Gathering fallen (or “shed”) elk antlers is a common hobby in elk-rich areas like Montana, but it’s generally a low-tech, ground-level activity. That’s why last year’s account of a US Black Hawk helicopter coming down to collect shed elk antlers on a ranch felt so unusual.
Could it really be that US military personnel were deploying multimillion-dollar government aircraft to touch down on private land in the Crazy Mountains—yes, that is their real name—just to pick up antlers worth a few hundred dollars?
The antler hunt
In May 2025, Montana rancher Linda McMullen got a call from a neighbor. “He said, ‘Linda, there’s a green Army helicopter landed on your place, picking up elk antlers,’” McMullen told The New York Times last year. “I said, ‘Are you joking?’ He said, ‘I’m looking at them with binoculars.’”
The county sheriff, who said he was “still trying to figure all this out” at the time, added that this was “the first helicopter I’ve heard of” in connection with shed antler collecting.
J. Peter Hronek, the Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard, promptly released a statement on Facebook “regarding unauthorized use of military aircraft.”
In the post, Hronek said he was “aware of an alleged incident involving a Montana Army National Guard helicopter landing on private property without authorization” and that “an internal investigation is underway, and appropriate adverse and/or administrative action will take place if the allegations are determined to be true.” The Black Hawk was reportedly on a training flight at the time.
