Montana
Montana rancher gets 6 months in prison for creating hybrid sheep for captive hunting
The rancher created a clone using the body parts of sheep that were illegally bought. His goal was to “create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities.”
Montana man to be sentenced for creating and cloning giant hybrid sheep
A Montana man is set to be sentenced for creating a new hybrid type of giant sheep and cloning it so be sold for trophy hunting.
Straight Arrow News
A Montana rancher was sentenced to six months in prison on Monday after cloning a “near threatened” sheep from Asia and then selling its offspring to shooting preserves, according to court documents.
Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, 81, will spend six months in federal prison, with a 3-year supervised release and have to pay a $20,000 fine and a $4,000 community service payment for cloning the near-threatened Marco Polo sheep from the Asian country Kyrgyzstan.
Schubarth was sentenced for committing two felonies, conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The Lacey Act is a law that bans the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish, or plants.
Schubarth and at least five other people conspired to “create a larger hybrid species of sheep that would garner higher prices from shooting preserves” from 2013 to 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Schubarth’s criminal conduct is not how Montanans treat our wildlife population,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich for the District of Montana in a statement. “Indeed, his actions threatened Montana’s native wildlife species for no other reason than he and his co-conspirators wanted to make more money.”
Rancher illegally bought parts of the sheep
The rancher illegally brought parts of the near-threatened Marco Polo argali sheep, one of the largest sheep species in the world, weighing 300 pounds or more, to the U.S. from the Asian country Kyrgyzstan, court records show.
From 2013 to 2021, Schubarth also sold mountain sheep, mountain goats and various other hoofed animals primarily to captive hunting facilities, according to the Justice Department.
Captive hunting facilities, or shooting preserves, allow “allow trophy hunters to shoot animals who are fenced in,” according to the Humane Society of the United States. “The animals are often semi-tame—some have even been hand raised or bottle fed by humans.”
“Argali sheep are trophy hunted due to their large size and unique long spiraling horns,” according to court documents. “Argali horns are the largest of any wild sheep.”
Argali sheep have a market value of over $350 per animal, according to court documents.
A protected species
The sheep are natives to the high elevations of the Pamir region of Central Asia, and “are prohibited in the State of Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization,” the Justice Department said.
The sheep are protected around the world by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and domestically by the Endangered Species Act, according to the Department of Justice.
“This case exemplifies the serious threat that wildlife trafficking poses to our native species and ecosystems,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in a statement. “Mr. Schubarth’s actions not only violated multiple laws designed to protect wildlife, but also risked introducing diseases and compromising the genetic integrity of our wild sheep populations.
Schubarth pleaded guilty in March
The rancher admitted to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act while owning and operating under Sun River Enterprises LLC, according to court documents filed in March in the District of Montana.
The crime has since “ruined his life, reputation and family,” said his attorneys.
He committed the crimes at Schubarth Ranch, a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn, Montana, records show.
“On a ranch, in a barn in Montana, he created Montana Mountain King (MMK),” the sentencing memorandum submitted by Schubarth’s attorneys stated. “MMK is an extraordinary animal, born of science, and from a man who, if he could re-write history, would have left the challenge of cloning a Marco Polo to only the imagination of Michael Crichton (the author of Jurassic Park).”
How did Schubarth create the giant hybrid sheep?
To create the hybrid sheep, Schubarth sent genetic material from the argali parts to a third-party lab to generate cloned embryos, according to the Justice Department. He paid a $4,200 deposit for the cloning, according to court records.
The rancher and his co-conspirators then used artificial breeding procedures to implant the 165 cloned Marco Polo embryos into female sheep on Schubarth Ranch, court records show.
Schubarth’s process would result in a single pure genetic male Marco Polo argali named “Montana Mountain King” or “MMK,” the Justice Department said. The rancher then used MMK’s semen to artificially impregnate other female sheep that were illegally possessed in Montana to create “hybrid animals,” according to federal authorities.
Schubarth’s and his co-conspirator’s goal was to “create a larger and more valuable species of sheep to sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily in Texas,” the Justice Department said.
Schubarth illegally sold sheep across the US, DOJ says
Moving the sheep in and out of Montana meant Schubarth and others had to forge veterinary inspection certificates and lie about how the sheep were legally permitted animals, according to court documents. The rancher would also sell MMK’s semen directly to sheep breeders in other U.S. states, the documents continued.
In addition to argali sheep, Schubarth illegally bought genetic material from wild-hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Montana, court records show. He violated Montana law by purchasing parts of the wild-hunted sheep and selling them. He also sold big horn parts in different states, federal authorities said.
“This was an audacious scheme to create massive hybrid sheep species to be sold and hunted as trophies,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the release. “In pursuit of this scheme, Schubarth violated international law and the Lacey Act, both of which protect the viability and health of native populations of animals.”
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 7 drawing
02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 7 drawing
09-21-24-29, Bonus: 15
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 7 drawing
27-43-48-49-50, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
One characteristic that distinguishes male grizzly bears from female grizzly bears is a larger head.
With that in mind, check out the grizzly bear featured this week on the Mission Valley Montana Grizz Cam Facebook page. (Photo and video posted below; view Instagram version here.)
The imagery, captured after dusk on July 3, shows a large grizzly bear pausing and sniffing in front of the camera before exiting the frame. Several followers commented on the beauty of the the striking bruin.
“Absolutely MAGNIFICENT!” one person exclaimed.
ALSO: Bison fight on Yellowstone road reveals raw power of iconic beasts
But others remarked about the size and shape of the grizzly bear’s head, and the appearance of thicker fur on its shoulders.
This, along with the gray lighting, lends a surreal quality to the footage. (Click here if video player doesn’t appear below.)
“No doubt that’s a big-headed male griz,” one follower remarked. “It looks like he picked up some scent left at the camera site and moved off!”
“Look at that head! YEOW!” another follower exclaimed. “What an amazing critter.”
The folks behind Mission Valley Montana Grizz Cam use motion-sensor cameras in different locations to capture footage of grizzly bears in Mission Valley, in northwestern Montana.
The Grizz Cam website states: “In 2015 we started seeing a lot of Grizzly Bears on our property so we decided that setting up some trail cameras might lead to some interesting footage and give us insight.
“Several cameras were put in various locations, and we came to realize there were more bears than any of us had anticipated.”
While many Grizz Cam clips look similar, and some feature brilliant daytime colors and audio, this post stands out because of the unique appearance of the bear.
As one follower stated, “That’s a bad boy there.”
-
Rhode Island1 minute agoHandshake Initiative instills confidence, motivation in students
-
South-Carolina6 minutes agoESPN recruiting writers break down five-star Josh Dobson’s fit with South Carolina
-
South Dakota13 minutes agoSouth Dakota man faces abuse charges after authorities called to NW Iowa casino
-
Tennessee16 minutes agoData centers driving up Tennessee power bills, report finds
-
Texas21 minutes agoFamily demands investigation after US man killed by ICE agent in Texas
-
Utah28 minutes agoTurn your miles into meals
-
Vermont31 minutes agoPoll: Most young Vermonters say they’re likely to leave state amid affordability concerns – VTDigger
-
Virginia36 minutes agoMEOC Organization hosts annual summer picnic for Southwest Virginia seniors
