Montana Corner Crossing Debate Heads Toward U.S. Supreme Court

I'll say it right up front: I'm pro corner-crossing. The whole point of public land is that the public should be able to use it. Otherwise, what's the point? Obviously, I am a drop in the bucket on this highly debated topic, and landowners do have legitimate concerns.

  This week, the Montana Stockgrowers Association announced it's joining forces with Wyoming ranching groups to push the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the legality of corner-crossing nationwide. For those who aren't familiar, corner crossing is when you step from one square of public land to another at the exact corner where they meet, without setting foot on the private property that borders them. It's a checkerboard problem that plagues the West, and in Montana alone, nearly 900,000 acres are locked up this way.

The lawsuit stems from four hunters in Wyoming who used a ladder to hop across corners of BLM land during an elk hunt in 2021. The landowner, a rancher, tried to nail them with trespassing charges. BUT both criminal and civil claims were thrown out. Courts pointed to an 1885 law meant to stop cattle barons from fencing off public land.

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Yet, here we are. Ranching groups argue corner-crossing threatens private property rights. The other side argues it's about access, fairness, and holding on to the spirit of public land. If the Supreme Court takes this up, the ruling could finally settle the debate. It would be nice to finally know if the nation's total 8.3 million acres of landlocked public land is accessible or not.