It's possible that an undercover sting operation was staged. North Woods Law and the Maine Warden Service came under fire after the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram reported that the show's major undercover sting operation was actually manufactured. The newspaper reported that it was given proof of this fact by an unnamed source within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. They also reported that interviews were conducted with people who said they had been hired to be on the show but never filmed. Further reports stated that some participants were paid $500 to $5,000 for their roles on the program. North Woods Law has been canceled but there are plans to bring back a revised version in January 2015. Whether or not this new version will include any type of actual fishing remains to be seen.