Monday, March 2, 2026 |
Photo – Corner-crossing example – Courtesy Supreme Court document
The corner‑crossing bill advances to the state Senate despite objections from agricultural and recreational groups.
On Wednesday, February 26th, the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee met to discuss House Bill 19. The measure seeks to codify the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision legalizing crossing between public parcels of land at the corners, given that the individual does not damage the adjacent private property in the process. The Committee passed the bill on a three to two vote, sending it to the full Senate.
House Bill 19 stems from a 2021 case in Carbon County, where Iron Bar Holdings sued four Missouri elk hunters who crossed at a point where two parcels of private land adjoin two parcels of public land on Elk Mountain. Landowner Fred Eshelman argued that by using a ladder to cross over his fence, the hunters trespassed through his private airspace.
The hunters were cited for criminal trespass but were acquitted in Carbon County District Court. Iron Bar Holdings appealed the ruling to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which also sided with the hunters, citing the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885, a federal law that prohibits private landowners from obstructing access to public lands. However, the federal court only ruled on the legality of accessing federal land, not property owned by states or local governments.
Earlier this year, the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee introduced House Bill 19, which seeks to codify the federal ruling into state law. The measure would also extend corner crossing to include entering land owned by the state of Wyoming and local governments, provided the person is authorized to access the land in the first place.
After hearing testimony, both for and against the measure, the House Committee passed House Bill 19 with a single amendment. The change requires that corner crossing be done only on foot, not with pack animals or any type of vehicle. The full House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 32 to 28, and it was sent to the Senate for further consideration by that chamber’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee.
The Senate Committee met earlier this week to discuss House Bill 19, where House Committee Chairman Andrew Byron explained the intent of the three-page bill.
Bill opponents testified that some corners are not properly marked, forcing hunters to rely on inaccurate GPS reading to find a legal crossing point. Representative Byron responded that hunters, anglers, and hikers are entirely responsible for ensuring they cross at the correct location. The Lincoln and Teton County Republican said objections appear to stem from landowners’ unwillingness to allow more members of the public to access federally held land.
Representative Byron was referring to comments made by Representative Marilyn Connolly, who, during the February 19th session of the House of Representatives, said her Johnson and Sheridan County constituents are concerned about fence damage as more people travel to previously inaccessible public-land parcels.
Senator Brian Boner questioned the need for the measure, saying landowners and hunters typically reach agreements on access without involving law enforcement. Representative Karlee Provenza, who also serves on the House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee, agreed that in most situations the parties involved are able to reach an agreement. However, the Albany County Democrat said House Bill 19 responds directly to the earlier case in which an out‑of‑state landowner sued to block the public from accessing federal land.
Representative Andrew Byron added that House Bill 19 does not prohibit landowners from building fences up to the corner. The Lincoln and Teton County Republican said corner crossers would be responsible for accessing public land without touching any private property, including fences.
Following those comments, Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee Chairman Bill Landen opened the floor to public testimony. Wyoming Stockgrowers Association board member Jim Magagna said his organization opposes House Bill 19 as written. Magagna objected to including state-owned lands, saying access to state trust lands is a privilege granted by the State Board of Land Commissioners rather than a guaranteed right.
Magagna provided the Committee with a potential amendment excluding all state-owned land, not just trust lands, from the measure.
Wyoming Backcountry Hunters Association member Buzz Hettick also spoke against House Bill 19. Hettick’s organization helped defend the four Missouri hunters against Iron Bar Holdings in their criminal trespass case. Instead of rushing to enact legislation, Hettick recommended giving landowners and sportsmen time resolve the issue among themselves.
Wyoming Backcountry Hunters Association Co‑Chairman Guy Litt said the 1885 Unlawful Inclosures Act already bars landowners from blocking access to public land. Litt said the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals relied in part on the 1913 MacKay vs Uinta Development Company ruling, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that public land may be accessed on horseback.
Litt said House Bill 19 only adds confusion to an issue he views as already settled.
Wyoming Farm Bureau Policy Advocacy Director Kelly Carpenter said her organization strongly opposes the measure. Carpenter agreed that corner crossing is an important issue but said Farm Bureau members are already working to open inaccessible checkerboard property through land swaps. The policy advocacy director recommended excluding state-owned land and presented an amendment to limit crossing to marked corners.
Carpender said House Bill 19, as written, would confuse sportsmen and add unnecessary complexity to ranchers’ lives.
Jessi Johnson, Government Affairs Director for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, also opposed the bill. Johnson asked the Committee to delay a decision for one year so her organization can bring sportsmen and landowners together to draft a proposal they all support.
The Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee heard testimony from three additional members of the public, all of whom opposed the current iteration of House Bill 19. While several committee members favored removing state‑owned land from the measure, they said any such change should be taken up by the full Senate. The committee instead voted to add the Wyoming Farm Bureau’s recommendation that corners be clearly marked before crossing, and advanced House Bill 19 on a three‑to‑two vote. The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
