Hunter S. Thompson’s Widow Returned the Antlers He Stole From Hemingway

Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway never crossed paths, but if they did, they would have had a lot to talk about. The two writers shared a passion for guns, prose, and hard liquor—and they apparently had similar taste in home decor. Thompson stole a mounted pair of elk antlers from Hemingway’s house while on assignment in 1964 and the trophy remained in his possession until his suicide in 2005. Now, 52 years later, BroBible reports that they’ve been returned to their rightful home in Idaho.

The antlers were brought back by Anita Thompson, Hunter Thompson’s wife at the time of his death. She recounted to BroBible the story of the theft as it was told to her years later:

“He got caught up in the moment," she said. "He had so much respect for Hemingway. He was actually very embarrassed by it.”

Three years after Hemingway committed suicide in his Ketchum, Idaho chalet, Thompson made the trek there for reporting purposes. In his National Observer piece titled “What Lured Hemingway to Ketchum?” Thompson mentions “a big pair of elk horns over the front door.” Those very well may have been the same horns that ended up in the garage of Thompson’s Colorado mountain home (right above the red Chevy Impala featured in his 1971 book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

According to Anita, the couple had made plans to quietly return the stolen item but never got around to doing it. It wasn’t until August of this year that she decided to make the 11-hour drive from Colorado to Ketchum to deliver them herself. The vehicle she chose for the trip, her Toyota Prius, may not have been Hunter Thompson’s first choice, but the journey itself stayed true to his Gonzo spirit.

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