Cheers to you, Rob Terkla: Army Sniper, YouTube Star, and MuskOx Man

At MuskOx, we’re built to serve and there’s nothing that makes us happier than finding a way to support the men who make their communities and our nation better. Today, we’re excited to feature a great friend of the MuskOx brand and more importantly, a great American hero who has selflessly given to his nation and now continues to captivate the hunting and fishing world. 

Rob Terkla, born in Fort Worth, Texas was always curious about how things worked and how things got done. He was big into taking risks, the outdoors, and first-person shooter video games at a young age. Unsurprisingly for those that know Rob, he has found a way to be successful with every single one of these areas before hitting the age of 30.  

Rob is a lot of things, but super into schoolwork was never one of them. After graduating from high school without challenging the valedictorian to take over the top spot [Rob got his GED], Rob decided to enlist in the military. 

The United States Army was where Rob found his home as an 11 Bravo infantry man at the age of 19. Rob would serve the military for over 6 years, initially assigned to 1st and 30th as an infantryman. Rob was deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq, before deciding that being a sniper was his calling -- something that fit with Rob’s love of a challenge but didn’t fit with his “always moving” personality. Rob translated his physical movement for eye movement, and would go on to be a master sniper and lead a team through countless missions. The physical toll of the Army ultimately won out and Rob was medically discharged in 2014, three years after marrying his wife Sarah. 

Like many veterans, and especially combat veterans, the transition out of the military proved to be very difficult for Rob. While deployed, Rob was living at an extremely fast pace where adrenaline was a drug fed to him nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Getting this natural high on a daily basis while doing meaningful work would prove to be difficult to replace after returning to the civilian world. The hardest part of Rob’s life was coping with the new normal of a lifestyle that would never be able to deliver the same adrenaline rush or high-tempo as his combat experience. Rob turned to alcohol to relax and cope with the transition and while drinking every day he decided to launch his YouTube channel, which would go on to be wildly successful. And while Rob’s social media career is impressive, there’s no doubt that the most important thing that Rob’s YouTube channel did for his life is to encourage him to be sober, since he wasn’t willing to be drunk on camera while launching his channel.  

Never one to rest on his laurels, a sign of a true MuskOx man, Rob would go on to grow his YouTube channel, LunkersTV, which has attracted 1.5 million subscribers and garnered 230 million views to date. But Rob’s success has not come as a lone wolf, they came as part of an important herd. The Googan Squad is a group of 6 close YouTubers who have developed a cult following amongst the Gen-Z & Millennial Male segment. The group has also created the best-selling soft bait in the world with Googan Baits, more proof that while we can all be successful on our own, we’re better off as part of The Herd. 

Photo via Googan Squad

Another part of Rob’s transition out of the military and into civilian life was finding a way to invest in a struggling gaming company, UMG. Rob, never one for being shy, called the owners and soon found a way to invest in the company and help catapult the company to great success including 18 million games played on its platform to date. While Rob is not involved in UMG today, he still maintains a number of connections in the gaming industry including his good friend Hector Rodriguez. 

Everyday we live in freedom because of the brave men and women like Rob -- and we’d like to say thank you to Rob, not just for serving our nation, but also for being part of MuskOx. 

Lets jump into some Q/A with Rob

MuskOx: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? 
Rob: The hardest thing I’ve ever done is transition from the high-paced adrenaline filled military lifestyle to civilian life where the natural “highs” don’t reach nearly the peak they did in the military. Unfortunately, alcohol was part of that transition, and I’m fortunate that alcohol was only part of the equation, and something that didn’t ultimately bring me down.  

MuskOx: What’s your favorite part of being an American? 
Rob: Voicing my opinion without fear.

Photo via LunkersTV

MuskOx: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your daughter? 
Rob: We make life too complicated and care too much about social media. Avery doesn’t fully understand social media and her life is so much simpler. She doesn’t worry about how many likes and comments she gets. I honestly think the world would be better off without social media; this coming from a guy that built all his businesses and brands off social media marketing. People are judged by their social status or how many followers and likes they get but looking at her, she makes you realize that social media status is truly pointless.

MuskOx: What’s your quirkiest trait?
Rob: I almost never use a fork; I just mix all my food together and shovel it in. 

What’s your favorite part of being a Texan?
Rob: One word... "freedom"

MuskOx: Why MuskOx?
Rob: The clothes look great and feel fantastic -- but more importantly they do things the right way.

May we reiterate, we’re excited to feature Rob, a great friend, strong supporter of the MuskOx brand and more importantly, a great American hero who has selflessly served our nation. Now spending his time captivating the fishing and hunting world. 

#roamfreely