Attorney General Gentner Drummond is warning the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation its policy to cite Indigenous hunters hunting on tribal land is unlawful.
Drummond said the department’s currently enforced policy against tribal citizens hunting and fishing in Indian Country is misguided and unlawful. He notes it causes significant harm to the five tribes’ government-to-government relationship with the state.
He writes that his opinion is that of the department’s legal counsel, and ODWC officials are obligated to follow his advice.
“When that counsel is ignored without explanation, it puts the State, the agency, and individual officers at significant legal and financial risk,” he wrote in his letter to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Director Wade Free.
This comes after Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed a special prosecutor to pursue tribal citizens who have received citations for not possessing state-issued licenses when hunting or fishing on non-trust land within a reservation. Stitt believes legal precedent shows the state can prosecute tribal citizens who commit non-major crimes.
Drummond said he is prepared to take legal action in the event of another disagreement, which would be the latest in a string of disputes with the governor.
“I take no pleasure in the prospect of litigation between state agencies. But my paramount obligation is to the rule of law and to the protection of Oklahoma’s legal and fiscal interests. ODWC’s current policy threatens both,” he wrote.
This article was originally published by KOSU, a partner of the Tulsa Flyer. You can see the original story here.
