Ankeny YouTube stars avoid prison time after violating federal wildlife protection law

Francesca Block, Des Moines Register
·4 min read
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Josh Bowmar displays his Ohio record buffalo sucker, which he shot with a recurve bow. The fish weighed 43 pounds.
Josh Bowmar displays his Ohio record buffalo sucker, which he shot with a recurve bow. The fish weighed 43 pounds.

An Ankeny couple famous for their hunting videos on YouTube were sentenced to probation this week in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiring to break a federal wildlife protection law.

Josh Bowmar, 32, and Sarah Bowmar, 33, were among dozens of defendants charged in a poaching case after they went on hunting tours guided by Broken Arrow, Nebraska-based Hidden Hills Outfitters, between Sept. 10, 2015, and Nov. 6, 2017. An indictment said Hidden Hills owner Jacob Hueftle guided 118 clients from 21 states on hunts that primarily used illegal bait traps to attract white-tailed deer.

At least 36 defendants, including the Bowmars, were charged in the case, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The Bowmars pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiring to break the Lacey Act, which prohibits selling, receiving or acquiring wildlife in interstate commerce taken in violation of state or federal wildlife laws. They also entered a guilty plea on behalf of their business, Bowmar Hunting, to one count of conspiracy.

On Thursday, a federal judge sentenced them each to serve three years of probation.

The Bowmars are required to pay $13,000 in restitution to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and a $25,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Account. They also must forfeit $44,000 worth of property and are barred from hunting in Nebraska.

Who are Josh and Sarah Bowmar?

Josh Bowmar played football for Heidelberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He and his wife, Sarah Bowmar, met in 2014 while participating in a bodybuilding competition, according to the website of Bowmar Nutrition, an Ankeny-based supplement company they own. They're avid hunters who have posted dozens of videos on fitness and hunting on YouTube and social media. They also sell archery equipment under the name Bowmar Archery.

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What happened during the Nebraska hunting trips?

Between Sept. 10, 2015, and Nov. 6, 2017, Josh and Sarah Bowmar hunted deer in three central Nebraska counties by attracting animals with bait traps, according to an indictment in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. Josh Bowmar hunted for trophy deer known as “Goalpost," ”Superman” and "Head Turner.” They filmed the expeditions and posted videos to their YouTube and social media accounts, according to the Indictment.

Sarah Bowmar hunted deer and turkeys in a baited area on Nov. 1, 2016, without a valid permit, according to the indictment.

As part of a plea agreement, authorities dropped four charges relating to hunting in baited areas.

The Lacey Act can be easy to break, said the couple's attorney, Kline Preston. If people break state wildlife rules or regulations and then take plants or animals across state lines, it triggers federal prosecution under the Lacey Act, he said.

"It's so easy for something that under the state law would be the lowest-level criminal offense, the equivalent of a speeding ticket, can become a federal case with huge penalties," he said.

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Josh Bowmar embroiled in more controversy

This is not the first time Josh Bowmar has found himself at the center of controversy for his business ventures and online content.

In 2016, Bowmar, who lived in Ohio at the time, baited a trap in the Canadian woods and then impaled a bear with a long spear that had a camera attached to it, according to Reuters. The video went viral in Canada and outraged some residents, hunting groups and animal-rights activists. Bowmar was never charged because Alberta did not ban spear hunting at the time. In February 2018, the province banned spear hunting because of the video, according to Canadian news outlet Global News.

Bowmar told Reuters at the time that the killing was ethical, and "no one cares more about these animals than us hunters."

In October 2021, consumers sued Bowmar Nutrition, saying laboratory testing proved some of its products have 10% to 67% fewer grams of protein than advertised, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Some of those claims were dismissed in March, according to the Capital Dispatch, but the case continues.

A potential class-action lawsuit alleges an Ankeny company has defrauded consumers by overstating the amount of protein contained in their snack bars, fortified powders and other products.
A potential class-action lawsuit alleges an Ankeny company has defrauded consumers by overstating the amount of protein contained in their snack bars, fortified powders and other products.

Bowmar also is facing charges of reckless use of a firearm or explosive in Clarke County for a "controlled burn" that got out of control on April 10 last year. Bowmar started the fire on his property "despite extremely strong winds and dry conditions,” according to a lawsuit filed Oct. 18 by Brian and Susan Crites, who live in Waukee and own land that neighbors Bowmar's. The fire spread to the Crites' land and burned down a cabin. The criminal case is set to go to trial in April.

Three days after the first fire got out of hand, Bowmar posted a video on YouTube depicting him accidentally lighting his pickup truck on fire after starting another controlled burn.

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Des Moines Register staff writer Philip Joens contributed to this article.

Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Josh and Sarah Bowmar sentenced to probation in federal poaching case