Montana Guardsmen Cited for Unauthorized Landing on Private Property

Three Montana Army National Guard members are facing criminal trespassing charges after authorities say they landed a Black Hawk helicopter on private property to collect elk antlers. The penalty is a $185 fine.

The alleged incident occurred on May 4 during a training flight from Billings to Helena. According to Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg, the crew briefly touched down in a mountain pasture at the base of the Crazy Mountains and picked up two shed antlers and one old elk skull with antlers still attached. The value of the recovered antlers was estimated between $300 and $400.

While shed hunting is popular in Montana and antlers can be legally collected on public land, taking them from private property, even if you’re doing it in a pretty unique way, typically requires landowner permission. In this case, none was given.

The ranch’s owner, Linda McMullen, learned about the landing when a neighbor called to report a military helicopter parked on her land. “Are you joking?” she recalled saying. Her neighbor, equipped with binoculars, assured her that he was not.

All three crew members received misdemeanor citations. Two were cited for entering posted private land to collect antlers, while a third was also cited for landing a military aircraft on that land…not usually part of your standard shed hunting technique.

Additional charges may be filed, depending on whether the elk antlers are deemed the legal property of the landowner. The items have since been turned over to a game warden.

A lawyer for one of the Guardsmen attempted to bring the situation into perspective, reminding outsiders that “these are service members — a lot of them have given a decade-plus of service to their country — and we are still gathering information… Let the process play out and remember these men are innocent until proven guilty.”

FMI: www.montanaguard.gov