Wednesday, March 4, 2026 |
Photo – Wyoming State Capitol building – Courtesy WYDOT
The Wyoming Senate defeated a bill to codify corner crossing into state law.
On Monday, March 2nd, the Wyoming Senate considered House Bill 19, a measure to clarify when and where corner crossing is legal. The bill was introduced in response to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals March 2025 ruling in favor of four Missouri hunters. The sportsmen used a ladder to cross between parcels of federal public land on Elk Mountain. In doing so, the adjoining private landowner called the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, and the hunters were cited for criminal trespass. Carbon County District Court ruled in favor of the hunters and the charges were dismissed. The case was appealed to the 10th Circuit Court, which also sided with the sportsmen, citing the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885, a federal law that prohibits private landowners from obstructing access to public lands.
Law enforcement officers in Wyoming have been directed to follow the court’s ruling that corner crossing is legal if it is done at the corners of two public parcels of land and the individuals do not touch the adjacent private property.
House Bill 19, titled Corner Crossing Clarification, passed on third reading in the Wyoming House on a narrow 32-28-2 vote. The bill then moved to the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee. By a vote of three to two, the Committee advanced the bill to the full Senate with a single amendment requiring all corner crossing to occur over a United States Geological Survey marker.
Speaking at the March 2nd session, Travel Committee member Senator Brian Boner, who introduced the amendment, said in the Elk Mountain case, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the hunters because they crossed over an established USGS marker. By adding the requirement to the bill, Senator Boner said the legislature would be codifying the court’s precise ruling into law.
Senator Stacy Jones, who also sits on the Senate Travel Committee, said many corners between private and public parcels are not marked with a USGS cap. Requiring corner crossing to be done over a marker limits the public’s ability to access their federally protected lands. Due to those concerns, Senator Jones said she did not support the amendment.
Other members of the Wyoming Senate agreed that perhaps as many as half of all private and public land corners are not marked with a USGS survey cap. Because of that, Senator John Kolb recommended allowing sportsmen to use GPS devices to find the approximate location of a corner.
Senator Larry Hicks said GPS technology is too unreliable to ensure people are actually crossing at the corner. Without a verified survey marker, the Carbon and Sweetwater County Republican said House Bill 19 allows individuals to legally violate private property rights.
Senator Eric Barlow asked if the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling limited the types of activity that can occur while corner crossing, such as hunting. Senator Chris Rothfuss replied that the courts did not specify what can be done on public land, only that access cannot be denied. The Albany County Democrat added that the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals did not stipulate that corner crossing be done only over an established USGS marker.
Senator Rothfuss said the proposed amendment would infringe on the public’s right to access federally protected land.
Senator Brian Boner reiterated that the 10th Circuit’s ruling was based on the presence of a USGS marker. Due to the inaccuracy of current GPS technology, the Converse and Natrona County Republican said House Bill 19 would broaden the court’s ruling too far without his proposed amendment.
Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee Chairman Senator Bill Landen said hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts are asking lawmakers to step in and prevent out-of-state landowners from blocking access to public lands.
Senate Chairwoman Wendy Schuler called for a vote on the amendment to require the presence of a USGS marker to corner cross and the proposal failed.
Afterwards, Senator Landen introduced an amendment to specify the types of state lands covered under the bill. Specifically, parcels managed by the Board of Land Commissioners, the state, or any state agency that can be reached by a public route or by adjacent public land open to use, or by adjacent private land with the landowner’s permission. The amendment passed and the Senate began debating House Bill 19 itself.
Senator Stacy Jones said the measure falls short of its intended purpose. The Sweetwater County Republican said the Senate Travel Committee heard testimony from landowners, sportsmen, and outdoor enthusiasts, all of whom opposed the bill, and asked why the legislature was considering its passage.
Senator Charles Scott responded that the legislature is “wasting time” debating House Bill 19. By prohibiting hunters from accessing public lands, the Natrona County Republican said local wildlife herds are growing out of control. Senator Scott added that the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission is unable to control the herds and recommended expanding the state agency’s powers to secure access to landlocked public lands.
Senator Ogden Driskill said that contrary to Senator Scott’s comments, House Bill 19 is not meaningless. The District One (Campbell, Crook, Weston Counties) Republican said the bill, as written, decriminalizes trespassing. If passed, Senator Driskill said he would introduce an amendment to impose harsh penalties for hunters caught on private property.
Senators Hicks and Landen both requested for more time to meet with landowners and sportsmen to develop a bill that both sides can support.
Following the discussion, the Wyoming Senate voted to indefinitely postpone House Bill 19 by a vote of four to 27, effectively killing the measure.
