Challis outfitters receive combined 6 Years probation, $49,000 in fines for illegal Bighorn Sheep hunts

CHALLIS, Idaho (KIFI) — Two Challis men, both experienced hunting guides and outfitters, were sentenced to a combined six years of probation and ordered to pay $24,500 each in total fines and restitution for Lacey Act violations connected to illegal Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep hunts, U.S Attorney Bart Davis announced today.

Jerrod Randall Farr, 54, a licensed outfitter and owner of White Cloud Outfitters, and Michael Timothy Scott, 68, a licensed guide, were indicted for facilitating and guiding illegal bighorn sheep hunts in a restricted area of the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The illegal transportation of the bighorn sheep carcasses spanned across state lines from Idaho to Utah and Alaska.

Farr pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, to one Class A misdemeanor count of violating the Lacey Act. He was sentenced on November 6, 2025, to two years of probation, during which he is prohibited from hunting, guiding, or profiting from outfitting or guiding. U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Farr to pay a $9,500 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Fund and $15,000 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Scott pleaded guilty to one Class A misdemeanor Lacey Act count and was sentenced on November 24, 2025, to four years of probation with the same prohibitions against hunting, guiding, or profiting from outfitting activities. Judge Nye ordered Scott to pay an identical fine of $9,500 to the Lacey Act Reward Fund and $15,000 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Farr, as the owner and outfitter for White Cloud Outfitters, sold and facilitated the hunts, which Scott illegally guided. In addition to the Lacey Act violations, Farr was originally indicted on two counts of providing false or fictitious information to a Forest Service officer and one count of conducting work activity without a special-use authorization. Scott was originally indicted on two counts of Lacey Act violations. The Lacey Act prohibits the illegal trafficking of wildlife.

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the investigation.