Three U.S. men have pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court after dozens of bobcats were illegally hunted in New Hampshire and shipped to a fur auction in Canada.
According to court documents, at least 41 bobcat pelts worth approximately US$3,000 were illegally poached and exported to Canada between 2018 and 2022. Two of the men could face as many as five years in prison.
“Over four years, the defendants illegally killed at least 41 bobcats and falsified where the animals were taken so they could be sold on the international market,” Doug Ault from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s law enforcement office said in a press release.
“Our message is clear—exploiting wildlife for profit has consequences, and we will work with our state partners to bring those responsible to justice.”
The animals were killed in New Hampshire, where it is unlawful to hunt or trap bobcats. They were then sent to New York – which has a legal bobcat hunting season – where one of the accused obtained false wildlife tags to make it appear as though the animals were lawfully killed in the state, which would allow them to be exported to Canada.
Court documents do not name the Canadian fur auction house, which had no involvement in the scheme.
Accused of violating 126-year-old law
The three men – Sherwood Dubrey Sr., 72, his son Sherwood Dubrey, Jr., 48 and Randy Inman, 49 – were accused of violating or conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, which was enacted in 1900 to combat wildlife tracking. They entered guilty pleas last month at a federal court in Concord, N.H.
Court documents explain how Dubrey Jr. and Inman of New Hampshire routinely lured bobcats with bait piles on private property and state land in order to shoot them. Evidence in the case included photos and rifle scope videos of their kills, as well as text messages in which they acknowledged their actions were illegal and discussed the scheme. Dubrey Sr., based in New York, secured the false tags and arranged for the pelts to be transported to auction.
Dubrey Jr. and Inman could face maximum prison terms of five years each while Dubrey Sr. could be sentenced to a maximum of one year, according to a press release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. Sentencing has been scheduled for January 2027.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, Dubrey Jr.’s attorney said that be entering a guilty plea, his client has taken full responsibility for his conduct.
“This was not a ‘business,’” Lothstein, a defence lawyer based out of Concord, said via email. “The money these men made from selling 41 pelts is minuscule. They may have spent more on gas travelling to New York than they received from the auction.”
Lawyers for Inman and Dubrey Sr. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Known by the scientific name Lynx rufus, the bobcat is a medium-sized wild cat that can be found across most of the U.S. as well as large parts of Mexico and southern Canada. It is one of four species in the Lynx genus.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department led the investigation, which included assistance from Environment Canada and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
“The people of New Hampshire have enacted hunting laws that conserve our resources and define our sense of fair play,” Erin Creegan, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, said in the press release.
“Baiting and poaching dozens of bobcats for profit disregards that democratic consensus and the duty of sportsmanship shown by New Hampshire’s hunters. Crossing state or international lines will not protect poachers from accountability for their actions.”
