I Tried to Drive a Public Road, and Was Turned Back at Gunpoint by a Ranch Hand

I Tried to Drive a Public Road, and Was Turned Back at Gunpoint by a Ranch Hand

This story, “Cloud in the Big Sky,” appeared in the July 1971 issue of Outdoor Life. Ted Turner purchased the 113,600-acre Flying D Ranch in 1989 and enrolled some of it under conservation easements, though also posted it and limited public access. One of the disputed roads, the Bear Trap Road along the Madison River, was included in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, allowing for clear public access. The wilderness was established in 1983, and became …