Three Idaho Guides Indicted for Illegal Mountain Lion Hunts

Three Idaho big game guides indicted for Lacey Act violations, facing up to five years in prison for illegal mountain lion hunts.Photo byPriscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦onUnsplash

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted three big game guides on multiple charges, including conspiracy and violations of the Lacey Act.

The indictment, returned on August 27, 2024, charges Chad Michael Kulow, 44, and Andrea May Major, 44, both of Kuna, Idaho, along with LaVoy Linton Eborn, 47, of Paris, Idaho, for illegally guiding mountain lion hunts and transporting wildlife across state lines.

Kulow is charged with 12 counts, including one felony conspiracy charge and 11 felony Lacey Act violations.

Major faces seven counts, including one felony conspiracy charge and six Lacey Act violations, while Eborn is charged with eight counts, including one conspiracy charge and seven Lacey Act violations.

The Lacey Act, first enacted in 1900, is a federal law that prohibits the trafficking of wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, transported, or sold.

The act plays a key role in protecting endangered species and regulating the import and export of wildlife, acccording to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

According to the indictment, between December 2021 and February 2022, the defendants allegedly guided illegal mountain lion hunts in southeast Idaho and Wyoming, leading to the unlawful killing of at least 11 mountain lions.

They also submitted false Big Game Mortality Reports and transported the mountain lions across state lines, including to Texas, without proper documentation.

Kulow and Major were arrested on September 24, 2024, while Eborn was arrested the following day.

Notably, all three entered not guilty pleas and are set for a jury trial on November 18, 2024, according to the DOJ

If convicted, they face up to five years in federal prison, fines up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release for each violation.