'Are you joking?' Montana National Guardsmen accused of landing Black Hawk for elk antlers

USA Today

20-05-2025

'Are you joking?' Montana National Guardsmen accused of landing Black Hawk for elk antlers The charges stem from a May 4 incident in which the men are accused of landing the UH-60 Black Hawk on a private ranch near Melville. A defense attorney says the men are innocent until proven guilty.
Three members of the Montana National Guard are facing trespassing charges after authorities say they landed a Black Hawk helicopter on a ranch to collect elk antlers.
The guardsmen are identified as: 30-year-old Michael Vincent Bray, 30-year-old Perry Wray Woodland, and 36-year-od Deni Lynn Draper.
They face charges of misdemeanor criminal trespassing in Sweet Grass County Justice Court with an appearance in court scheduled for May 28, Bray's lawyer, Nathan Hulling. told USA TODAY on Tuesday.
The charges stem from a May 4 incident in which the guardsmen are accused of landing the UH-60 Black Hawk on the ranch of Linda McMullen near Melville, approximately 80 miles northeast of Bozeman, multiple media outlets have reported. Bray's citation alleges he was the one to land the helicopter, the Big Timber Pioneer reported.
The Montana National Guard confirmed to USA TODAY that the guardsmen were on a training flight from Billings to Helena and that four elk antlers have been returned to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg told the Pioneer that "it is not the usual trespass call."
"I've never seen anything like it before," he told the outlet.
Hulling said that Bray intends to plead not guilty and that the guardsmen are "innocent until proven guilty."
"We are at the very beginning of the judicial criminal process so there's still a ton of fact-finding to be done," Hulling said.
National Guard investigating alleged trespassing
Major General J. Peter Hronek, the adjutant general for the Montana National Guard, said in a May 14 statement on Facebook that an internal investigation is underway.
"If true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard. Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of Montana," Hronek wrote.
Ronneberg said in a news release that sheriff's office, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and the Sweet Grass County Attorney's Office are working in to determine if other charges will be filed.
What happened on Linda McMullen's ranch?
McMullen told the New York Times that a neighbor spotted the helicopter land on her property while she was traveling in Nevada.
'He said, 'Linda, there's a green Army helicopter landed on your place, picking up elk antlers,'' McMullen told the Times. 'I said, 'Are you joking?' He said, 'I'm looking at them with binoculars.''
McMullen told the Pioneer that she spoke to a high-level National Guard official who promised to return the antlers and requested that she not press charges.
"They used the excuse, 'These are good guys,' that I don't want to ruin their careers," McMullen said. "They should have thought about that before doing this. I think people need to know this is happening."
She added that she felt the incident was "an egregious violation of trust in our government," according to the Times.
McMullen did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Elk antlers are listed on Claw, Antler and Hide Co. for a retail price between $96 and $308, with one set selling for $453. The Times reported that a freshly shed brown antler can sell for up to $14 a pound and weigh as much as 12 pounds.
Attorney: Guardsmen deserve benefit of the doubt
Hulling pointed to his client's "long and distinguished service history."
"We need to give them the benefit of the doubt and we need to let the justice system play out, which is why we're entering a not guilty plea," Hulling said.