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, but 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.
Featured images via Facebook.
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