Men sentenced for illegal cougar hunt in Yellowstone National Park

Three men were given a worldwide ban on hunting, fishing and trapping as part of their three-year unsupervised probation for illegally shooting a mountain lion in Yellowstone National Park.

Austin Peterson, 20, Trey Juhnke, 20, and Corbin Simmons, 19, were also ordered to each pay approximately $1,700 in restitution and fees as part of their sentencing in federal court that was announced Wednesday by Yellowstone National Park.

The men, all from Livingston, Montana, were charged with illegally hunting a male mountain lion, or cougar, in the northern section of the park north of the Yellowstone River on Dec. 12, 2018. It was in violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits hunting in the park.

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They all admitted to shooting the lion and transporting the carcass to their vehicle, and all pleaded guilty to the charges at prior court hearings.

A mMountain lion in a tree. (Photo: Photo courtesy of Yellowstone National Park.)

Simmons also falsely claimed to have harvested the animal north of the park boundary in Montana, thus affecting "the state's quota system by denying a legal hunter the opportunity to legally harvest a lion," Yellowstone officials reported.

"I would like to express a sincere thank you to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, law enforcement officers at Yellowstone National Park, the National Park Service Investigative Services Brach, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Wyoming, for being involved in this case," said Yellowstone National Park Chief Ranger Pete Webster in a prepared statement. "Their thorough work spotlighted this egregious act and the consequences incurred for hunting illegally in Yellowstone National Park."

Biologists estimate up to 31 adult cougars reside year-round in the northern range based on field surveys and statistical analysis from 2014-2017.

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