Chapter Two: Corner-Crossing Conflict and a Grisly Bear Attack

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter Two Summary

The day after his encounter with the Pennsylvania hunters, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is checking hunters on the south side of Wolf Mountain. Feeling all of his fifty-one years, he is pleasantly tired after a smooth morning of finding no violations and meeting ethical hunters, including hipsters from Jackson Hole hunting elk for food. While descending the mountain, he receives a call from Clay Hutmacher, foreman of the Double Diamond Ranch. Hutmacher is looking for his son, Clay Junior, who has not answered his phone since the previous night and did not sleep in his room. Joe promises to keep an eye out and to check with his daughter Sheridan, who is dating Clay Junior.

Joe then updates Hutmacher about the three Pennsylvania campers he met the day before, who built a ladder to corner-cross from a public parcel onto adjacent public land without stepping on private property. Joe had warned them about the legal gray area—while citizens have a right to access all public lands, crossing airspace over private land constitutes trespass. Hutmacher is angry and plans to send men on ATVs to catch them and hold them for the sheriff, but Joe notes that the Twelve Sleep County Sheriff’s Department is in disarray after the retirement of Sheriff Tibbs; interim Sheriff Elaine Beveridge rarely responds, and a new election looms.

Two hours later, Hutmacher calls back in tears. He has found Clay Junior’s leg near the river and believes his son was attacked by a bear or other large predator. Joe activates his truck’s siren and lights, radios dispatch in Cheyenne, and requests that the Predator Attack Team be put on standby. He is an alternate member of that team, which consists of five armed wardens trained to respond to large-carnivore attacks.

At the Double D ranch, Joe drives down a two-track through aspen groves and across a hayfield to the river. He sees Hutmacher’s truck and an ATV. Armed with a shotgun, bear spray, and a Glock, Joe pushes through thick willows to the riverbank. There he finds Hutmacher hunched on a rock, a large-caliber handgun nearby, and the bottom half of a human leg in waders. Hutmacher says the bear must have gotten his son.

Joe moves upstream and discovers a massive grizzly track—nine inches long and over five inches wide—confirming a grizzly, not a black bear. He finds a mound of dirt and debris where Clay Junior’s body has been cached; the face is mutilated with puncture wounds, the skull crushed. Drag marks and bear tracks lead from the river. Joe notes the unusual circumstances: a bear attack in the water and the body cached along the bank, suggesting the bear may return to feed.

Joe persuades the distraught Hutmacher to leave the scene, warning that the bear might still be nearby. Hutmacher laments that his son, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, has been killed at home. Joe calls Marybeth and gives her the devastating news: the victim is Clay Junior, who was going to be their son-in-law. Marybeth says Sheridan is coming for dinner that evening along with Nate and Liv, and that Clay Junior was supposed to join them. Joe tells her not to wait for him and that he is worried about their daughter. As he hangs up, he receives an incoming call from Game and Fish headquarters.

Key Events

Joe Pickett encounters three Pennsylvania hunters who plan to corner-cross from public land onto adjacent public parcels using a custom ladder; he warns them of potential trespassing charges.
Joe explains the broader controversy: 2.4 million acres of corner-locked public land in Wyoming, a legal issue pitting sportsmen against landowners.
Clay Hutmacher calls Joe asking about his missing son; Joe learns Clay Junior did not sleep at home and is dating Joe’s daughter Sheridan.
Hutmacher calls back in tears, having found his son’s severed leg near the river, suspecting a bear attack.
Joe drives to the Double D ranch with lights and siren, notifies dispatch, and requests the Predator Attack Team be placed on standby.
At the scene, Joe discovers a nine-inch grizzly track and Clay Junior’s cached body, mutilated and buried in a mound.
Joe gets Hutmacher to leave the site for safety; the foreman expresses his grief and guilt.
Joe calls Marybeth to inform her that Clay Junior is dead; they discuss Sheridan’s upcoming dinner and Joe’s concern for their daughter.

Character Development

Joe Pickett: Feels his age but remains dedicated to his duties. He shows empathy toward both ethical hunters and landowners, even as he is caught in the middle of the corner-crossing dispute. His reaction to the bear attack reveals his deep fear of grizzlies and his professional composure under extreme stress. His personal connection to the victim—his daughter’s boyfriend—adds emotional weight.
Clay Hutmacher: A stoic ranch foreman who breaks down upon discovering his son’s remains. His anger at the hunters and his helplessness in the face of tragedy show a father’s raw grief and guilt.
Sheridan Pickett (mentioned): Though not present, her relationship with Clay Junior raises the stakes. Joe’s worry for her reveals his protective fatherly instincts.
Marybeth Pickett: Calm and supportive, she immediately understands the gravity and offers love. Her awareness that Sheridan will be devastated shows her maternal foresight.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Corner-crossing and Property Rights: The conflict between public access to corner-locked land and private property rights mirrors larger Western tensions. The ladder symbolizes the desperate measures hunters take, while the dead-end legal situation reflects Joe’s position as a mediator.
Predator as Antagonist: The grizzly bear is both a real physical threat and a symbol of untamed nature. The bear’s caching behavior and the unusual river attack introduce an unsettling mystery.
Fatherhood and Legacy: Both Joe and Clay Hutmacher are fathers facing the potential loss of a child. Hutmacher’s grief is compounded by the fear that he failed to protect his son, who survived war only to die at home.
Aging and Mortality: Joe’s awareness of his own age and the physical toll of his job contrasts with the violent, sudden death of a young man, underscoring the fragility of life.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Two escalates the novel’s central crisis. The corner-crossing subplot introduces a simmering cultural conflict that will likely collide with the predator attack. The death of Clay Junior—Sheridan’s boyfriend—personalizes the tragedy for Joe and his family, raising emotional stakes. The grizzly attack on the river, with its unusual caching, hints that something may be off about this incident, setting up a mystery that will drive the investigation. Joe’s isolated response, given the sheriff department’s dysfunction, places further responsibility on him. This chapter transforms a routine patrol into a life-threatening situation for the Pickett family.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Joe warn the Pennsylvania hunters about corner-crossing, and what does this reveal about Joe’s role as a game warden?
Joe warns them because corner-crossing is legally ambiguous: while citizens have a right to access public lands, any part of their body passing over private airspace constitutes trespass. Joe explains he can’t stop them but can’t protect them from the sheriff. This reveals his impartiality and the difficult position wardens occupy between sportsmen and landowners.

2. What details of the bear attack scene strike Joe as unusual, and why might they be significant?
Joe notes that the attack occurred on the river and that the body was cached along the bank—unusual behaviors for a bear. This suggests the bear might have been premeditated or that the scene was staged, potentially indicating a human perpetrator or a bear with atypical behavior. These details raise suspicion that the attack may not be straightforward.

3. How does Joe’s personal connection to the victim affect his professional response?
Joe learns from Hutmacher that Clay Junior was going to be his son-in-law, linking the tragedy to his daughter Sheridan. Although Joe remains professional—securing the scene, comforting Hutmacher, calling Marybeth—the emotional weight is clear. He admits to Marybeth that he is worried about their daughter, showing that the case will test his ability to separate duty from personal grief.