads, the US gov could not declaire it as surplus because they did not surrender
Little white piliars

I've been told that if you get a traffic ticket in the RL reservation you do not have to pay it because they have no authority over nonband members. I've driven through it many times and I do not stop, and I just mind my manners on the road.

They do not allow nonband people to fish the reservation part of Red Lake, but there are native guides who will take you fishing on other lakes in the res. You better not be on any of those lakes without your guide within arm's reach. They have their own fishing license you have to buy for the res.

I'm sure Brett's defense is going to be that he didn't know he wasn't allowed to hunt there but anyone who has a basic understanding of Minnesota's bear licensing system and the Red Lake res knows that is bogus. No chance he didn't know what he was doing is illegal. How he got someone else to help him (which is the only reasonable explanation at this point) is really the only open question at this point.

He told me that he shot the bear near Bemidji, then he told a radio station that he shot it near a town that's 60 miles from there. That's when I started to smell a rat. I had no idea he had shot it on the res until I saw the newspaper article.