{"id":2444598,"date":"2025-06-08T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guard-soldiers-charged-after-allegedly-landing-helicopter-on-cattle-ranch-stealing\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T21:31:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:31:47","slug":"national-guard-soldiers-charged-after-allegedly-landing-helicopter-on-cattle-ranch-stealing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guard-soldiers-charged-after-allegedly-landing-helicopter-on-cattle-ranch-stealing\/","title":{"rendered":"National Guard Soldiers Charged After Allegedly Landing Helicopter on Cattle Ranch, Stealing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnational-guard-soldiers-charged-after-allegedly-landing-helicopter-on-cattle-ranch-stealing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2444598&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Three members of the Montana National Guard are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/s-d-gov-noem-calls-for-ag-to-resign-after-2020-fatal-crash\/\" title=\"S.D. Gov. Noem calls for AG to resign after 2020 fatal crash\">facing misdemeanor charges<\/a> for landing a helicopter on private property and allegedly taking elk antlers. The incident occurred on May 4, when witnesses reported seeing a Black Hawk helicopter land at a ranch near Big Timber, Montana. The Montana Department of Fish,Wildlife,and Parks has charged them with criminal trespassing,wich could result in fines or jail time. The ranch owner, Linda McMullen, was alerted by a neighbor and reported the incident to authorities.<\/p>\n<p>The guardsmen reportedly collected two antlers and an elk skull, valued between $300 to $400. montana National Guard officials expressed concern about the behaviors of the service members,emphasizing that such actions do not align with their values. The accused servicemen are Michael vincent Bray, Perry Wray Woodland, and Deni Lynn Draper. although the senior pilot has offered to apologize and return the antlers, McMullen has expressed her intention to hold the guardsmen accountable despite requests from authorities not to press charges. the legality of collecting elk antlers in Montana requires a conservation license, and the incident highlights the high demand for antlers in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Three Montana National Guardsmen face misdemeanor charges after allegedly landing a helicopter on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-rep-says-not-appropriate-for-press-to-access-migrant-facilities\/\" title=\"Dem Rep. says \u2018not appropriate\u2019 for press to access migrant facilities\">private land<\/a> and taking elk antlers.<\/p>\n<p>The incident happened May 4, when witnesses saw the Black Hawk touch down at a ranch 25 miles north of Big Timber, Montana, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/15\/us\/montana-national-guard-helicopter-elk-antlers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks charged the service members with criminal trespassing, which is punishable by a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both, according to Montana newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigtimberpioneer.net\/news\/antler-airlift-guardsmen-charged-in-elk-antler-trespassing-case\/article_bd3735dc-733b-4cea-b12d-d98bec15ddc4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Big Timber Pioneer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ranch owner Linda McMullen, 71, received a call from a neighbor the day of the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Linda, there&rsquo;s a green Army <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-border-patrol-helicopter-lands-middle-busy-intersection-immediately-clear-somethings-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">helicopter<\/a> landed on your place, picking up elk antlers,&rsquo;&rdquo; McMullen recounted. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;Are you joking?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m looking at them with binoculars.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING); 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I started making calls,&rdquo; McMullen said. &ldquo;I called the game warden to hold these people accountable for what they&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The crew had reportedly picked up two individual antlers and an elk skull with antlers still attached to it, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/national-guard-helicopter-trespass-elk-antlers-montana-2127e7eae5433d5fca3c369d7c40d7c9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In total, the find was reportedly worth $300 to $400.<\/p>\n<p>Montana National Guard Adjutant General J. Peter Hronek said in a statement that the incident was under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If true, this behavior does not align with the values of the Montana National Guard,&rdquo; Hronek said. &ldquo;Misuse of military equipment erodes the trust we strive to uphold with the people of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/california-ev-driver-winds-front-page-rural-montana-newspaper-plugging-car-without-permission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Montana<\/a>. Every member of the Montana National Guard is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, responsibility, and respect for the law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The servicemen in question were 30-year-old Michael Vincent Bray, 30-year-old Perry Wray Woodland, and 36-year-old Deni Lynn Draper.<\/p>\n<p>Major Ryan Finnegan, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >state public affairs officer<\/a> with the Montana National Guard, said the senior pilot had reached out to McMullen, offering to apologize in person and return the antlers.<\/p>\n<p>McMullen said that both the guard and local law enforcement asked her not to press charges.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They used the excuse these are good guys, that I don&rsquo;t want to ruin their careers,&rdquo; McMullen said. &ldquo;They should have thought about that before doing this. I think people need to know this is happening.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/limping-bull-elk-mysteriously-dies-cut-open-lump-thigh-find-telling-piece-green-plastic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elk<\/a> antlers are in high demand in Montana, according to Jackie Steigleman, the owner of Antlers Unlimited in Bozeman, Montana.<\/p>\n<p>The antlers, which can weigh as much as 12 pounds, can reportedly sell for $14 a pound.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s an antler war out there, and they&rsquo;re very valuable,&rdquo; Steigleman tole The New York Times. &ldquo;We joke about it all the time because it&rsquo;s such a popular activity and you can make some decent money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Collecting shed elk antlers from state-owned land is legal in Montana, but requires a conservation license, Greg Lemon with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p>Nathan Hulling, Bray&rsquo;s attorney, reminded the public to &ldquo;let the process play out and remember these men are innocent until proven guilty.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/service-members-separated-rejecting-covid-vaccine-can-reinstated-big-catch-many-refusing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">service members<\/a> &mdash; a lot of them have given a decade-plus of service to their country &mdash; and we are still gathering information,&rdquo; Hulling said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three members of the Montana National Guard are facing misdemeanor charges for reportedly landing a helicopter on private property and taking elk antlers. The incident occurred on May 4, when witnesses observed a Black Hawk helicopter land at a ranch located 25 miles north of Big Timber, Montana, as reported by The New York Times. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has charged the servicemen with criminal trespassing, which could result in a $500 fine or up to six months in jail, according to The Big Timber Pioneer. Ranch owner Linda McMullen, 71, received a call from a neighbor informing her about the situation. &#8220;He said there&#8217;s an Army helicopter on your property picking up elk antlers,&#8221; McMullen recalled. &#8220;I thought he was joking until he confirmed it through binoculars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2444599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Black-Hawk.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[56772,10228,56773,37479,51799],"class_list":["post-2444598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cattle-ranch","tag-helicopter","tag-military-misconduct","tag-national-guard","tag-theft-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Black-Hawk.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2444598"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2444602,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444598\/revisions\/2444602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2444599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2444598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2444598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2444598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}