Three Montana National Guardsmen face misdemeanor charges after allegedly landing a helicopter on private land and taking elk antlers.
The incident happened May 4, when witnesses saw the Black Hawk touch down at a ranch 25 miles north of Big Timber, Montana, The New York Times reported.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks charged the service members with criminal trespassing, which is punishable by a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both, according to Montana newspaper The Big Timber Pioneer.
Ranch owner Linda McMullen, 71, received a call from a neighbor the day of the incident.
“He said, ‘Linda, there’s a green Army helicopter landed on your place, picking up elk antlers,’” McMullen recounted. “I said, ‘Are you joking?’ He said, ‘I’m looking at them with binoculars.’”
“I started making calls,” McMullen said. “I called the game warden to hold these people accountable for what they’ve done.”
The crew had reportedly picked up two individual antlers and an elk skull with antlers still attached to it, according to the Associated Press.
In total, the find was reportedly worth $300 to $400.
Montana National Guard Adjutant General J. Peter Hronek said in a statement that the incident was under investigation.
Have you ever found a shed antler?
“If true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard,” Hronek said. “Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of Montana. Every member of the Montana National Guard is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, responsibility, and respect for the law.”
The servicemen in question were 30-year-old Michael Vincent Bray, 30-year-old Perry Wray Woodland, and 36-year-old Deni Lynn Draper.
Major Ryan Finnegan, the state public affairs officer with the Montana National Guard, said the senior pilot had reached out to McMullen, offering to apologize in person and return the antlers.
McMullen said that both the guard and local law enforcement asked her not to 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.”
Elk antlers are in high demand in Montana, according to Jackie Steigleman, the owner of Antlers Unlimited in Bozeman, Montana.
The antlers, which can weigh as much as 12 pounds, can reportedly sell for $14 a pound.
“There’s an antler war out there, and they’re very valuable,” Steigleman tole The New York Times. “We joke about it all the time because it’s such a popular activity and you can make some decent money.”
Collecting shed elk antlers from state-owned land is legal in Montana, but requires a conservation license, Greg Lemon with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks told the Associated Press.
Nathan Hulling, Bray’s attorney, reminded the public to “let the process play out and remember these men are innocent until proven guilty.”
“These are service members — a lot of them have given a decade-plus of service to their country — and we are still gathering information,” Hulling said.
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