Nearly a year after the torture and death of a wolf in Daniel, Wyoming, drew worldwide scorn as running predators down with snowmobiles remains legal in the state.
Wyoming needs to “close the door” on the practice of using vehicles as weapons against wolves and other predatory animals, said Rep. Mike Schmid, R-La Barge.
He’s been vocal about banning predator “whacking” or “mashing” with vehicles, as it’s commonly called.
He sponsored House Bill 331, which would have banned whacking. But that bill died in a House committee.
He still hopes that a ban on predator whacking can be amended into House Bill 275, which he co-sponsored.
That bill passed the House and is pending before the Senate.
HB 275, or the “clean kill bill,” calls for cruelty to animals penalties against anybody who deliberately prolongs the suffering of a predatory animal, instead of killing it quickly.
Even if a predator whacking ban isn’t passed during the current session. Schmid said he plans to keep pushing for it.
Perhaps HB 331 can be revived as interim bill, he said.
Something needs to be done, because predator whacking continues to blight Wyoming’s reputation, Schmid said during an interview with Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
He worries that it could be used as leverage by anti-hunting and anti-trapping groups and other activists.
“Everyone is going to feel the effects of it, because this isn’t going away,” he said.
Broad Support For A Ban
Schmid is an avid hunter, trapper and angler, and works in the energy industry. In other words, a typical old-school Wyomingite.
But opposition to predator whacking is something he shares in common with environmental and animal welfare groups.
He added that many rank-and-file hunters and “blue collar workers” also don’t like the thought of running wolves, coyotes or other animals.
Addressing Ag Concerns
If support for banning predator whacking is so broad, then why have efforts to ban it failed so far?
Schmid, who is in his first term, acknowledges that the HB 331 might not have been drafted with enough clarity to satisfy everybody.
But he remains confident that with some polish, that bill – or some version of it – could eventually succeed.
He also understands the misgivings that some ranchers have expressed about banning the use of snowmobiles against predators.
During discussions and debates on the topic, representatives of agricultural interests stated that farmers and ranchers sometimes rely on vehicles to pursue predators attacking their livestock.
Schmid said the last thing he wants to do is impede ranchers’ ability to protect their livelihood.
Legislation can be crafted in such a manner that ranchers could still be allowed to use snowmobiles or ATVs against predators attacking their livestock, while banning “recreational” predator whacking, he said.
Banning recreational pursuit could benefit ranchers by keeping trespassers off their land, he added.
“Ranchers that have land bordering public where the snow gets deep are also experiencing a lot of trespass from guys that chase coyotes,” he said.
“The snow gets deep enough where they can ride right over the fences chasing the coyote and are riding all over private ground with no permission. This happens in the upper green river country. I got that right from the horse’s mouth,” Schmid said.
Daniel Wolf Incident Sparked Outrage
The push to ban predator whacking stems from reports of the capture and hours-long torment of a wolf near Daniel on Feb. 29, 2024.
According to the account of events, local resident Cody Roberts reportedly ran the wolf down with a snowmobile, disabling the animal. He then taped its mouth shut and kept it alive for a time, at one point showing it off to bar patrons in Daniel, a tiny town in Sublette County, before finally taking it out behind the bar and killing it.
Roberts was cited by a Wyoming Game and Fish warden for illegal possession of a live, warm-blooded animal and forfeited a $250 bond, according to court records. That was the maximum penalty allowed by law, the agency says.
Roberts became a lightning-rod for widespread rage over the incident – including threats against him and his family, which Schmid said hasn’t helped the cause of getting predator whacking banned.
Even other Wyoming men named Cody Roberts told Cowboy State Daily that they were threatened.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
