A celebrity couple is fined $133,000 for participating in Nebraska’s worst illegal poaching ring

A famous bowhunting couple who posted videos of their trophy killings on social media has been fined $133,000 for their involvement in Nebraska’s largest poaching ring.

Josh Bowmar, 32, and Sarah Bowmar, 33, of Ohio, were sentenced by a federal judge last week for knowingly illegally hunting whitetail deer and turkey in Nebraska without permits and using bait.

The couple was accused of taking more than a dozen hunting trips with the Nebraska-based Hidden Hills Outfitters between September 10, 2015 and November 6, 2017.

In doing so, they were said to have violated the Lacey Act, which prohibits illegal trafficking in wildlife, fish or native plants.

The Bowmars were found to have used pickup trucks, SUVs and trailers to illegally transport deer and turkey, both whole and in parts, to their Ohio home, among other locations.

The Bowmars were found to have used pickup trucks, SUVs and trailers to illegally transport deer and turkey, both whole and in parts, to their Ohio home.

The sentencing comes after the Bowmars pleaded guilty Oct. 19 in a Nebraska district court to a lesser charge of conspiracy. In exchange, four more serious charges related to unlawful harassment were dropped.

In addition to having to pay the fines, the couple were sentenced to three years probation during which they will be prohibited from hunting in Nebraska in any form.

Defendants in the case included the two Bowmars, as well as their company Bowmar Bowhunting LLC of Ankeny, Iowa. They were each fined $25,000.

The couple will also pay $13,000 to the Nebraska Park and Play Commission and $44,000 in judgment money in lieu of forfeiting property. Josh and Sarah Bowmar will also be required to complete 40 hours of community service.

The Bowmars were a small part of the massive Nebraska poaching ring headed by their friend Jacob Hueftle, ​​who was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in Yankton, South Dakota.

His 60-year-old father was sentenced to probation. During their raid on the illegal ring, federal wildlife authorities seized dozens of mounted whitetail deer.

In all, authorities convicted 39 people for participating in the ring and more than $750,000 in fines, restitution and forfeitures have been collected. The group was responsible for capturing at least 97 big game animals.

The Bowmars were a small part of the massive Nebraska poaching ring headed by their friend Jacob Hueftle (pictured). He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

During their raid on the illegal ring, federal wildlife authorities seized dozens of mounted whitetail deer (pictured)

In the original indictment, dating from 2020, the Bowmars were said to have engaged in “primarily videotaped archery hunts for whitetail deer, mule deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife in various states and countries.” “.

They and more than 30 co-conspirators were accused of using “numerous HHO bait sites to locate and identify potential target deer, maximize their hunting effectiveness and success rate, or attempt to kill a specific trophy deer.”

“Defendants regularly videotaped and photographed the hunts for the purpose of creating, producing, and distributing the content to the public through their BBH online business platforms, including an Internet website, Instagram page, and a YouTube channel”.

A video posted to the channel on January 5, 2017 shows Josh Bowmar shooting a whitetail deer. In the video, the darling’s antlers fell off after he shot it with an arrow.

The indictment refers to that video, filmed during a hunt in Hidden Hills, and says that ‘Josh Bowmar Hunted one particular trophy-sized whitetail deer with spiked antlers drooping from double corkscrews within a heavily baited area.’

“Defendant Josh Bowmar hunted a particular whitetail deer named ‘Snowflake,'” he said.

The couple claimed that during the investigation of their involvement in the Nebraska poaching ring, the US Fish and Wildlife Service hacked into their poaching camera app without a warrant.

The pair have been known to use the courts aggressively, and in 2019 sued the de for. They claimed that her hunting cameras were hacked violating her privacy and that Sarah was recorded urinating in the Nebraska woods.

The couple claimed that during the investigation of their involvement in the Nebraska poaching ring, the US Fish and Wildlife Service hacked into their poaching camera app without a warrant.

They also claimed that agents from the department had been secretly watching Sarah Bowmars for months as she hunted in the woods and violated her privacy by watching her urinate in the bushes.

Later that year, a judge threw out his case.