Big Game Hunters Accused of Illegally Killing Over a Dozen Mountain Lions

A trio of big game hunters are facing federal felony charges for organizing rouge hunting expeditions in Idaho and Wyoming that resulted in the killing of at least a dozen mountain lions .

Chad Michael Kulow, Andrea May Major, and LaVoy Linton Eborn were indicted on conspiracy and charges under the Lacey Act, USA Today reports, citing Justice Department documents. The Lacey Act is a federal conservation law enacted to combat the illegal trafficking of wildlife, fish, and plants in the United States.

The three were accused by federal prosecutors on Wednesday of charging hunters $6,000 to $6,500 to book trips into both the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Idaho and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming to hunt mountain lions, also known as cougars. Though they all worked as licensed guides in the State of Idaho and were employed by a licensed and federally permitted outfitter, the hunting expeditions were conducted outside of their authorized duties.

The Idaho Fish and Game requires hunters to work only with licensed guides who typically work for outfitters that authorize and manage bookings for hunts.

Following the hunts, which were conducted from December 2021 to January 2022, the carcasses of the mountain lions were illegally transported from national forest land to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Texas, and North Carolina, court documents state.

"During late 2021, Kulow, Major, and Eborn conspired together to commit Lacey Act violations, when they began illegally acting in the capacity of outfitters, by independently booking mountain lion hunting clients, accepting direct payment, and guiding hunts in southeast Idaho and Wyoming," the Justice Department said in the court filing.

Additionally, the three are accused of falsifying Big Game Mortality Reports to Idaho Fish and Game by claiming that a licensed outfitter oversaw the hunts.

Kulow is facing 13 total charges for the alleged violations to the Lacey Act, while Major is looking a seven and Eborn eight. The three will appear in front of a jury trial in November and if convicted, they could receive five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for each violation.