Guides facing federal charges for illegal hunting and transport of mountain lions

The weekend might not be here yet, but your favorite dispatch from the great outdoors is. 

So grab your coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and let's get caught up on the outdoor news and views from the past few days. 

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

• It’s the Feds - Guides facing BIG charges in mountain lion hunting scheme 👮

• Swamp people sting - TV star Troy Landry busted in gator hunting sting 🐊

• Park City looking for answers - A headless elk was found on private property 🕵️

• Killer camper - A Colorado man killed a lion with a shovel after it threatened his dog 🐕‍🦺

• Dang it, moose! - One little boy is pissed after a moose gobbled up his pumpkin 🎃

Listen on Spotify or Apple.

BIG MONEY, BIG MONEY
GUIDES FACING FEDERAL CHARGES FOR ILLEGAL HUNTING AND TRANSPORT OF MOUNTAIN LIONS IN IDAHO AND WYOMING

It’s sounding a lot like prison time and fines that could reach upwards of $250,000 for a trio of guides that allegedly ran an illegal hunting scheme that resulted in the death of over a dozen mountain lions. 

Federal prosecutors returned a thirteen-count indictment on August 27, 2024, charging Chad Michael Kulow, 44, and Andrea May Major, 44, both of Kuna, Idaho, along with LaVoy Linton Eborn, 47, of Paris, Idaho, with conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and additional Lacey Act violations. 

According to the release, the indictment alleges that in late 2021, Kulow, Major, and Eborn were licensed guides in the State of Idaho, employed by a licensed outfitter.  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, outside of the licensed and federally permitted outfitting service for which they worked…

🎥 The dude from Swamp People has been cited in a Louisiana alligator hunting sting. An undercover sting operation down in Louisiana has resulted in charges for the infamous gator hunter Troy Landry. The sting operation kicked off after the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries received a tip that people were gator hunting in an area in Lake Palourde in which they did not have permission. 

A pair of agents took it upon themselves to stake out the area last month and in the process spotted Mr. Landry and “an unidentified cameraman,” cruise into the area by boat. As they questioned Landry, the officers learned that he did indeed have permission to hunt the property, but in the process, learned that he was without the proper alligator tags.

“Mr. Landry also admitted that prior to the agents making contact with him, he cut a dead ‘stiff’ alligator loose from his line and let it float away,” the report said.

Agents said they found the dead alligator floating in the lake “with the same line hanging from its mouth as the rest of Mr. Landry’s lines,” according to the report.

As a result of the incident, Landry was hit with a pair of citations, one for having an improperly tagged alligator and another for the dead gator. In total, Landry is facing upwards of $950 in fines and possible imprisonment for up to 120 days.

Landry told WAFB-TV that he had “nothing to say” about the incident. “I got a speeding ticket also last month but I have nothing to say about it either,” he added.

🕵️ Headless elk leads to poaching investigation in Park City. Utah officials are hot on the trail after a dead bull elk was found on private property owned by Park City Mountain Resort, where hunting is strictly prohibited. Officials were alerted to the dead animal on September 26th and when they arrived on the scene, located the animal with all of its meat harvested and its head cut off. 

Faith Jolley, spokesperson for the Utah DWR, later confirmed that the incident occurred within the extended archery elk hunting unit along the Wasatch Front, but noted that the animal was located on private property. 

“The elk was harvested within the extended archery season dates,” Jolley said. “The incident is still under investigation, and our officer is working with Park City Mountain Resort.”

Due to the ongoing investigation, authorities have not released further details about the incident or potential suspects.

QUICK HITS // ^{_{FROM AROUND THE WEB}}

Farmer support could lead Pennsylvania to lift its near-total ban on Sunday hunting: Pennsylvania’s near-total ban on Sunday hunting has long had the support of farmers and outdoor groups, but crop-hungry deer and swing district lawmakers could tip the state toward lifting restrictions. Read more at Spotlight PA.

