CNN
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Josh and Sarah Bowmer, who have a strong following for their hunting videos on social media, were sentenced Tuesday as part of a plea bargain for breaking hunting regulations at some of the events they posted online. .
The couple, along with their company, Bowmer Bowhunting, were sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay more than $130,000 in fines, damages and forfeiture.
The terms of their probation include that the couple “must not engage in hunting or any other hunting-related activity solely within the Nebraska District,” according to court documents.
The Bowmer family was accused of colluding with a Nebraska hunt guide and equipment company to illegally hunt deer using bait traps. Under Nebraska law, it is illegal to provide bait to lure animals to hunting grounds. Prosecutors also alleged that Sarah Bowmar killed a wild turkey without a valid permit.
Breaking hunting laws in one state and bringing illegally obtained game into another violates the federal Lacey Act, and federal prosecutors have accused the Bowmers of killing deer and turkeys illegally in Nebraska. Claimed to have taken it out of state.
Bowmars and company pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, and the government dropped four other counts.
The couple received no jail time.
In a statement sent to CNN, Josh and Sarah Bowmer said the prosecutor’s decision to drop the decoy and poaching charges was “fair and true to what happened at the costume shop nine years ago.” He said he felt
“We admitted guilt of conspiracy, which means we should have known better about the hunt in the costume shop and paid more attention to what was going on behind closed doors. But we didn’t.” We did not, and therefore we take full responsibility,” their statement said.
“We have learned invaluable lessons from this experience and our mistakes and look forward to leaving a positive footprint in the hunting community and doing our best to involve children in the endless joys of the great outdoors.” ”
Bowmar Bowhunting’s YouTube channel has over 300,000 subscribers and their page has over 340,000 followers on Instagram.
