The collection of ribbons military members wear on their uniform is sometimes called a “rack,” but a Montana National Guard helicopter pilot agreed this week he’d been caught trying to bring home several particularly large ones from a flight last spring.
In May 2025, Montana Guard pilot Deni Lynn Draper landed his UH-60 Black Hawk on a private ranch in the foothills of the state’s Crazy Mountains — yes, the Crazy Mountains, sometimes called the ‘Crazies’ — to recover elk antlers and a skull the crew had spotted from the air. Draper, a Chief Warrant Officer 2 in the guard, entered a no-contest plea on Monday in a Montana court to trespassing charges over the incident for landing on private property and will pay a $500 fine, according to local media. The pilot also faces what a Montana Guard spokesperson called “appropriate” actions from his unit for “misuse” of government property.
“Protecting the public trust is paramount to the Montana National Guard, and we take any misuse of government resources seriously,” said Brig. Gen. Trent Gibson, the state’s adjutant general, in a statement sent to Task & Purpose. “As a proud profession, when violations occur that are inconsistent with standards, policies, or law, we act — appropriately, proportionately, and consistent with our values. This ensures accountability. Anything less would undermine who we are and the trust placed in us.”
Lt. Col. Thomas Figarelle, the Guard’s chief public affairs officer, said details of any sanctions against Draper or his crew would not be released.
Unit known for rescues and fire ops
The crew was spotted by neighbors of the ranch owner in May as they collected two sets of antlers and one skeletal head with antlers, Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg told the New York Times. Investigators also found “helicopter tire indentations and exhaust marks in the grass.” Draper and his crew, investigators found, had landed during a training mission as part of the 1st Battalion of the 189th General Support Aviation Battalion, which is based in Helena, about 100 miles from the Crazies.
Figarelle called the unit the “most actively utilized battalion in the state.” Crews from the 189th, he said, routinely fly “bucket drop” flights to fight fires, respond to civilian search and rescue calls, and deploy overseas. The unit helped rescue a 71-year-old man in September who had been missing in the state’s Bear Tooth mountains for four days.
Draper’s attorney told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that the landing and antler collection was a “mistake.”
“There was never any intent to land on private property,” said attorney Dwight Schulte, according to the Bozeman paper. “That very well may be irrelevant … but I think it is important to understand this was a mistake without malicious intent.”
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Draper, Schulte said, has almost 20 years of service.
The two other crew members, Michael Vincent Bray and Perry Wray Woodland, did not enter a plea and could face a jury trial, the paper reported.
“It’s a unit with lots of pride,” said Figarelle. “We’ve been able to learn from this situation and issue clear guidance that no type of antler harvesting of any type is authorized. There is no tolerance.”
