Andrew McKean’s Wyoming elk hunt was supposed to make a point about public-land access. Instead, it became a very public lesson in checking the property line twice.
McKean published an article in Outdoor Life that he and his buddies actually hired a helicopter to reach public land surrounded by private ranches. The hunt went viral after a local landowner tried to take another hunter’s legally harvested elk antlers. But the video revealed something else: McKean had accidentally shot his own bull while it was standing roughly 25 to 50 yards inside private property. He later pleaded no contest to trespassing, paid the fines, and surrendered the elk.
The irony is painful. Earlier, McKean says on camera, “We’re on public. The elk are on public,” while stressing that they needed to “keep watching to see where we are.” But when the bull appeared, he shot before checking his mapping app again.
McKean initially wondered whether the highly publicized dispute had made him a target. After reviewing the evidence, though, he admitted “it is clear that I made a mistake.” He’s even stepping down after 25 years as a Montana Hunter Education instructor.
His final takeaway is probably the simplest: “Be sure of your shot, because you can never take it back.”
A hunt designed to prove a point about accessing public land ended up proving another one: when public and private ground meet, a few yards can make all the difference.
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