AI Summary
5 min readIn November 2025, a group of hunters—including Outdoor Life editor Andrew McKean—paid $2,000 each for a four-minute helicopter ride into a 16-million-acre category of public land in Wyoming that is legally owned by the public but physically inaccessible without crossing private property. The rancher who controlled that access charged $6,500 for a guided hunt on the same ground. The helicopter was a workaround, and the hunt was meant to highlight the problem of landlocked public acres. Instead, it became a nine-month legal and ethical debacle that left everyone involved worse off.
The Helicopter Hunt and the Stolen Skull
The story unfolded in three acts. On day one, McKean shot a large bull elk. On day two, two other hunters in the party also killed good bulls. On day three, while processing meat, the hunters spotted the 70-year-old rancher who controls access to the land carrying an elk skull away from one of the kill sites and hiding it in a ravine. They confronted him, and he admitted to taking it, saying, "I don't want you guys hunting this outfit." The rancher later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and was fined $220. The video of the confrontation went viral, and the rancher became a national symbol of land-access obstruction.
The Trespassing Conviction
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The MeatEater Podcast
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (02:06) **Show Opening & Freeze-Dryer Shenanigans** - The crew kicks off the episode and Steve reveals he impulsively bought a commercial freeze-dryer for the office to make dog treats and backpacking food.
- 2 (06:21) **Market Report: Halibut and Seafood Prices** - The show debuts a new segment examining weird price fluctuations in wildlife commodities, starting with halibut prices Brody spotted at Costco.
- 3 (19:15) **Listener Mail: Doctor's Note for Elk Hunting** - A listener asks Steve for a "doctor's note" to skip school for a pack-in elk hunt, since Steve has an honorary doctorate.
- 4 (25:56) **Part 1: The Helicopter Elk Hunt & The Rancher** - Brody introduces the story of a controversial Wyoming elk hunt, beginning with the viral incident where a rancher tried to steal a hunter's elk skull.
- 5 (34:17) **Part 2: The Trespassing Conviction** - The narrative shifts to day one of the hunt, revealing that the editor who shot the giant bull, Andrew McKean, was actually standing on private land when he pulled the trigger.
- 6 (43:03) **Part 3: The Aftermath & Final Takeaways** - The rancher is interviewed and the crew gives their final thoughts on the debacle, concluding that everyone involved lost.
- 7 (64:49) **Etsy Bans Animal Fur for Fly Tying** - Seth reports that Etsy has updated its policy to ban the sale of items made with real animal fur, directly impacting fly tyers who sell flies tied with mink, fox, rabbit, and badger.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Steven Rinella and the MeatEater Crew Discuss: Outdoor Life’s public land helicopter debacle; Etsy is the Devil (maybe); does fishing save you money; will MT send a smoke-jumper to Congress; and more!
Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network
Steve on Instagram and Twitter
MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from this podcast
The MeatEater Podcast →