Brothers from Nacogdoches County in hot water with feds

The story begins at Camp Lone Star in Coldwater, Kansas.

James Butler is the owner of the camp - his brother Marlin worked there as a guide.  The Butler brothers are from Nacogdoches County here in East Texas.

According to a Federal indictment, the Butler brother's mischief was no accident - they charged out-of-state hunters anywhere from $3,500 to $5,000 for guided tours on the property.

These illegal practices, which usually involved white-tailed deer, allowed hunters to kill more deer than they could have killed lawfully - resulting in more guiding fees and tips for the Butler brothers.

"Taking deer without hunting permits, bagging over their limits, shooting the wrong kind of deer in the wrong kind of season, using illegal equipment, that kind of thing," said Kansas US Attorney Representative, Jim Cross.

So the pair is charged with conspiring to violate game and wildlife laws - particularly the Lacey Act.

Local game warden Todd Long said that this type of activity gives hunters a bad name.

"And then you have these poachers coming along out of season, hunting at night, hunting illegally, that does give hunting in general a bad name," Long said.

With so many involved in the conspiracy, investigators need more time to investigate which means more charges could be pending for the Butler brothers.