Corner crossing: Where public lands access and private property rights collide

KEY POINTS

A private landowner sued hunters for trespassing while on public land surrounded by his ranch.

The hunters claimed they were "corner crossing," so avoided setting foot on private property.

After years of litigation, the issue made it to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.

In the fall of 2020, three hunters from Missouri drew Wyoming elk tags and traveled to the north side of the Medicine Bow Mountains where they hoped to make use of them. The destination was Elk Mountain, a peak that sits just south of I-80 in the south-central part of the state where there’s often an abundance of game.

That region would have been more popular for hunters if it weren’t for a rather large logistical issue. One that until last month was a major deterrent for most folks interes