Current compacts between the state and the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes allow those tribes to purchase statewide hunting and fishing licenses for $2 apiece. The tribes then give those licenses to tribal members for free.

The compacts went into effect in 2016 with the idea of settling a long dispute between the tribes and the state concerning hunting and fishing rights.

The tribes say past treaties allow their members to hunt and fish on their lands freely. The compacts allowed the tribes to expand places where members could hunt and fish to all 77 Oklahoma counties.

The state benefits from this arrangement in three ways.

First, it means the state receives about $300,000 a year for the 150,000 licenses purchased by the tribes.

Second, it makes the state eligible for more federal funding — to the tune of $38 million so far — by expanding the number of licensed hunters and anglers in Oklahoma, a boon for state wildlife conservation.

And third, it resolved a long-running dispute over tribal hunting and fishing rights.

The compacts were hailed as a win-win for the tribes and the state. But the Governor’s Office wants the tribes to pay the same prices per license that nontribal members pay, fees that far exceed the $2 per license the tribes pay now.

An annual hunting license costs $25; annual fishing licenses cost the same. Combination licenses can be had for $42.

Extra fees are assessed for separate deer hunting seasons as well as for waterfowl, antelope, bear and other species.

In theory, renegotiating the compacts to match fees paid by nontribal hunters and anglers could bring in significantly more money to the state. But the reality is letting current compacts expire will likely put the state back to where it was before the 2016 compacts went into effect.

That means the state will not only forgo the fees it now collects, but potentially lose millions in federal funds.

Tribal leaders are digging in, saying they are willing to assert their hunting and fishing treaty rights all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The state’s position seems short-sighted, and we wonder if the Governor’s Office is eyeing similar battles concerning tobacco, fuel and car tag compacts.

Between legal costs and lost revenue, this fight — and others like it — looks like an expensive self-inflicted wound that damages state-tribal relations.

Oklahoma and its tribes have a unique relationship, one in which sovereign nations exist within a sovereign state. It can be a tricky balance, but when done right, all Oklahomans benefit.

We’d urge the Governor’s Office to work with the tribes on this and other issues. Oklahoma is stronger when the state and the tribes are working together.

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