Is corner crossing legal in order to reach public lands? The Supreme Court has sent the message that yes, it is. For 5-years, Carbon County rancher Fred Eshelman has fought for his belief that it is trespassing when hunters step from one piece of public land onto another where those pieces intersect with two pieces of his property. When his original case failed, he continued the appeal process until it reached the consideration of the Supreme Court. Without comment, the Supreme Court declined to hear Eshelman’s appeal which is understood to mean that they support the rulings of the lower courts and no clarification on corner crossing is needed. This case clarifies the way forward for many in the west, including private land owners whose land checkerboards with public lands and those whose only way of accessing public land parcels is by corner crossing.
