A hunter took trophy photos with a mountain lion he shot in Missouri, but was then cited for killing the protected cat, officials said.

While hunting in Iron County on Nov. 16, the man saw a mountain lion pass under a tree stand he was on, according to court documents.

“He got excited at what it was, stood up, and then decided to shoot (the mountain lion” as it was walking off,” Missouri Department of Conservation officials said in a probable cause statement filed on Dec. 19.

The mountain lion ran about 50 yards after it was shot, then it died, according to court documents.

In Missouri, it is illegal to kill a mountain lion unless it is posing a threat to humans or attacking domesticated animals or livestock, conservation officials said.

The man was cited for killing a protected species illegally, a misdemeanor, according to court documents. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine, officials said.

The tag on the mountain lion’s ear indicated it had been marked by the Nebraska Games and Parks Commission, according to court documents. That means the mountain lion would have traveled more than 400 miles to Iron County, Missouri.

The man is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 20.

Mountain lions are a threatened species, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Iron County is about a 95-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.

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