A wolf’s inhumane treatment last winter has officially spawned a bill for lawmakers to consider during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 general session — though not the kind of draft legislation that many called for.
The Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee voted unanimously to advance Animal abuse-predatory animals at its Cheyenne meeting Monday afternoon. The bill, originally prepared by the Treatment of Predators Working Group, moves forward with language explicitly sanctioning the practice of running over species like coyotes and foxes with snowmobiles.
Amendments made Monday, however, enhance penalties for keeping animals alive after they’ve been struck and injured. Specifically, failing to “immediately use all reasonable efforts to kill” an animal crippled by a snowmobile or other motorized vehicle would be punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to a $1,000 and the loss of hunting and fishing privileges for up to 3 years.
“In the end, we’re suggesting the committee sponsor a bill that would create an additional fine for something that is already illegal,” said Rep. Liz Storer (D-Jackson), who chaired the Treatment of Predators Working Group. (Storer also serves as president and CEO of the George B. Storer Foundation, which is a financial supporter of WyoFile. The foundation has no role in WyoFile’s editorial content.)
The group was convened in response to global outrage after Daniel resident Cody Roberts gravely injured a wolf with a snowmobile in late February, then kept it alive and paraded into a public bar. Roberts was fined only $250 — though steeper penalties were available — for illegal possession of warm-blooded wildlife.
Storer gave introductory remarks to the agenda item, during which she shared concerns relayed to the Treatment of Predators Working Group by the public. Under advisement from Gov. Mark Gordon and Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee Chairwoman Rep. Sandy Newsome (R-Cody), the group focused its deliberations on deterring animal cruelty “without interfering with the ability to manage predators.”
Effectively, the group was dissuaded from considering statutory changes that would criminalize the pursuit of running over wildlife with snowmobiles — a form of recreation in some corners of Wyoming.
Running down predator species is a necessary “tool” to protect livestock, longtime Wyoming Stock Growers Association lobbyist Jim Magagna testified Monday.
“After decades of managing predators, little by little we’re seeing attacks on the tools that we’ve used,” Magagna said. “We’ve lost several of those as a result of federal actions, and we simply cannot afford as an industry to lose more of the tools that we may need.”
Magagna supported the bill and two amendments that were successfully voted into the legislation during the Monday meeting.
One of those amendments, brought by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, narrowed the enforcement authorities of game wardens so that they wouldn’t also be saddled with enforcing animal cruelty statutes relating to domestic pets and livestock.
Another successful amendment initiated by Sen. Mike Gierau (D-Jackson) would give judges latitude to strip violators’ hunting and fishing privileges for up to 3 years. The point, he said, was to attempt to change behavior.
The committee took no action on another amendment. Suggested by Newsome and floated previously by the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, the proposal was to remove language from the bill related to running down predator species with motorized vehicles.
“While this behavior is already legal, the Federation feels that specifically defining this behavior into law codifies an odd and distasteful precedent into statute,” the Lander-based group posted on its social media channels.
Magagna had concerns, however. Removing the motorized vehicle language, he said, was “very troubling” because of the circumstances in which many predators are killed. Aerial gunning, trapping and other methods are used that would make it hard to “immediately use all reasonable efforts” to kill injured animals, Magagna implied. The Wyoming Wildlife Federation proposed bill language to address those concerns, but it landed on the cutting room floor, for now.
The Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee didn’t vote on the idea, though Newsome said it could be reintroduced during the Legislature’s general session, which begins Jan. 14. That’s in the cards, because the committee unanimously voted in favor of the bill proposing changes to Wyoming’s animal cruelty statutes.
It’s not the only bill emanating from the Sublette County wolf torture incident. Federal legislation is also being considered. Sponsored by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) and three southern-state congressmen, the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act would prohibit running over and killing wildlife with motorized vehicles on some classes of federal land.
Apart from a mention by Storer, committee members did not discuss the Treatment of Predators Working Group’s decision to explicitly clarify that running over animals with snowmobiles is legal in Wyoming.
Many members of the public, however, seized on the practice, questioning and condemning its legality. Rock Springs resident Madhu Anderson asked lawmakers about the definitions of components of the legislation, like the requirement to “immediately use all reasonable efforts” to kill crippled animals.
“How many times can an animal be run over before it’s considered illegal?” she asked lawmakers. “This ambiguity allows heinous acts of cruelty to persist, violating the fundamental principles of compassion toward animals.”
Sublette County resident Paul Ulrich also testified. Although a vice president with oil and gas producer Jonah Energy, he addressed lawmakers as an individual, questioning Wyoming statutes that allow predator species to be killed “in any manner” and suggesting they amend it.
“I believe [killing predators] in an ‘expeditious and humane manner’ is more reflective of the values of my great state,” Ulrich said.
Ulrich did not testify specifically about running over animals with snowmobiles, but he clarified his views about it in an interview.
“I don’t believe it should be a legal practice in Wyoming,” he told WyoFile. “I do believe there are many effective ways to control and manage our predators, versus running them over with a snowmobile.”
The time is “ripe” to discuss and change parts of Wyoming’s predatory animal statutes, he said.
