Utah men sentenced for organizing illegal ‘canned’ mountain lion hunts

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Two men out of southern Utah have been sentenced for leading “canned” mountain lion hunts — a hunt involving animals that are kept in a confined area through various means, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office .

The crime involved a Utah-licensed big game outfitter and his employee, who is named as a cougar hunting guide. The two defrauded hunters by leading canned hunts for commercial gain, in violation of the Lacey Act — a U.S. law that prohibits the illegal trafficking of fish, wildlife, and plants.

While the Lacey Act prohibits the sale in interstate commerce of any wildlife taken or sold in violation of state law, the act defines the “sale” of wildlife to include providing guiding or outfitting services.

The two defendants were sentenced separately for their involvement in the crime. On July 18, a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Wade Lemon, 63, of Holden, to two months in prison, a $10,500 fine, and a one-year commercial ban on federal land. Lemon owns and operates Wade Lemon Hunting, based in Holden.

Lemon advertises his business on his website, according to the DOJ, boasting a nearly 100% success rate. In reality, Lemon had cheated, defrauding hunters by conducting illegal canned cougar hunts.

“Utah law prohibits ‘canned hunts’ of mountain lions,” the release states. “A canned hunt means that a cougar is treed, cornered, held at bay or its ability to escape is otherwise restricted to allow a person who was not a member of the initial hunting party to arrive and take the cougar.”

Lemon reportedly admitted to illegally participating in the canned hunts on Jan. 24, 2021, and Dec. 15, 2020. The hunts took place on federal Bureau of Land Management and National Forest Service land.

On Monday, July 22, a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Kacey Alan Yardley, 47, of Enoch, to six months’ bench probation after he pleaded guilty to his involvement in a canned cougar hunt with Lemon. Yardley is also reportedly banned from federal land for commercial purposes as part of his probation.

Yardley worked for Lemon as a cougar hunting guide and houndsman, according to the DOJ. On Dec. 15, 2020, while on BLM land, Yardley admitted that a cougar was held at bay and “its ability to escape was otherwise restricted” to allow a hunter — who was reportedly not a member of the original hunting party — to arrive and attempt to take the animal.’

“This is a unique and important case because hunting is an important part of Utah’s culture,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Canned hunts are illegal because they create an unfair advantage and can lead to inhumane treatment of the animals. It is also unfair to hunters who paid thousands of dollars for a guide and had no idea that they were participating in a canned hunt. My office and our law enforcement partners take these crimes seriously because they negatively impact our state and the hunting community.”

No further information is available at this time.

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