A Utah hunting guide is facing a felony charge after allegedly baiting a bear that was killed by Donald Trump Jr., according to a new report.
Wade Lemon is facing five years in prison for a May 2018 outing in which he illegally baited a bear with “a pile of grain, oil and pastries” for Trump to kill, according to charging documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.
“Great weekend in Utah with some good friends in the outdoors,” Trump wrote on Instagram about the outing, where he killed a bear and a cougar.
Charging documents allege Lemon’s outfitters illegally used bait on the bear shot by Trump Jr. According to the document, a witness identified Lemon and his employees during the hunt in May 2018 and was able to identify Lemon over radio traffic, giving instructions to his employees.
The illegal bait, “a pile of grain, oil and pastries” was discovered with a trail camera pointed right on it with “WLH” (for Wade Lemon Hunting) written on the side and with Lemon’s own telephone number, according to court documents. The charging documents also include evidence from a subordinate confirming Lemon had him place the bait in the location several weeks before the hunt.
Trump is not listed as a defendant in the case, and Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said he “was actually a victim and now a possible witness in a fraudulent scheme to lead the hunter to believe it was actually a legitimate Wild West hunting situation.”