“Whether an animal is classified as a predator or not,” Ulrich said, “we should not have the ability to intentionally or knowingly injure or beat that animal unnecessarily.”
Stupid is as stupids does, and this proposed law is stupid. Livestock farmers get too many breaks already.
It is unfortunate that we must take steps to allow ranchers to take steps to protect their livestock from predators. I am sure there was a time in Wyoming-history when predator-populations were large enough to justify laws that allowed any/all predators to be killed my any means possible. Those days are long-gone. There is no reason now to use inhumane-methods to control predators. While livestock owners (and their employees) should be allowed to use snowmobiles to find and kill predators, they should do the killing with guns. But if this proposed law allows anyone who wants to to run-over animals for sport, on the theory that it ultimately benefits the economy, then the law is abomination. While the Christian translation of Genesis I (26-28) uses the word “dominion”, which implies ruling-over, the original Hebrew word “radah” implies caring-for. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a 19th-century Jewish scholar, defined “radah” as involving guidance and leadership, not abuse or oppression. He interpreted the passage to mean that humans should manage creation with care and maintain its balance.
While setting steeper fines for such reprehensible behavior is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t get to the heart of this despicable practice. Deliberately running down animals is barbaric and needs to be outlawed.
Let’s be honest. I’m an independent, but it’s obvious this has become a political attack on Wyoming conservative values by ‘mostly’ out of state ‘progressives.’ The Wyoming authorities appropriately dealt with the situation and most of us don’t want or need additional government intervention. Most of us here in Wyoming aren’t inhumane and respect all wildlife. I personally don’t condone intentionally torturing any living thing. I don’t even trophy hunt. But I don’t cry and condemn others for it, or try to force my values on them. I try to respect life and differences. However, if I had a choice between putting a stop to animal abuse or putting a stop to political opportunism, I am 100% certain that the latter choice would likely yield better results for society, and probably inadvertently result in less of the former as well. As for those that are boycotting Wyoming tourism; Colorado has you covered with excessive government interventions and whatever politics are popular at the moment. Feel free to stay on that side of the border. Don’t forget to reserve your spot ahead of time, and then wait in line to enjoy Estes. Personally, I will definately miss the wolf more than I’ll miss the ‘Karens’ trying to tell us how to live.
I think it is inhumane a sin against God and the earth and the animals to allow killing predatory animals. A wolf a coyote bear etc has dna that only goes so far as see meat food kill eat. It doesn’t know its doing anything wrong. We reintroduced wolves etc for our aggression against a God made animal and once count gets low we bring more into wyoming. This killing defines all of wyoming. A mountain lion doesn’t know killing is wrong. He know he has to eat and feed his little ones. Ranchers get government reimbursement for animal loss. It is sad it has come to killing the animals. We kill and eat thousands of cows etc yearly and we kill the predatory animals for what we do ourselves
Hundreds+ more Wyoming citizens either wrote to the committee or appeared in person to speak at one of their public hearings, all with the request to outlaw yote-mashing by snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles. From all walks of life, including veterinarians, psychologists, and ranchers. Yet the committee heard nothing the public said, listening solely to wolf-hating Jim Magagna of the Livestock Association. That’s what your participation in government is worth: nothing. So much for listening to constituents; still, they just keep getting elected.
the headline to this article is extremely misleading and deceptive. doesn’t have much to do with whats actually going on in the legislature. i’m pulling for the wolves.
Here’s my question. If you’re close enough to the predator to run it over, one would think you’d be close enough to shoot it well before then. Unless you’re a really crappy shot. With the high powered rifles and scopes available today, you’d have to be half blind.
And once again, Magagna leaves a meeting that was heavily tilted to one side from the onset, sporting a smirk. This committee action will only add fuel the flame on getting this barbaric “sport” (because, that’s actually what it is) banned from Federal lands.
There’s no legitimate reason for using a snowmobile to run over and kill any wildlife, despite old man Magagna’s lame excuses.
Just use a firearm and get it over with.
If you can shoot a wolf from a moving snowmobile in Wyoming backcountry, mad respect for your skill. However, I’d like proof before I’ll buy into the concept.
This bill is clearly designed to be unenforceable and will change absolutely nothing and that is the point –
I use to travel through Wyoming on my way to Denver! My next trip was to be through Yellowstone! I’ve stayed in Rock Springs, Laramie and others but I have decided to swear off ever touching foot in the state again! Change is not a dirty word and should have respect! I see that the people in Wyoming are irrespective, brutal and cruel to wildlife! I hope that not all Wyoming citizens are not so but still, no thank to who you show yourself to be!
The Cowboy Way – Barbaric and Ignorant.
It’s far easier to criticize another’s way of life from afar than it is to live it and learn to understand it. Who’s really being ignorant?
Thank you, Mike, for covering this issue. There were about 25 people at the hearing speaking against the practice with many more on-line. Nothing that we said mattered – that was crystal clear. But we will fight on, locally and nationally. Those interested in joining the fight should follow the work of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, and Wolves of the Rockies, and be active (and supportive) when needed. This is far from over.
Wyoming’s Tourism Board will have to amend their slogan to….
“That’s WY…we love killin’ wolves and other varmits with our snowmobiles!”
That’s WY I will never spend another penny in that state!