Wade Lemon, owner of Wade Lemon Hunting, an outfitter known for putting clients on trophy big game animals, will serve jail time for selling canned hunts. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lemon “defrauded hunters by leading canned hunts for commercial gain.” He was sentenced for his crimes on July 18, 2024.
The prosecution focused on two separate incidents. On December 15, 2020 and January 24, 2021, Lemon put his clients on “canned” lion hunts on BLM and National Forest Service Land.
“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,” explained the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The practice is illegal in Utah and is not considered “Fair Chase” by conservation groups such as the Boone & Crockett Club.
Because Lemon sold the hunts, authorities nabbed him for violating the Lacey Act, which “prohibits selling in interstate commerce any wildlife taken or sold in violation of state law.” Lemon was sentenced to two months of prison time and ordered to pay a $10,500 fine. He was also banned from holding a commercial outfitting license on public lands for one year.
One of Lemon’s employees, Kacey Alan Yardley, was also sentenced for facilitating one of the canned hunts. Yardley is a guide and houndsman who conceded that he and his dogs held a mountain lion at bay until a client, who was not a member of the original hunting party, could arrive and attempt to take it. Yardley faces six months of probation for his role in the scheme.
“This is a unique and important case because hunting is an important part of Utah’s culture,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Canned hunts are illegal because they create an unfair advantage and can lead to inhumane treatment of the animals. It is also unfair to hunters who paid thousands of dollars for a guide and had no idea that they were participating in a canned hunt.”
