From the beginning, the Wyoming Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has stood its ground in defense of the four Missouri hunters who were wrongly sued for civil trespass simply because they stepped from one piece of public land to another without ever setting foot on private land.

What is Corner Crossing?

“Corner crossing” refers to the act of stepping from one corner of an accessible parcel of public land to the adjoining corner of an inaccessible parcel of public land. It’s akin to moving pieces across a checkers game board. Corner crossing was considered by some a legal gray area in the state of Wyoming and across much of the West–until the Missouri Four built a ladder and stepped up for public land owners across the nation.

With financial support from BHA members across the country, Bradley Cape, Zachary Smith, Phillip Yeomans and John Slowensky were able to have their day in court – and win – despite legal accusations from a wealthy land owner who argued their momentary passage through his airspace caused his private property over 7 million dollars in damages.

What is at Stake?

Despite defeating these allegations first in District Court in the State of Wyoming, and then again in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the issue is now headed to the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, and BHA is once again rallying public land owners across the nation to help fund this fight for public access to public lands once and for all. If the Supreme Court takes the case it will establish binding precedent on this issue across the nation where access to millions of acres of public lands are still up in the air.

Corner Crossing Case Timeline

Initial Ruling: 

On May 26 2023, the District Court of Wyoming found it legal to cross through private airspace when stepping from public land to public land over a shared public/private corner. This was a massive win for public access in Wyoming, and for the 8.3 million acres of landlocked public land across the west. This ruling established the legality of “corner crossing" in Wyoming, potentially paving the way the way for access to millions of acres in 11 Western states.  

Appellate Court Ruling:

On March 18th 2024, the 10th Circuit Judges unanimously affirmed the lower court's ruling in a landmark decision that solidified the legality of accessing millions of acres of public lands and established legal precedent in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah & Wyoming. 

"The value of public resources that remain land-locked behind corners across the West cannot be understated nor ignored," said Patrick Berry, BHA's President and CEO. "BHA is proud to represent the rights of everyday Americans who hold equal title to hunt, fish, explore, and enjoy land owned by all of us without fear of retaliation."

BHA filed an amicus brief in the district court case in addition to the tenth circuit appeal and fundraised over $200k for legal fees in both fights. In its briefs, BHA maintained that the plaintiff in this case “cannot secure for itself the value of public land interspersed with its property by threatening trespass, since the government and its licensees (the public) have an equal right to access their lands.” 

Despite hiring a team of high-powered attorneys, the plaintiff, a wealthy pharmaceutical executive, has been unable to prevail because public land owners across the nation have chipped in to pay for legal fees in order to ensure it is a fair fight.

The fight for legal access to our public lands is not yet over, help today! 

What You Can Do: 

With contributions from public land owners across North America, more than $200,000 has been raised to aid in the legal defense of the hunters to get a fair and equitable trial in court. With the assistance of a fantastic group of lawyers for the Missouri Hunters and BHA, over $300,000 of donated time and legal support has been provided in this important public land access issue. 

We believe no single private landowner should have the right to claim exclusive access rights to your checker-boarded public lands. Thousands of BHA members and supporters likewise have pledged their support for corner crossing and the ability of members of the public to legally access U.S. public lands.  

Help us fight for public lands access by making a tax-deductible contribution today! All funds beyond the legal defense needs for this court case will be allocated to address similar access and opportunity issues at the state level.