Wyoming man pleads guilty in moose cruelty case, banned from shed hunting

Range Martin’s guilty plea in Third District Court carried a punishment that reaches well beyond one ranch case: he was banned from hunting, trapping, fishing and shed hunting during probation. The plea to felony cruelty to animals also calls for three years of supervised probation, deferred prosecution, a $1,000 fine plus court costs, and sentencing set for Oct. 2.

The plea came after Martin was accused of abusing an infirm moose on video on the M Arrow Ranch in Uinta County in May 2021. Court documents described the animal as appearing blind in one eye and in poor health, and earlier reporting said the moose was roped, ridden, spurred and dragged. The case also included a charge of wanton taking of a big game animal, underscoring how fast a reckless encounter with winter-stressed wildlife can move from bad judgment into felony territory.

Martin also was ordered to identify the person who recorded the incident and whose voice urged the behavior. In court, he said he encountered the moose while moving cows and checking gates and tried to rope and drag it out of the way because it was interfering with ranch work. Judge James Kaste called the act traumatic and inherently harmful to wildlife.

The criminal case has drawn in more than one defendant. Kylan Platt is expected to accept a similar plea deal, while Justin Martin remains headed for a later trial after a separate evidentiary fight over the phone video. Initial charging reports identified Justin Martin as 53, Range Martin as 22 and Kylan Platt as 21; Platt is from Malad City, Idaho.

For shed hunters, the key detail is the one that hits closest to home: shed hunting is part of the ban. Wyoming Game and Fish Department rules close Collection Area 1 from Jan. 1 until 6 a.m. May 1 for residents and until 6 a.m. May 8 for nonresidents, with nonresidents 15 and older needing a conservation stamp to collect shed antlers or horns there. The agency says those restrictions are meant to reduce disturbance to wintering wildlife, exactly when animals are at their weakest.

That pressure matters in Wyoming moose country, where the Jackson Moose Herd was put at 289 moose in 2026 through Moose Day counts and Game and Fish aerial surveys. Earlier wildlife research has tied moose declines to winter ticks, parasites, malnutrition, habitat change, predation and other stresses. Against that backdrop, the moose case is a blunt reminder that harassing a weakened animal is not a backcountry prank, and the consequences can reach every part of the outdoor calendar.