Fed up with people trespassing on their land to hunt shed antlers, some Hot Springs County ranchers agreed to let game wardens plant antlers with tracking devices in them on their properties.
One of them was picked up by a 7-year-old from a family that owns neighboring property, and the boy’s father was cited for trespass by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Miles Galovich, who was cited, told Cowboy State Daily that from his perspective, it was an innocent mistake.
But he also has some questions about where the tracking devices were placed, making him wonder if “entrapment” was involved.
He said that he was convinced that he was driving through a section of state land last month when his son spotted a five-point shed elk antler, which he claims was about 20 yards from the road.
So, Galovich gave his son permission to get out of the vehicle and retrieve the antler.
His son later returned the antler to game wardens and one of the wardens gave the boy Game and Fish stickers in exchange, apparently to soften the blow of having the boy give up the prized antler, Galovich said.
The Citation
Galovich was cited on April 19 for hunting, fishing, trapping or collecting antlers/horns on private land without permission, according to court records.
The trespass allegedly happened on the LU Ranch in Hot Springs County and the citation was issued by Game and Fish agent Spencer Carstens, court records state.
That charge carries a bond forfeiture of at least $435, and a fine of up to $1,000, if the case goes to court. Penalties can also include the loss of hunting and fishing privileges.
A court hearing for Galovich is set for May 15. He declined to comment about the court case.
Property Dispute
Galovich and LU Ranch owners DJ and Katie Healy said the families don’t bear animosity toward one another, but there has been some dispute over their adjoining properties, which are intermixed with public land.
To access their property, the Galovich family has an easement to use a road that passes through mixed parcels of state land and land deeded to the LU Ranch.
DJ Healy said there have been past instances of members of the Galovich family trespassing on their land, even though they’ve been told to ask the Healys for permission to go there.
Galovich said that in the area where his son spotted the antler, there are no fences, “no trespassing” signs or other indicators of where state land ends and deeded LU property begins.
He also questions why the antler was placed where it was.
Galovich said it was miles up the road past a locked gate that only his family and LU Ranch owners and employees have access to.
He thinks the location was also near state land, he added.
“It feels kind of like entrapment,” he said.
Under Wyoming statute, property lines must be marked in order for landowners to claim criminal trespass. However, marked boundaries aren’t required for Game and Fish trespass citations.
Game Wardens Waiting
Galovich said that his son put the antler in his room, in a house that Galovich rents on his father’s property.
He said he later returned home and found three Game and Fish agents on the property, speaking to his father.
Galovich said the wardens told him and his father that a shed antler with a tracking device in it had “popped up there” (pinged at that location).
Galovich said he told the wardens “I’m sure I know exactly what shed that is” and told his son to go retrieve the antler from his room.
“My boy was a little disappointed that he had to give the shed away,” he said, but appreciated getting the Game and Fish stickers in what seemed like a fair exchange.
Access For Hunters
Galovich said he asked the Game and Fish agents if tracking shed antlers could be placed on his family’s property, since they’ve also had problems with trespassers, but tracking sheds were placed only on LU property.
He said he was told that he’d have to work with the local game warden on that.
Galovich said that as he sees it, there could be some favoritism toward the LU Ranch, because of the ranch’s longstanding relationship with Game and Fish.
The LU Ranch includes a Game and Fish Hunter Management Area (HMA), through which hunters can access ranch property with prior permission.
“We’ve always been very pro-community in that aspect,” DJ Healy said.
Through the HMA, access is allowed for deer, elk, and pronghorn hunting, he said.
Katie Healy said there was no malice toward their neighbors or anyone else in where Game and Fish placed the antlers with tracking devices.
“They were all placed well within our property,” she said.
Fed Up With Trespassers
DJ Healy hopes the tracking antlers, which he said were placed in several locations around the ranch or on deeded ground, will at least “put a dent” in the number of trespassers.
“We’ve had a chronic problem for as long as I can remember with people trespassing and collecting shed antlers,” he said.
The Healys said they have been generous in granting access for big game hunters and black bear hunters in the fall.
They’ve been more restrictive during spring bear hunting season, and don’t allow public shed hunting.
The Healys like to give their employees exclusive access to shed hunting on the private and deeded land, as a benefit for the employees, he said.
Also, too much springtime activity on the high ground, where the shed antlers and bears are, will drive elk down to the low ground, Katie Healy said.
That’s right during the ranch’s calving season. So, there’s a risk of elk infecting cattle with brucellosis, she said.
DJ Healy said that to his knowledge, the tracking antlers have helped Game and Fish find and cite at least one other person for trespass while shed antler hunting so far this spring.
He doesn’t think tracking antlers will completely solve the trespassing problem.
He said the ranch has dealt with one repeat offender who doesn’t seem to care about getting caught.
“The money he can make from selling the sheds he picks up on our land is greater than what he has to pay in fines when he’s caught,” Healy said.
“And the other penalty that Game and Fish can bring is loss of hunting privileges, but he doesn’t care about that, because he doesn’t hunt,” he added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
