Three big game hunters are facing felony wildlife charges after allegedly charging clients thousands of dollars to hunt mountain lions and ship them across the nation.
Chad Michael Kulow, his partner Andrea May Major, and LaVoy Linton Eborn are accused of leading unlicensed expeditions into the Idaho and Wyoming wilderness to hunt the wild cats.
The trio allegedly killed at least a dozen mountain lions and were indicted under the Lacy Act, a federal conservation law that criminalizes trading wildlife that was illegally transported or sold.
Kulow made no secret of his activities on social media and often shared pictured of himself and Major proudly displaying an array of cougars and other wild animals they had shot for sport.
Three big game hunters including Andrea Major (pictured) are facing felony wildlife charges after allegedly charging clients thousands of dollars to hunt mountain lions and ship them across the nation
Chad Michael Kulow, his partner Andrea May Major, (left) and LaVoy Linton Eborn (right) are facing federal charges after allegedly leading unlicensed trophy hunting expeditions into the Idaho and Wyoming wilderness
According to the indictment against Kulow, Major and Eborn, they charged clients upwards of $6,000 apiece for the opportunity to hunt and kill mountain lions.
On these trips, the mountain lions they hunted were allegedly not part of licensing they had with the State of Ohio nor a federally permitted outfitting service they worked for, reports USA Today.
Their ventures began in late 2021, when the Justice Department said 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.’
After a successful hunt, clients were then illegally sent across the country, to locations including Montana, Texas, North Carolina, and Alaska, per court documents.
Kulow and Major (together here) and Eborn allegedly charged clients upwards of $6,000 apiece for the opportunity to hunt and kill mountain lions
The hunters made no secret of their activities on social media and often shared pictured displaying an array of cougars and other wild animals they had shot for sport
Under Idaho Fish and Game laws, licensed hunting outfitters are required to submit Big Game Mortality Reports about the trophy animals they kill.
However, prosecutors allege that the three falsified their reports and claimed they were carried out under licensing.
The three hunters face trials in November, with Kulow charged with a total of 13 violations of the Lacey Act, Major seven charges, and Eborn eight charges.
They face up to five years in prison if convicted, alongside a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release for each charge.
In one Facebook post from October 2020, Kulow proudly shared images from his hunting excursions, telling his followers: ‘Utah lions are out! We are ready to hunt lions statewide – hit us up to book your dream lion hunt.’
The post was accompanied by several images of the hunters hoisting huge mountain lions larger than themselves while wearing a large smile on their faces.
When one person commented ‘that’s horrible’ to the images, he responded: ‘We are in the business of saving deer and humans.
‘They aren’t house cats. They’re killers. Look up predator management,’ he added.
The arrests come as part of a Lacey Act crackdown by federal prosecutors that has seen a number of hunters charged this year.
