A new law outlawing predator torture, prompted by the torture of a wolf, marked a significant change in Wyoming’s wildlife policy during the 2025 legislative session.
But some criticized lawmakers for not outlawing running over wolves with snowmobiles or doing more to protect dogs from getting maimed or killed in traps.
Meanwhile, there was positive reception for a new law, intended to protect Wyoming’s prized angling waters from being mobbed by out-of-state fishing guides.
It was a busy session for the outdoors and wildlife in the state Capitol and noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich said he was pleased with the results.
“I’m very encouraged that wildlife and outdoor recreation issues were at the forefront of this legislative session,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
“There seems to be an increased understanding and appreciation that our statutes should reflect what we value and who we are,” he said.
The Great Wolf Debate Continues
After nearly a year of debate over the treatment of wolves in Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon signed House Bill 275, or the “clean kill bill,” as supporters called it.
It calls for harsh penalties, including possible felony charges, against people who deliberately torture or prolong the suffering of wolves or other wildlife classified as predatory animals.
The bill was in reaction to events near the tiny Sublette County community of Daniel in February 2024. Local resident Cody Roberts allegedly captured a wolf after running it over and injuring it with a snowmobile.
According to accounts of events, he then took the wolf to his residence and duct-taped its mouth shut before showing it off at a local bar and finally killing it out behind the bar.
Roberts forfeited $250 bond on a charge of illegal possession of a warm-blooded animal, according to court records.
The incident, and Roberts’ seemingly light punishment, sparked world-wide outrage.
Ulrich helped craft HB 275, along with other prominent Wyomingites, including Muley Fanatic Foundation president and CEO Josh Coursey and former Wyoming Supreme Court justice Marilyn Kite.
“This is what Wyoming people want – and they came together to set into law that intentional torture has no place in this state,” Kite said in a statement Tuesday from Wyoming Sportsmanship and other groups that backed the bill.
Not everyone was pleased.
While the new law dictates that predators must be killed as quickly as possible, it doesn’t forbid running them over with snowmobiles or other vehicles. And that still amounts to torture, detractors argued.
Rep. Mike Schmid, R- La Barge introduced a separate bill to outlaw running predators over, a practice commonly called “whacking” or “mashing.”
That bill failed, as did Schmid’s attempts to introduce an amendment to HB 275 banning predator whacking.
Animal Wellness Action and other groups issued a statement Tuesday claiming that Wyoming had failed in that regard.
The groups noted that other states with wolves, such as Minnesota, forbid running them over.
No More Fishing Mobs?
Ulrich was also a strong promoter of House Bill 5, which requires permitting for commercial fishing guides, and was also signed into law by Gordon.
Ulrich and others noted that Wyoming’s fishing guide industry is essentially a free-for-all.
Most resident fishing outfitters register their boats, require their guides to have first-aid training, and other such things. But it wasn’t required by law, they said.
That meant that many out-of-staters could simply call themselves “fishing guides” and charge people for fishing trips, frequently under shady circumstances.
That, in turn, has been turning some of Wyoming’s best fishing waters – such as the Miracle Mile on the North Platte River – into mob scenes, Ulrich and other HB 5 proponents argued.
HB 5 calls for the creation of an advisory board, which will work with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on an oversight board and permitting system for fishing guides.
That won’t solve the overcrowding problem overnight, Ulrich said, but it’s a step in the right direction toward bringing some order to guided fishing – which is a growing part of Wyoming’s outdoor economy.
Dog Trap Opponents Vow To Keep Trying
Afton resident Becky Barber was spurred into action in February 2024 when her 8-year-old English bull terrier Jester was killed in a beaver trap that had been set near a road where she and other residents walked their dogs.
She and others got behind Senate File 139. It called for mandatory setbacks for traps from public road and trails and other reforms that promoters hoped would help protect dogs.
Opponents argued that it would have unintended consequences for Wyoming trappers, and that dog owners should be primarily responsible for keeping their pets safe.
The bill passed the Senate, but failed introduction to the House.
Barber and others claim that’s because House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, let it languish in his drawer.
Even so, Barber told Cowboy State Daily that she’s determined to keep trying.
SF 139 went further than any previous attempts at trapping reform, she said. So if a bill is introduced during the 2026 session, it could pass.
“We’re rallying and moving forward again, I’m not giving up,” she said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
