[Raptorman]

Looks like one of the founders of Muley Freak got busted again. Not sure what it is that makes this guy think he is above the laws. Hopefully he gets the book thrown at him this time.

Muley Freak's Erik Van Woerkom Charged With Felony Possession of Trophy Mule Deer

Eric Van Woerkom of Muley Freak has seen his charges escalate from misdemeanor to felony possession of a trophy mule deer.

gearjunkie.com

 

[LuckyStrike92]

Camofire had a bunch of Muley Freak items on yesterday, maybe someone is trying to offload inventory to pay for legal fees... One of the items was a Muley Freak logo inside of an outline of Idaho. Kind of ironic

 

[RandomElk16]

I have never overthought trespassing. Like, that land is somewhere I can't hunt. I usually just take a picture of the animal and say "Wrong side of the fence or I woulda had him", to pad my ego lol.

Why this guy can't help himself to go over that private line is beyond me. Also, 161" buck is a great deer but certainly not something I want to cop a felony for.


Edit: Also worth noting this guy endorses an OnX competitor that shows you boundaries so... Talk about irony.

 

[Critter]

Idaho has been going after a few others lately.

Idaho man guilty of poaching trophy mule deer in Lemhi County | Idaho Fish and Game

idfg.idaho.gov

 

[caddis8]

It's terrible what people will do for fame, money, clicks, followers, and likes. Bomars happened in my state. Horrible.

 

[PBH]

Not sure what it is that makes this guy think he is above the laws.

Why this guy can't help himself to go over that private line is beyond me.

It's terrible what people will do for fame, money, clicks, followers, and likes.

Directly from their web site:

Felonies are also earned, not given. That's a promise.

 

[Raptorman]

Pathetic, I have never been a fan of theirs and have never purchased anything. But hopefully more people start catching on and move on. Plenty of other companies to support.

 

[caddis8]

Felonies are also earned, not given. That's a promise.

Touche sir, touche

 

[CPAjeff]

3,000,000 sperm cells and that's the one that got through....

 

[Vanilla]

Hunting on private property where he doesn't have permission seems to be an issue for this guy. It's unfortunate, really, as he cried crocodile tears to the Wildlife Board to try and keep his hunting privileges because he had to provide for his family, and the DWR was making him contemplate suicide by being so mean to him.

He ultimately got his wish and was granted his hunting privileges back, and now just a few years later is busted in a different state doing the exact same thing. Shocker, I tell ya. I'm very shocked. (insert sarcasm tone here)

I watched the board hearing with him here in Utah and part of me felt bad for him, even though it was his own actions and decisions that brought him to that point. I still felt some sympathy for him watching that go down. It's really hard to muster sympathy at this point, but I do feel bad for those around him that this will undoubtedly hurt. If they prove the allegations true, he deserves to get a lifetime ban, among other things.

 

[CHIEF_10_BEERS]

To top it off this @$$h--e allegedly shot the deer out from under a father and son while the kid was actively stalking the buck. He shot across the property line onto private property that he didn't have permission to hunt. He is also charged with witness intimidation along with a slew of other charges.
What the hell is wrong with this guy? I would have much rather watched the kid kill the buck and make awesome memories with his old man than pull some douchebaggery like he did.
The guy put it all on the line for a 160" buck. What a retard.

 

[BigT]

Man this infuriates me! He needs to be banned nationwide, not just Idaho! Not that this will keep a poacher from poaching!

 

[3arabians]

I watched the board hearing of his as well. I was feeling a little sympathy for the guy at the time. People make mistakes, get caught up in the moment, etc

But now, I find it fascinating that he just headed north and pulled the same **** only this time apparently shooting a buck out from under a youth hunter. The douchbaggery does seem strong with this one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bux n Dux]

Couldn’t have happened to a better person.

you can’t watch any of their videos without seeing at least 1 type of hunting violation.

I can’t wait to see what card he plays this time to bail his ass out. But I am certain the victim card is already been thrown on the table. The suicide card seemed to work well last time. Maybe he’ll play it again?

 

[RandomElk16]

I will be very curious the outcome when money is at play. Erik has money, ironically from hunting. We just witnessed the Bowmars get away with a SLEW of charges on a very very friendly plea, and then also be able to go back after the fact and gain their weapon rights (partial) while monetizing the story with "The truth is out and we are innocent" videos. All while hunting every year and that will continue. They didn't miss a beat or even really lose any money.

It's a slap in the face when overly offender-friendly plea deals are allowed.

Also, what happened to the network where states are aligned on these punishments? Erik lost his hunting rights in Utah but didn't miss a beat hunting in every neighboring state. Take away privileges across the board and see how happy these folks are.

I digress. One offense is frustrating, repeat down right piss you off.

