The MeatEater

In this Spike Camp episode, the team reflects on their insightful conversation with Joel Turner and takes a deeper dive into the strategy behind programming fitness for optimal shooting performance.

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A hunting influencer has been charged with two felonies and six misdemeanors for, among other things, lying about where he killed a wolf in Idaho and then pocketing the extra reimbursement money.

Ryan Lampers, who was known as the StHealthyHunter on now-deleted social media feeds, has been charged with felonies for grand theft by deception and unlawfully killing and possessing a trophy-class mule deer buck. He’s also being charged with six misdemeanors for killing that buck in the wrong unit, killing a mountain lion in the wrong unit, and falsifying public records.

Lampers killed the wolf, buck, and lion in Idaho between December 1 and December 8 of 2024, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause obtained by MeatEater.

MeatEater reached out to Lampers for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The complaint accuses Lampers of killing a 175 4/8 inch mule deer buck on December 1 in the Cove Creek Drainage, which includes Big Game Management Unit (BGMU) 21 of the Salmon River in Lemhi County. Lampers had a valid tag for BGMU 28 for the regular season, but that season had already ended, and he killed this buck in BGMU 21, which was closed to deer hunting at the time.

Lampers killed a mountain lion five days later, on December 6, 2024. Like the deer, he allegedly killed the lion in BGMU 21 without possessing proper tags for that unit. But he added falsifying public records to his list of charges because he allegedly told Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials that he’d shot the lion in BGMU 28.

Two days after killing the lion, Lampers shot a wolf in BGMU 21. He had the proper tags for that harvest, but when he presented the hide and skull for inspection, game wardens say he claimed to have killed the wolf in BGMU 28.

He also submitted the kill for reimbursement with the Foundation for Wildlife Management, a nonprofit that pays hunters for harvesting wolves in Idaho and Montana. The Foundation offers different reimbursement rates for different units, and since Lampers claimed to have shot the wolf in BGMU 28, he was sent a check for $2000.

However, since he allegedly shot the wolf in BGMU 21, he should have only received $750, the maximum reimbursement for that unit. Idaho statute defines Grand Theft as stealing $1000 or more, so Lampers’ extra $1250 justified that charge in the state’s eyes.

If convicted of Grand Theft by Deception, Lampers will face between 1 and 14 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The other felony charge, for unlawfully possessing a trophy buck, carries a 0-6 month prison term, a $2,000 fine, and a possible lifetime hunting ban.

It’s unclear at this point how Lampers was reported to the authorities. IDFG has not responded to multiple MeatEater requests for comment, and the agency has yet to release a statement on the case.

BGMU 21 and BGMU 28 share a border, but officials haven’t said whether the buck, lion, and wolf kills were close to that border or well within BGMU 21.

Lampers enjoyed a large social media presence under the username StHealthyHunter. Virtually all of that presence has been removed from the Internet, though the supplement company under the same name is still active, as is its Instagram account.

Lampers also partnered with the hunting gear and mapping software company GOHUNT. As with Lampers’ social media accounts, all mention of the accused influencer has been scrubbed from the GOHUNT site.

"It’s painful to see somebody that contributed to our content platforms being accused of wildlife violations. That is not what GOHUNT stands for, and our brand has always stood for the exact opposite—the protection and longevity of hunting and our way of life," Lorenzo Sartini and the GOHUNT Team told MeatEater.

"We haven’t had a working relationship with Ryan since last year, so we don’t have any firsthand knowledge other than what has been published online. We are disappointed in the accusations that have been brought forward and obviously do not condone them whatsoever. We made the decision to pull the content Ryan contributed to our platforms because of the weight of the charges against him. We want to ensure our platforms reflect the values of our brand."

Lampers was booked in Lemhi County on September 2 and released on a $600 bond. His next hearing is set for September 22 in the county’s Felony Magistrate Court, according to court records. Lampers has been charged but not convicted, and all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Editor's Note: This article has been amended to clarify that Lampers allegedly did not have a valid tag for BGMU 28 at the time he shot the mule deer.

Featured images via Facebook.

