Forget the classic “hidden camera” trick—Wyoming ranchers have officially leveled up to “Secret Agent Antlers,” according to a recent article via Outdoor Life.
In what sounds like the plot of a very niche Coen Brothers movie, a rancher on the LU Ranch in Hot Springs County decided they’d had enough of trespassers scouting for brown gold. Their solution? Teaming up with game wardens to plant GPS-tracked elk sheds across the property like high-stakes Easter eggs.
The “sting” actually caught someone, but it’s sparked a massive debate. A seven-year-old boy spotted a five-point shed just 20 yards off the road and, being a kid, did what kids do—hopped out and grabbed it. Little did he know he was carrying a homing beacon straight back to his house.
His dad, Miles Galovich, ended up with a trespassing citation and is now facing a $1,000 fine and the potential loss of his hunting and fishing rights. Galovich argues the area wasn’t fenced or posted and has called the move “entrapment.” The ranch owners, meanwhile, say they’re just defending their land from a “chronic” trespassing problem that gets worse every year.
It’s the ultimate “Gotcha!” moment, but it leaves a bad feeling for those who think the wardens are taking the “Game” part of their title a little too literally.
So, Montanans—we know we have the same shed-fever up here.
How do we feel about “The Tracking Antler”? Is this a brilliant way to protect private property rights, or is planting “bait” in unfenced areas crossing the line into a legal gray area?
Would you be checking the burrs of your next find for a microchip, or do you think if you’re on land you don’t own, you get what’s coming to you? Let’s hear it.