A drunk Montana man has been ticketed for climbing one of the iconic elk antler arches at the town square in Jackson, Wyoming.
Lt. Russ Ruschill with the Jackson Police Department said Teton County Dispatch received a call around 12:40 a.m. May 13 that there were “people on top of the arches.”
A police officer was sent to the scene and observed a man on top of the arch on the corner of South Cache Street and Broadway Avenue.
“In the service notes, the responding officer said he observed a person climbing the antler archway on the southwest corner of Jackson Town Square,” Ruschill said. “He was given a $100 citation.”
Photos from the scene show at least one other person, a woman, climbing the archway before the officer arrived.
The man, who is from Belgrade, Montana, told the officer he climbed the arch because “he'd been drinking and wanted to climb the arch to impress some girls he had just met.”
Photos of the deed were shared by a user with the handle @mousie202 to the popular touronsofyellowstone Instagram page Sunday.
The Instagram post generated more than 10,000 likes in less than 24 hours, and prompted the page’s moderator to lament, “Do they have to try to destroy EVERYTHING?!” and that “being drunk or being a dumbass isn’t an excuse!”
Climbing The Unclimbable
The four elk antler arches are among the most photographed spots in Jackson. Climbing them is ill-advised and illegal, so the town of Jackson has a specific ordinance to preempt any pinnacling.
“Chapter 9.52 of the Jackson Municipal Code prohibits climbing any trees or structures that aren’t designed for climbing,” Ruschill said. “It’s an unlawful thing to do in public places and an unlawful act against public property in Jackson.”
Ruschill said people trying to climb the arches is uncommon but not unprecedented. He can recall a few times in his career when he’s responded to reports of people climbing the arches.
“I've seen it a couple of times in my career here, but don’t remember the last time we’ve written a citation specifically for climbing one of the arches,” he said.
What surprised him was how high the offender got on the arch.
“I don't think I've ever seen anybody quite get up as far onto the top like this gentleman,” he said. “We usually catch them thinking about it, talking about it or just starting to climb.
“From the photos I saw on Instagram, this guy has made his way to the very top of the arch.”
A drunk Montana man was reportedly trying to impress girls by climbing on one of the famous antler arches at the town square in Jackson, Wyoming. He got a $100 ticket, and his dumb deed posted to social media. (Photo by @mousie202 via @touronsofyellowstone on Instagram) 
A drunk Montana man was reportedly trying to impress girls by climbing on one of the famous antler arches at the town square in Jackson, Wyoming. He got a $100 ticket, and his dumb deed posted to social media. (Photo by @mousie202 via @touronsofyellowstone on Instagram) 
A drunk Montana man was reportedly trying to impress girls by climbing on one of the famous antler arches at the town square in Jackson, Wyoming. He got a $100 ticket, and his dumb deed posted to social media. (Photo by @mousie202 via @touronsofyellowstone on Instagram)
Not Using His Head
The arch climbed by the Montana man was the original antler arch, erected by the Jackson Rotary Club in 1953. The other three were added between 1966 and 1969.
Jackson’s elk arches are designed to be durable. Each is supported by a steel superstructure hidden inside, while the 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of antlers are wired to the superstructure and each other to ensure they stay together.
“It’s a pretty intricate process,” Ruschill said. “The town of Jackson spends a lot of money to create and maintain the arches, which is why we don't want people climbing on them.”
The southwest arch was last rebuilt in 2007, followed by the other three between 2009 and 2013. The current arches still have a lot of longevity, but that doesn’t mean they’re climbing-capable.
Ruschill said the Montana man was lucky to climb up and come down safely, especially in an inebriated state.
“It’s a long way to fall from the top of the southwest arch,” he said. “Someone could get injured or killed doing such a thing. That’s the public safety message to this incident.”
The Montana man can pay the $100 bond or plead his innocence. He was caught in the act of antler climbing, but he’ll still have his day in court.
“Our defendant is innocent until proven guilty,” Ruschill said. “But in Jackson, it’s illegal to climb something that’s not meant to be climbed.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