“Warning: there is the sound of a gunshot in this piece,” announced an NPR host last week, before diving into the story of a new scientific study, claiming to show that wolf hunting doesn’t help ranchers in any meaningful way. “According to their data, hunters would have to kill roughly 14 wolves to save one cow,” said the host, Nathan Rott. “There’s an estimated 1,100 wolves in Montana, so if the state theoretically killed every one—which it cannot legally do—it would save roughly 78 cows.”

In the week since the study was published (and NRP released the radio episode one day later), the research methods and the manner in which the results were reported have raised concerns about bias amongst the wildlife conservation community.

To summarize, the study did show that wolf hunting decreased livestock predation—albeit by a small amount—however, the researchers turned to the media with another finding from their analysis: that hunting failed to decrease the number of lethal wolf removals necessary in Montana and Idaho to protect livestock. That ultimately led to the paper’s simplistic conclusion: wolf hunting is not an effective management tool, if the goal is to reduce negative human-wolf interactions.

Those results have raised more than a few eyebrows. To understand the context of the issue—and the study—MeatEater reached out to Justin Webb, Executive Director at the Foundation for Wildlife Management in Idaho, and Jim Heffelfinger—a wildlife biologist working on wolf recovery.

Webb warns that using lethal removals as the only metric for wolf-hunting success is pulling the whole issue out of context. “Using this narrative to dismiss the value of properly managing wolves through sportsmen effort requires generalizing wolf behavior as well as sportsmen effort, which is not at all how any of this works,” Webb said. “Although wolf hunting has a less than 1 percent success rate, the argument that hunting has a small impact on livestock depredation is situational at best. If the wolves that have gotten accustomed to feeding on livestock are not the wolves being removed by hunting efforts, that’s clearly not going to solve the problem.”

Heffelfinger explains something similar, from a more management-based standpoint: “The finding is not surprising at all because lethal removal by government agents happens on individual problem wolves, so we should not expect general hunting to necessarily remove these specific problem individuals. General wolf hunting across large landscapes is not intended to, and will never, replace the need to remove a problem individual that repeatedly kills livestock.”

Bigger picture, the issues raised by the research study come down to a matter of perspective. In other words, how we measure the efficacy of wolf hunting depends entirely on the context of the analysis. Is the end goal to provide hunter opportunity, or is it to keep elk herds on their toes? Is it to have wolves out there in the mountains, or is it to “balance” the ecosystem? Point being, the metrics of success are inevitably tied to the desired objective.

And if that objective is to decrease the number of problem wolves—as is argued for in the research paper—then wolf hunting doesn’t appear to be effective. But if you were to look at other metrics, like wolf population stability and an overall reduction in cattle predation, then wolf hunting appears to have a positive impact—and that’s been shown in the data. By comparing numbers from Montana and Idaho (both of which have generous wolf-hunting seasons) with those from Oregon and Washington (neither of which have seasons) the researchers estimated a 2.34% percent decrease in expected livestock predation for each wolf killed.

They also mention that in parts of Idaho and Montana, wolf hunting might be the reason for stable populations. “Without public hunting, it is possible that wolf populations would increase and that livestock depredations and lethal removal instances would increase in turn.”

Yet despite these findings, the paper focuses on how hunting is not helping to achieve wolf conflict management goals. The researchers also point out a perceived concern over the cost to taxpayers of removing problem wolves. “Since government agencies are largely funded by taxpayer money, there is constant pressure to be economically effective,” they write. “Our results suggest that legalizing wolf hunting may not address the concern over the taxpayer cost of wolf management.”

Heffelfinger—and other biologists in his network—take issue with those findings and the way they’re presented. “The scientific literature on wolves is so full of advocacy, it is becoming worthless to the uninformed,” says Heffelfinger, who also points out that one of the researchers in the manuscript has declared affiliations to Project Coyote, the International Wildlife Coexistence Network, the Wolf Conservation Center, and Panthera—all of which oppose wolf hunting to various degrees. With regards to the point of taxpayer dollars spent managing wolves, Heffelfinger highlights another incongruity: hunting only occurs when wolves are under state management, which operates on license revenue, not taxpayer dollars.

Specifics aside, wolf hunting is a contentious subject, and it can be tough to discern fact from fiction. To make things more difficult, even scientific results can change or be manipulated based on the time frame, spatial frame, or context being looked at. This research paper is a case in point. “We’re not necessarily saying that we shouldn’t be hunting and I want to be clear about that, because there are other motivations for hunting,” said Leandra Merz—the lead author—in a press release, “but if the goal is to reduce livestock predation and we’re using hunting for that, it’s not as effective as we would like.” It’s a statement that captures the essence of the paper: a pretense of neutrality, but an anti-hunting sentiment that shines through nonetheless.

