Man gets federal prison for organizing 114 illegal hunts in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Nebraska man was sentenced Thursday in federal court for leading more than 100 illegal hunts.

Dustin Noble, 46, of North Platte got 22 months in prison for conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, a federal law regulating the trafficking of fish and wildlife.

He will also pay $179,680 in restitution and spend three years on supervised release after prison.

Noble ran Noble Outdoors, a business based in North Platte that offered guided big game hunts.

From 2015 to 2021, Noble took family, friends and clients on at least 114 illegal hunting trips, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He used unlawful tactics like firing at animals from the road, hunting outside of sanctioned hours and going on private property without permission.

Noble and his accomplices illegally harvested more than 12 species, including 61 mule deer, 33 turkeys, four pronghorn and three white-tailed deer.

The hunts happened in at least three counties: Lincoln, Hayes and Frontier.

Authorities said he charged clients $1,200 to $4,000 and also had a taxidermy business that offered its services to his hunting clients.

During this time, it was illegal for Noble to hunt in the first place.

In 2014, he was convicted of wildlife violations in Dawson County and stripped of his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for 10 years.

Under his plea agreement in the federal case, Noble forfeited multiple taxidermy mounts, two crossbows and several guns.

He is also barred from taxidermy for 10 years and from any hunting- or fishing-related activities for 25 years.

“Wildlife resources should be fairly preserved for the enjoyment of all Nebraskans – both present and future,” Lesley Woods, Nebraska’s U.S. attorney, said in a press release. “Noble’s destructive tactics and actions targeted Nebraska’s mule deer populations in a manner that jeopardized the ability of Nebraskans to continue to enjoy a lawful hunting experience in the future.”

Noble is the 20th person to be sentenced in the case.

They have been ordered to pay a total of more than $255,000 in fines and restitution for state and federal violations.