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The corner crossing battle in Wyoming<\/a> seems to be over, and public land hunters, at least for now, have won. Today the District Court of Wyoming found that it\u2019s legal to cross from one corner of public land to another corner of public land, while stepping through private airspace.<\/p>\n The ruling comes after four hunters crossed a corner of the Elk Mountain Ranch, which is held by Iron Bar Holdings, managed by billionaire Fred Eshelman. Iron Bar Holdings brought criminal trespass charges (which the hunters beat last year<\/a>), and filed a civil suit in federal court claiming that the trespassing diminished the ranch\u2019s property value.\u00a0The ranch claimed the men caused more than $7 million in damages.<\/p>\n Chief U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl ruled in favor of four hunters who crossed a corner of the Elk Mountain Ranch. <\/p>\n The Order states: \u201c. . . the Court finds that where a person corner crosses on foot within the checkerboard from public land to public land without touching the surface of private land and without damaging private property, there is no liability for trespass.\u201d<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t been following this case closely, corner crossing<\/a> means walking from one corner of public land to another corner of public, crossing diagonally between corners of private land, without ever setting foot on private property. Phillip Yeomans, Bradly Cape, John Slowensky, and Zachary Smith, all of Missouri (and nicknamed the Missouri Four), used a small stepladder to cross from one parcel of public land to another while on a hunt in 2021 and in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n The fact that the hunters won the civil case will have broad implications for public land hunters in Wyoming.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a pretty full throated endorsement of the principal that as long as you don\u2019t touch private land or cause harm to private land in some way, then you have the right to cross corner-to-corner of public lands,\u201d says Eric Hanson, an attorney who represented Backcountry Hunters and Anglers on their amicus brief in this litigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the ruling does not mean that corner crossing in every state is now legal. It\u2019s also possible that other private landowners could bring corner crossing civil suits, Hanson says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis has to work its way up the chain of appeals before it becomes more binding,\u201d Hanson says. \u201cThis is a big first step, but it\u2019s not necessarily going to apply outside of Wyoming. The court was very careful to put this in just the context of the case, not a national context\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But still BHA and the public land hunters of Wyoming have reason to celebrate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cToday was a win for the people, both in Wyoming and across the country,\u201d says BHA president Land Tawny. \u201cThe court\u2019s ruling confirms that it was legal for the Missouri Four to step from public land to public land over a shared public\/private corner. Coupled with recent legislation passed by the Wyoming legislature, we are happy that common sense and the rule of law prevailed. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers applauds the court\u2019s careful balancing of access to public land and respect of private property rights. We look forward to finding more solutions to access \u2013 together.\u201d<\/p>\n Over course, the four hunters who have been battling these cases for years also have reason to celebrate.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a long overdue and singularly great outcome for the entire American public and anybody who enjoys public lands,\u201d the hunters\u2019 attorney Ryan Semerad told WyoFile<\/a>. Semerad says they \u201cfully expect\u201d an appeal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n