▁the ▁charges . ▁The ▁state ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁decl ined ▁to ▁review ▁the ▁case ▁the ▁next ▁year . ▁ ▁State ▁v . ▁Bul lock ▁ ▁Contempor ane ously ▁with ▁Johnson , ▁another ▁case ▁involving ▁the ▁open - fields ▁doctrine ▁began ▁working ▁its ▁way ▁through ▁Mont ana ' s ▁state ▁courts . ▁Un like ▁its ▁state ▁and ▁federal ▁prede cess ors , ▁it ▁involved ▁il leg ally ▁taken ▁game ▁rather ▁than ▁mar iju ana ▁cultiv ation . ▁ ▁In ▁October ▁ 1 9 9 1 , ▁Ch uck ▁Wing , ▁a ▁B ould er , ▁Mont ana , ▁man ▁saw ▁a ▁six - ▁or ▁seven - point ▁b ull ▁el k ▁on ▁a ▁hill ▁as ▁he ▁was ▁returning ▁from ▁work . ▁He ▁knew ▁that ▁these ▁el k ▁could ▁only ▁be ▁taken ▁by ▁hun ters ▁with ▁special ▁perm its ▁in ▁that ▁area . ▁As ▁he ▁was ▁watching ▁he ▁saw ▁two ▁men ▁shoot ▁the ▁el k ▁and ▁put ▁it ▁in ▁their ▁tr uck , ▁which ▁he ▁knew ▁belonged ▁to ▁a ▁man ▁named ▁Edd ie ▁Pet erson , ▁without ▁field ▁dress ing ▁it . ▁Wing ▁reported ▁it ▁to ▁Jefferson ▁County ▁Sher iff ▁Tom ▁Daw son , ▁which ▁in ▁turn ▁passed ▁the ▁information ▁to ▁the ▁state ▁Department ▁of ▁Fish , ▁Wild life ▁and ▁Park s ▁( M F WP ). ▁ ▁Chris ▁Anderson , ▁an ▁M F WP ▁game ▁w arden ▁came ▁from ▁nearby ▁Hel ena ▁to ▁B ould er ▁the ▁next ▁morning ▁and ▁interview ed ▁Wing . ▁Anderson ▁learned ▁that ▁Pet erson ▁lived ▁in ▁nearby ▁Bas in ▁Creek