As hunters, we have a unique, more grounded perspective on the issue than most people do. We see the impacts of wolves on our hunting spots, and we probably understand their behavior better than any other group of people. We know that wolf hunting can help achieve some management goals, but that it’s not a silver bullet solution. That’s why, as hunters, we need to look past the catchy headlines and dig into what the data really says. After all, the devil is in the details.

You put in the work, planted the seed, and waited on rain - but your food plots just aren’t producing. Now what? In this episode, Jake Hofer brings the question to Steve Hanson, Don Higgins, Skip Sligh, Mark Kenyon, Jeff Sturgis, Bobby Kendall, and Bill Winke. When your plots fall short, is the season ruined or is there still time to pivot and salvage your strategy? The panel of experts share what they do when plots struggle or completely fail, from quick fixes and alternative food sources to shifting the way they hunt the property altogether. If your plots look rough heading into fall, this episode gives you a clear path forward.

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Thanks to our sponsor Land.com

On this episode of the Bear Grease Render, host Clay Newcomb is joined by Bear Newcomb and Josh “Landbridge” Spielmaker, as well as good friend Justin House and Marshall Bryant of Kicking B Wildlife as they record live in New Mexico from the original ”Montana log cabin” built for the famous Lonesome Dove film series. The crew discusses the Evan Felker Bear Grease episode, their current bear hunt, as well as Marshall’s extensive work with wildlife including on location of the TV series Yellowstone.

Special thanks to T/K Land & Cattle for use of the Lonesome Dove Cabin.

If you have comments on the show, send us a note to [email protected]

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Spencer Neuharth hosts MeatEater Trivia with Janis Putelis, Brody Henderson, Randall Williams, Maggie Smith, Seth Morris, Logan Dove, and Nate Mason.

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This week is the most hysterical episode of God's Country Podcast yet. Reid and Dan host comedian and Nashville resident, Chelcie Lynn aka Trailer Trash Tammy. This is an episode that covers an array of topics and is not safe for young listeners to say the leasrt. Reid develops an alter ego that couldn't be more fitting, Tammy tells dan what 90s sitcom actor he looks like, and she shares her gravorite that you won't believe. Chelcie discuss life on the road, how Tammy came to fruition, and some trailer park stories that inspire the character. The episode ends with a somber story regarding mini kiss and Tammy demanding justice for them.

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This week, Tony talks about the early-September transition that happens in the deer woods and what that means to your early season plans if you want to fill a bow tag on a summer pattern.

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If you’re anything like me, you’re already obsessing over this fall’s waterfowl season—and plotting where you’d like to hunt. One of my favorite aspects of chasing migratory waterfowl is that you don’t need to go to far-flung wilderness locations to hunt them, though you can definitely have success doing so. But because birds migrate and there are often plentiful wetlands near metropolitan areas, you can have plenty of success targeting them in and around cities. These are some of my favorite options

For the purposes of this list, I chose metropolitan areas that have at least 100,000 residents. This means that some of waterfowl hunting’s most iconic locales, such as Stuttgart, Arkansas and Cold Bay, Alaska, are not on this list. This arbitrary rule also kept off a couple of small cities like Bismarck that just barely missed the cutoff. That said, the criteria for choosing these cities did take into account access to legendary marshes and potholes within several hours of driving from these cities, not just what’s right next to or within their city limits. We tried to include cities from every flyway. The list is arranged in alphabetical order.

If I know anything about waterfowl hunters, it’s that they’ll either be pissed off that I missed including a top duck hunting city on the list, or they’ll be pissed that I did put their city on here and fear that it’s going to blow up the hunting pressure. Well. Sound off in the comments.

Baltimore is not often thought of when it comes to hunting destinations—but the city is within spitting distance of The Chesapeake Bay, which many folks consider to be the cradle of American waterfowling. The nation’s largest estuary—at nearly 5,000 square miles—is one of the most important areas for migrating waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway, drawing a variety of species which can be targeted from boats, layout blinds, or simply by standing in the water wearing a “body boot.” Baltimore is particularly close to the upper Chesapeake and the Susquehanna Flats, which is where most hunters in the area concentrate their efforts. Maryland’s eastern shore also offers great sea duck and brant hunting.

