Three Men Plead Guilty To Poaching At Least 41 Bobcats & Illegally Exporting Their Pelts To Canada
Three men have pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a years-long poaching operation that resulted in at least 41 wild bobcats being illegally killed in New Hampshire and their pelts exported to Canada for sale.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, Sherwood Dubrey Jr., 48, and Randy Inman, 49, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, while Sherwood Dubrey Sr., 72, pleaded guilty to violating the federal wildlife protection law.
Bobcats are protected from hunting and trapping in New Hampshire. Because killing bobcats is prohibited in the state, New Hampshire does not issue the CITES tags required to legally export bobcat pelts internationally. Tragically, bobcats continue to be killed for their fur in areas where hunting and trapping remain legal, making strong protections and enforcement critical to safeguarding these native wild cats.
Federal investigators found that from 2018 to 2022, Dubrey Jr. and Inman routinely poached bobcats in New Hampshire, including by using bait piles on their property and on state land to lure the wild cats before shooting them.
The bobcat pelts were then transported across state lines to New York, where Dubrey Sr. obtained false CITES tags that made it appear the animals had been legally killed in New York. At least 41 poached bobcat pelts were ultimately exported to Canada to be sold at a fur auction.
Evidence uncovered during the investigation included text messages in which the men acknowledged that their bobcat poaching was illegal and discussed details of the operation. Dubrey Jr. and Inman also used rifles with scopes capable of capturing photographs and videos of their illegal kills, which they shared with others through text messages.
In one disturbing exchange cited by federal authorities, Inman confirmed that he had shot or “choked out” an illegally trapped bobcat.
“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,” said Doug Ault, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Our message is clear—exploiting wildlife for profit has consequences, and we will work with our state partners to bring those responsible to justice.”
Dubrey Jr. and Inman each face up to five years in federal prison, while Dubrey Sr. faces up to one year. Sentencing for all three is scheduled for January 2027.
Bobcats are native wild cats found throughout much of North America. Strong enforcement of wildlife protection laws is critical to preventing bobcats and other native wildlife from being exploited and killed for profit.
