Trio of big game hunters indicted for 'charging clients to illegally slaughter mountain lions'

After allegedly charging clients thousands of dollars to hunt mountain lions , three big game hunters are being slapped with felony wildlife charges .

The hunters, who were identified as Chad Michael Kulow, 44, Andrea May Major, also 44, and LaVoy Linton Eborn, 47, are accused of leading unlicensed expeditions into the wilderness in Idaho and Wyoming to hunt wild cats, with the trio allegedly killing at least a dozen of the lions, then transporting them across the nation.

Under the Lacey Act, a federal conservation law that criminalizes wildlife trading, especially the transportation and selling of restricted animals, the trio was indicted on a number of federal charges.

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Kulow reportedly bragged about his illicit activities on social media, sharing pictures of himself and Major, his partner, carrying an array of wild cats they had killed. The indictment ultimately revealed that the pair and Eborn charged clients more than $6,000 to hunt the cats with them, specifically mountain lions.

None of them had any licensing to hunt the animals through the state of Ohio, it was reported, which is where they were based, nor did the outfitting service they reportedly worked for, according to USA Today.

During their hunts, the trio allegedly began "Illegally acting in the capacity of outfitters," the Justice Department revealed. It all began back in late 2021, the indictment alleges, which was when they began their mountain lion hunting business. Almost all of the hunts were carried out in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Idaho and western Wyoming.

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After each hunt, the trio would reportedly send their clients across the country to deliver their kills. Prosecutors alleged that the trio themselves falsified a series of Big Game Mortality Reports, which are required submissions after hunts in Idaho under Idaho Fish and Game law. The trio alleged that their kills were carried out under licensing when they weren't.

All three are expected to face trial in November, with Kulow facing a total of 13 Lacey violations, while Eborn faces eight and Major faces seven. Each faces up to five years in prison, if they're convicted, and fines of $250,000. Then, they could also face three years of supervised release for each charge.

The businesses Kulow allegedly operated illegally were called "Lethal Guides and Outfitters" and "E-N Hunting Services." Neither were known to the actual, licensed outfitter he worked for.