A U.S. District Court judge on July 22 sentenced the final defendant in a crime that involved a Utah licensed big-game outfitter and his employee, a cougar hunting guide, for defrauding hunters by leading canned hunts for commercial gain, in violation of the Lacey Act.
Wade Lemon, 63, of Holden, Utah, was sentenced July 18 to two months’ imprisonment, ordered by the court to pay a $10,500 fine, and a one-year commercial ban on federal land. According to court documents and statements made during his change-of-plea hearing, Lemon admitted to illegally participating in “canned” mountain lion hunts on Jan. 24, 2021, and Dec. 15, 2020, on Federal BLM and National Forest Service land. Utah law prohibits “canned hunts” of mountain lions.
A canned hunt means that a cougar is treed, cornered, held at bay or its ability to escape is otherwise restricted to allow a person who was not a member of the initial hunting party to arrive and take the cougar. The federal Lacey Act prohibits selling in interstate commerce any wildlife taken or sold in violation of state law. The Lacey Act defines the “sale” of wildlife to include providing guiding or outfitting services.
Lemon owns and operates Wade Lemon Hunting based in Holden, Utah. Lemon advertises his business on his website and boasts nearly 100 percent success rates yearly. However, Lemon has cheated in illegal canned cougar hunts and has defrauded hunters.
Kacey Alan Yardley, 47, of Enoch, Utah, was sentenced July 22, 2024, to six months’ bench probation, after he pleaded guilty to his involvement in an illegal canned cougar hunt with Lemon. As part of his probationary terms, Yardley is banned from federal land for commercial purposes.
According to court documents, and statements made at his change of plea hearing, Yardley worked for Lemon as a cougar hunting guide and houndsman. On Dec. 15, 2020, while on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, Yardley admitted that during a canned hunt, a cougar was held at bay and its ability to escape was otherwise restricted to allow a hunter who was not a member of the initial hunting party to arrive and attempt to take the cougar.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service and the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ben Willoughby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Source: Press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