Billings is one of the smallest cities on this list, but it offers some of the best public waterfowl hunting opportunities in the Central Flyway. Field hunting can be highly effective on many of the area's ag fields, and hunters can also decoy birds over water along the Yellowstone River and south of the city on the Bighorn River. Big Lake Wildlife Management Area, just northwest of Billings, is another great option before still water freezes over. Mallards and Canadas are the name of the game here.

Fargo, like Billings, is one of the smaller cities on this list. But there is no way we could leave it off. Fargo is located in the heart of the Central Flyway, and North Dakota is known colloquially as the “Duck Factory.” The area is known for its prairie potholes, which can be successfully hunted by freelancers on public land. Field hunting can also be productive. Importantly, Fargo is just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Devil’s Lake, a vast complex of shallow wetlands that draws thousands of migrating birds each year.

Texas doesn’t have a ton of public hunting opportunity—and this is true for waterfowl hunting near Houston, the fourth most populous city in the U.S. But while the area lacks public access, the duck hunting can be world-class in the region’s private clubs and lodges. Just thirty minutes West of the city, waterfowl hunters can target birds in Katy, Texas, which used to be one of the waterfowl capitals of the country. Today, though, urban development has pushed most hunters further southwest toward managed properties near El Campo and Columbus. One of the best aspects of hunting this area is the variety of birds you can target, from early-season bluewings to pintails and gadwalls.

Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, gets the nod in large part due to its proximity to Stuttgart. The region is known for mallards over flooded timber, which is a bucket-list hunt for most folks from other parts of the country. That said, don’t sleep on the rice fields and winter wheat hunting for ducks as well as snow and specklebelly geese in the area. Access is ample but highly sought after on public options such as the Bayou Meto and Dagmar wildlife management areas.

Memphis is located near the midpoint of the Mississippi River Flyway—and offers plenty of access along said river basin, though a lot of the best hunting areas are leased. However, the city is less than a two-hour drive from Reelfoot Lake, which offers public access on a waterbody where you can kill a wide variety of waterfowl. Additionally, some new hunting grounds within city limits are opening up, such as one along the Wolf River funded by an onX Maps Adventure Forever Grant.

The Big Easy is known for its nightlife, but the city is also near some of the country’s primo wetlands. South Louisiana’s coastal marshes support upward of 9 million migrating and wintering ducks. You can get into these birds in basically any direction of New Orleans, whether you want to hit the Chenier Plain to the west, the coastal marshes near Venice to the south or the Biloxi area to the east.

Portland, Oregon, might be known more as a hotspot for hipsters rather than duck hunters, but don’t forget that the city is located on the banks of one of the most iconic waterways for waterfowling: The Columbia River. Public hunters flock to Sauvie Island, 12,000 acres of wetlands just minutes from downtown Portland. Less-trafficked areas can be found up and down the Columbia River, whether you want to target divers like bluebills on the mainstem of the river or dabbling ducks in the islands or nearby tidal marshes.

Sacramento was a no-brainer for this list for one simple reason: 60% of Pacific waterfowl rely on it during the fall migration, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The area offers plenty of public ground for freelance hunters through the state-managed refuge system, though reservations are hard to come by at top areas such as Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, which is on the southwest edge of the city. Folks willing to spend dough can lease rice fields in the valley or join private clubs on the Suisun Marsh. Sea duck hunting for scoters is just a short drive away in the San Francisco Bay.

This is the only city on the list that shares the part of the name of its greatest hunting attraction: the Great Salt Lake. According to Ducks Unlimited, the Great Salt Lake “is arguably the most important waterfowl hotspot in the Intermountain West” and hosts “3 to 4 million” birds each year. Like Sacramento, the Salt Lake City area can be hunted by boat-less hunters, particularly wetlands on the edge of the lake, such as the famous Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Another potential way to get into lights-out hunting is to use an airboat to reach remote sections of the shallow lake. Hunters can target both divers and dabbling ducks in the massive lake, though the future of waterfowl hunting in the area is uncertain as water levels have been declining for years.