Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation
The winners of the Nation's 2025 Chis-chu Ch'ee-taa-ghe Naa-tr'vlh-xat (Roosevelt Elk, Cervus canadensis roosevelti Hunt) tags were chosen during a lottery draw at the June 26 regular Tribal Council meeting. One tag was for a cultural hunt and one for an individual hunt. Eligible applicants are required to be qualified Tribal Citizen harvesters.
The winner of the cultural hunting permit is Dennis Melton, with the alternate Jonathen Wilber. The winner of the individual hunting permit is Johnathan Kahoalii with the alternate: Noah Ferrer. All game harvested by for the individual hunt shall be processed and retained by the individual. The second tag is allocated to the Nation for a cultural hunt, and the selected individual will hunt on behalf of the Nation and return parts of the game to the Nation. The two winners are required to confirm receipt of their tag and attend a mandatory orientation with the Nation's Natural Resources Department before their license is issued.
Chis-chu (Elk) Management:
Tolowa Dee-ni' have relied on chis-chu as a cultural resource since time immemorial. Chis-chu provides us with sustenance and utilitarian materials that are used for our tools and ceremonies. On June 14, 2018, the Nation adopted protocols in the Harvest Title that provide for sound management of fish, wildlife and plants that are based on traditional law passed down orally over countless generations. In addition, our program works cooperatively with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to achieve co-management responsibilities, through a Memorandum of Understanding (2018) relative to the tagging and monitoring of the local chis-chu populations.
Staff conducts regular and opportunistic observations of cis-chu including population counts, health/disease surveillance, and collection of samples for Treponema Associated Hoof Disease. The Nation uses this information to inform management decisions for chis-chu including harvesting and habitat restoration. Staff is responsible for the collection, processing, and distribution of chis-chu on behalf of the Nation.