LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A North Carolina husband and wife who own an outfitting company that hired guides and worked for clients in Nebraska have been convicted of violating game laws.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Britney Edney, 31, and her husband, Jason Edney, 36, made plea deals on violations of the federal Lacey Act. The act bars the trade of fish, wildlife and plants that are illegally taken, transported or sold.
The couple lives in Hendersonville, N.C.
Jason Edney was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution and court costs, the commission said, and his five-year probation includes a ban on hunting, fishing or trapping. Britney Edney was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and court costs and her three-year probation also includes a ban on hunting, fishing or trapping.
The commission said that over four years, commission conservation officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents discovered dozens of hunting violations. They include 25 instances of overbagging or hunting turkeys without permits; 29 deer taken illegally; 17 instances of failing to check in deer kills; and five small-game violations. The violations occurred in Dawson, Frontier, Keya Paha and Lincoln counties.
Three clients of the Edneys also were convicted of Lacey Act violations.
The Edneys were part of a reality television series that depicted teams of hunters competing against each other. Several of the illegal hunts were videotaped for that series, the commission said.
