Military Helicopter Crew Took Elk Antlers From Montana Ranch, Officials Say

New York Times

15-05-2025

Linda McMullen was traveling in Nevada last week when a neighbor called to report some unusual activity on her cattle ranch in Montana.
'He said, 'Linda, there's a green Army helicopter landed on your place, picking up elk antlers,'' Ms. McMullen recalled. 'I said, 'Are you joking?' He said, 'I'm looking at them with binoculars.''
Hunting for elk antlers is a popular pastime in Montana, and freshly shed brown antlers can sell for hundreds of dollars. But hunters need permission to take them from private property.
Ms. McMullen had not given anyone permission to enter her ranch, which is about 25 miles north of Big Timber, Mont., at the base of the Crazy Mountains. This week, the authorities charged three Montana National Guard members with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor, accusing them of landing a military helicopter on her property to collect elk antlers on May 4. The penalty is a $185 fine.
Sheriff Alan Ronneberg of Sweet Grass County said the Guard members had taken two antlers and a skeletonized head with antlers, worth a total of $300 to $400. He said an investigation was continuing to determine whether additional charges were warranted.
'We're still trying to figure all this out,' Sheriff Ronneberg said in an interview on Thursday. Hunting shed antlers is 'almost a sport' in Montana, he said. 'But never by helicopter,' he said. 'This is the first helicopter I've heard of.'
The incident was previously reported by The Big Timber Pioneer, a Montana newspaper.
The Montana National Guard said the troops had been on a training flight from Billings, Mont., to Helena, the state capital. Four antlers were turned over to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Monday, the National Guard said.
'I am aware of an alleged incident involving a Montana Army National Guard helicopter landing on private property without authorization,' Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general of the Montana National Guard, said in a statement. An internal investigation was underway, he said.
'If true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard,' General Hronek said. 'Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of Montana.'
Ms. McMullen, who is 71 and has been ranching for 50 years, said she was upset that Guard members had landed on her property, where she often collects elk antlers. She said she has a pile in storage and sells them or uses them for decoration.
'I thought it was an egregious violation of trust in our government and boldness and maybe lawlessness on the part of the people doing it,' she said, adding that 'ranching is a tough business. It's a low-margin business.'
Court records identified the Guard members as Michael Vincent Bray, Deni Lynn Draper and Perry Wray Woodland. A man who answered a phone number listed under Mr. Bray's name declined to comment. Mr. Draper also declined to comment. Mr. Woodland did not immediately respond to a phone message on Thursday.
Elk shed their antlers every year from January to May, leading to a brisk trade among brokers and collectors.
A freshly shed brown antler can sell for up to $14 a pound and weigh as much as 12 pounds, while older, weathered antlers can sell for about $8 a pound, according Jackie Steigleman, an owner of Antlers Unlimited, a business that buys and sells antlers in Bozeman, Mont.
The antlers can be used to make furniture, chandeliers and even chew toys for dogs.
'There's an antler war out there, and they're very valuable,' Ms. Steigleman said. 'We joke about it all the time because it's such a popular activity and you can make some decent money.'
Ms. McMullen said that after her neighbor called to report that a National Guard helicopter was being used to take antlers from her property, she told him he had permission to go on to her land and write down the registration number.
She also spoke to a game warden and the sheriff and, later, to an official at the Montana National Guard who told her he was going to return the antlers and 'and apologize in person.'