Wyoming Lawmakers Support Legalizing Use of Snowmobiles to Kill Wolves

A Wyoming legislative committee has endorsed a bill that would legalize hitting wolves with snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles, provided the individual makes “all reasonable efforts” to kill the animal after injuring or disabling it, Gillette News Record reports.

The decision came after a unanimous vote by 10 legislators, following a high-profile February incident where a man ran over a wolf with a snowmobile and later killed it.

This proposed law, which removes the requirement to kill wolves “humanely,” aims to clarify legal boundaries after Cody Roberts, the man involved in the February incident, was fined $250 for possessing live wildlife but faced no animal cruelty charges. In Wyoming, wolves, like other animals considered predators—such as coyotes, jackrabbits, and skunks—are not protected under typical animal cruelty laws.

The bill comes amid public backlash, with wildlife advocates, former Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists, and some hunters calling for a ban on using motorized vehicles to kill predators. Despite this opposition, the bill formalizes the legality of practices such as “coyote whacking” and sets new guidelines for killing predators with vehicles.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Liz Storer (D-Jackson), also considered but ultimately rejected an amendment that would have banned disabling or injuring predators without killing them immediately. Livestock industry representatives opposed the amendment, citing concerns about its potential impact on predator control methods like trapping and aerial hunting.

Under the new bill, failing to kill a predator after injuring it with a snowmobile would result in animal cruelty charges, raising the fine from $750 to $1,000. Repeat offenders could face fines up to $5,000 and a six-month prison sentence. Judges would also have the discretion to revoke hunting and fishing privileges for up to three years for those convicted under the law.

While some lawmakers voiced concerns about the severity of penalties for first-time offenders, the bill gained unanimous support and will be sponsored in the upcoming 2025 legislative session. The proposed changes have drawn mixed reactions, with livestock and farming lobbies supporting the measure while others continue to push for a ban on the practice.