Tribal hunters who are members of the Grand Traverse Band have harvested about 75 whitetail deer as of last week, according to Brett Fessell, the Band's lead fish and wildlife biologist.

Fessell said the tribal hunting season appears to be about as successful as in the past, with GTB members having until Feb. 1 to report how many of their tags have been used.

"That's about average. We had some nice 8-points and a 9-point reported, but nothing record-breaking," said Fessell. He added that a tribal member had reported shooting a trophy 11-point in Kalkaska County, although no official documentation has been turned into the GTB Natural Resources Department.

Grand Traverse Band members have for several years hunted and fished under rules adopted by their Tribal Council, instead of following state regulations. The state and five Indian tribes, including the GTB, this fall negotiated an out-of-court settlement that recognized treaty rights granted in 1836 while placing restrictions on tribal members who hunt and fish on inland lakes.

One “restriction” will actually lengthen the firearms deer hunting season for Band members next season, Fessell said. The settlement was reached after deer tags had already been distributed. The Band's Natural Resources Commission decided not to alter the 2007 season, but to wait until 2008 to begin the new rules.

This fall, the firearms deer season for tribal members began Nov. 1, and will last until Jan. 3. Members are allowed to kill up to five deer, of which only two can be bucks with antlers three inches or longer.

The new regulations adopted by the five tribes will not change the overall deer bag limit, although the season will become more complicated.

Starting in 2008, the tribal firearms deer season will begin the Tuesday after Labor Day and run until Oct. 31. Two deer of which only one can be a buck may be taken during the "early" season by each licensed Tribal member.

The firearms season will renew from Nov. 15-Jan. 3, at which time unused tags may be filed.

Tribal members may hunt on most public lands and private lands with permission from land owners within lands ceded to the state in the 1836 treaty. The area covers a wide swath of the state, including everything in the Lower Peninsula north of a line from about Grand Rapids to Alpena and all of the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula.

Through this season, hunting and fishing regulations for GTB members were included in a 30-page booklet. But regulations became much more complicated with the settlement, which assigned restrictions down to individual bodies or waters and streams.

Fessell expects the GTB to publish a larger booklet — and even "several" supplemental booklets — for the next cycle of fishing and hunting licenses that starts April 1.

"There is a lot more detail as far as when, where and how," said Fessell. "I'd like to see it as simple as possible, but let's see."