Kamiah man seeks action after a hunting injury

A 20-year-old Kamiah man who said he was hit by a ricochet bullet during a recent buffalo hunt in Montana is concerned that the authorities are not following up with an investigation.

Jackson WakWak, a Nez Perce tribal member who said he and his family have long participated in the traditional hunt in Gardiner, Mont., near Yellowstone Park, said he was with a group of family members and other Native American hunters earlier this month. The traditional, treaty-guaranteed hunts are generally scheduled in the fall or early winter.

The native hunters, WakWak said, follow the traditional custom of staying in a single line to shoot at the buffalo so other hunters don’t stray into the trajectory of another hunter’s bullet. But a hunter, who WakWak said was a “state hunter” — meaning nontribal member, was not in formation with the other hunters. At one point when hunters were shooting at the buffalo, WakWak said a bullet from the “state hunter” struck him in the lower back, tearing through his clothing and grazing his flesh.

WakWak said he was not seriously injured and was not taken to a hospital. He was treated later, he said, at a tribal health clinic.

But allowing a nonnative hunter to hunt without regard to the other hunters, WakWak said, poses a serious danger.

“It’s a big safety issue and it’s going to happen again until someone gets shot or killed,” he said.

WakWak and his mother, Mary Jane Oatman, said they are not satisfied that Park County and other hunting authorities are taking responsibility or following through on an active investigation.

“The commissioner for our tribe never even talked to me,” WakWak said. “I don’t know if there’s even an investigation.”

A spokesperson at the Park County Sheriff’s Office told the Lewiston Tribune on Friday that there is an ongoing investigation involving the sheriff’s office and “other agencies.”

Calls for more information to the Park County attorney were not immediately returned.

WakWak said there should have been clear designations where native and nontribal hunters could position themselves to hunt for the buffalo. And he believes the hunter responsible for the shooting should have had some repercussions at the scene, including possibly confiscating the man’s firearm.

None were taken, he said.

“The state of Montana may be negligent in how they are setting up tribal hunts,” WakWak said.

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.