 

[Raptorman]

I will be very curious the outcome when money is at play. Erik has money, ironically from hunting. We just witnessed the Bowmars get away with a SLEW of charges on a very very friendly plea, and then also be able to go back after the fact and gain their weapon rights (partial) while monetizing the story with "The truth is out and we are innocent" videos. All while hunting every year and that will continue. They didn't miss a beat or even really lose any money.

It's a slap in the face when overly offender-friendly plea deals are allowed.

Also, what happened to the network where states are aligned on these punishments? Erik lost his hunting rights in Utah but didn't miss a beat hunting in every neighboring state. Take away privileges across the board and see how happy these folks are.

I digress. One offense is frustrating, repeat down right piss you off.

100%, it is BS. I have a friend who committed a small offense and lost his privileges for 3 years. Couldn't apply or anything in most states during this time. It is crap the the ones in the public eye get off with less punishment. Like you said, it is especially frustrating when it is a repeat offense.

 

[Bux n Dux]

Erik has money, ironically from hunting.

Erik lost his hunting rights in Utah but didn't miss a beat hunting in every neighboring state

Allegedly, it’s been rumored that his wife had (has) the money… not him. Or at least that’s how it was for quite awhile. I hope this has opened the publics eyes to the type of people his brand represents and MuleyFelon folds up and burns to the ground as a result of his actions. I do fear the handicap hunts he’s been pushing lately to the public will pull on the heart strings much harder than they should when it comes to the courts and prosecutors. I don’t find the timing of those to be coincidental.

he lost his hunting rights in utah and the other 47 states within the compact for the time it took him to file a lawsuit against the state to have them reinstated over a technicality error on their side which was used to determine the loss of rights to begin with. Which is why you saw Hawaii, mexico, Canada and “sand land” hunts exclusively, just for himself during those 6ish months he was actually on the ban. I don’t know what the state gave him besides his hunting rights back when he won, but the brand new tacoma build and the best CWMU moose tag money could buy seemed to fit nicely within that time line.

I’m hopeful there’s many exotic hunts awaiting him in the future after Idaho gets done with him, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Side note. It is hilariously ironic that the first time he got busted for trespassing, he was riding the OnX train hard and seemed to have some kind of partnership with them. And better yet, in his testimony he admitted that he didn’t even use the app while hunting. This is now the 2nd time he’s been busted for trespassing, this time he was teamed up with another mapping app, but still seems to struggle with the foundation concept of the entire thing and how to use it! You can’t make this stuff up 🤣

 

[colorcountrygunner]

I will be very curious the outcome when money is at play. Erik has money, ironically from hunting. We just witnessed the Bowmars get away with a SLEW of charges on a very very friendly plea, and then also be able to go back after the fact and gain their weapon rights (partial) while monetizing the story with "The truth is out and we are innocent" videos. All while hunting every year and that will continue. They didn't miss a beat or even really lose any money.

It's a slap in the face when overly offender-friendly plea deals are allowed.

Also, what happened to the network where states are aligned on these punishments? Erik lost his hunting rights in Utah but didn't miss a beat hunting in every neighboring state. Take away privileges across the board and see how happy these folks are.

I digress. One offense is frustrating, repeat down right piss you off.

That's disappointing to hear about the Blowmars getting off with a wrist slapping. All the rabid wolves over on archerytalk were licking their chops waiting for them to get their asses handed to them. The thing that gets me is why do so many [PEOPLE] have such a [ATTRACTION] for all these influencer types? It's creepy to me how [PEOPLE] can crush so hard on other [PEOPLE] and be so obsessed with them. Have you ever read through the comments on a Cam Hanes post? I get having respect for a guy and his accomplishments but the sychophantic [CRUSHING] is enough to make me barf.

 

[RandomElk16]

That's disappointing to hear about the Blowmars getting off with a wrist slapping. All the rabid wolves over on archerytalk were licking their chops waiting for them to get their asses handed to them. The thing that gets me is why do so many [PEOPLE] have such a [ATTRACTION] for all these influencer types? It's creepy to me how [PEOPLE] can crush so hard on other [PEOPLE] and be so obsessed with them. Have you ever read through the comments on a Cam Hanes post? I get having respect for a guy and his accomplishments but the sychophantic [CRUSHING] is enough to make me barf.

The comment sections are insane. Not sure if being one of their cult members is worse, or paying $10 for a $.0000003 piece of plastic that "straightens your peep".

 

[Lone_Hunter]

Personally, I think most of this BS is ultimately derived from likes, subscriptions, and ad revenue. This guy, and others like him are willing to push the limits of what is legal or ethical because of it. All three of those things (likes, subscribe, money), I think, create a big freaking inflated ego. Overall this whole "influencer" thing has gotten out of hand. Casts attention where none is wanted, and makes things more difficult for the rest of us. Thinking out loud for a moment, I wonder what skeletons are in Hushin's closet.

I suppose most of these big names can be categorized in some manner. Personally I've never heard of Muley Freak, but there's a ton of big name channels out there. Some are entertaining, some are educational, some are both.

EDIT: I talk too much.