Arkansas Hunters haul 181 alligators in 18th annual hunting season: Arkansas hunters managed the second-highest harvest of alligators on record during the last two weekends in the sloughs and swamps of The Natural State. The 181-alligator harvest falls short of last year’s record effort of 202 alligators checked, but maintains the overall upward trend in what is still a relatively new opportunity for hunters. Read more at AGFC.

Harmful algal blooms still present at start of Utha’s waterfowl hunting season: Many waterbodies in Utah are under warning and danger advisories due to harmful algal blooms. With waterfowl hunting season starting this week, hunters should be prepared to recognize and avoid such blooms. Read more at KSL TV.

Michigan urges hunters to shoot more does as deer population swells: “For the last several years we’ve been trying, particularly in southern Michigan, to encourage hunters to take more antlerless deer, when we talk about declining hunter numbers, increasing deer populations,” said Chad Fedewa, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources who specializes in deer, elk and moose management.  Read more at Detroit Free Press.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease spiking in parts of NW Ohio, killing deer: The Ohio Division of Natural Resources is warning of a spike of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer in Northwest Ohio. This is causing concern for some hunters who are asking the state to pull back on deer hunting in the region until the population rebounds. Read more at WTVG.

Early Muzzleloader Deer Season Opens Oct. 17 throughout Maryland: The first segment of Maryland’s muzzleloader deer season will be open Oct. 17-19 statewide. Hunters in Region B — the state’s central, southern, and eastern regions — can also use muzzleloaders from Oct. 21-26 for antlerless deer only. Read more at Maryland DNR.

A black bear was found dead along a Tennessee highway alongside a stack of pancakes. When it comes to going out with a smile on your face, I suppose gorging yourself on a pile of flapjacks is one way to accomplish that. Read more at USA Today.

F*CKED AROUND, FOUND OUT
COLORADO CAMPER KILLS A MOUNTAIN LION WITH A SHOVEL AFTER IT THREATENED HIS DOG

When Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers arrived on the scene, they found a man, who was camping west of Cañon City, leaning up against his Jeep with a dead mountain lion sprawled across the hood.

Not far behind him was the man’s dog, a large husky that had earlier reportedly been in an altercation involving the Jeep’s newfound hood ornament. 

According to a release from Colorado officials, the man and his dog had been sitting outside of his recreational vehicle the previous evening when the lion approached them. The man’s dog started to growl at the lion as it approached them through the darkness of the early evening. As the cat got within 10 feet of the man and his dog, the husky engaged the lion. As a tussle ensued between the two animals, the man grabbed a shovel to incapacitate the mountain lion with a swift blow to the head.

The lion ended up dying from the trauma of the strike from the shovel, at which point the man placed a call to wildlife officials. The investigating officer determined that the man was in fear of his life and acted in self defense when confronted by the extremely aggressive cat.

After inspecting the lion, officials found injuries on its front right paw and scratches along its back and later shipped off the body for a full necropsy.

Because the man suffered no injuries and was never touched by the lion, this incident does not qualify as a mountain lion attack under CPW guidelines.

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VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🎃 Dang it, moose! Watch as this young boy (rightfully) curses out the moose that just devoured his new pumpkin. Someone get this boy another jack-o-lantern…or a rifle.

🐊 Groundskeeper at Florida golf course films a “typical day” as giant gator and bobcat greet him. Honestly, this is like my backyard on a Tuesday.

CAMP TALK // ^{_{BEFORE YOU GO}}

We get a lot of questions and comments on here, and we figure it’s time to repay the favor. As part of our new Camp Talk section, we’re going to ask you, the reader, your opinion on some serious (and not so serious) topics to close out each newsletter.

Last week I asked; What are your thoughts on hitting golf balls (or other projectiles) at elk or any wildlife for that matter?

To which 75% of you replied:

Don't be an idiot - leave them alone

The remaining 25% said:

• He's just having fun and the elk would be fine, but don't do it anyways

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…