Hogs for Hope, a motorcycle rally organized in response to the torture and killing of a wolf in Daniel, will return to the western Wyoming town June 14, despite a hostile reception from many locals last year.
The event’s main organizer, dog trainer and social media influencer Jonas Black of Austin, Texas, told Cowboy State Daily that he plans on doing annual Hogs for Hope rides to Daniel every year until Wyoming reforms its wolf management policy.
However, the state outlawed the deliberate torture of wolves and other predators, noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich told Cowboy State Daily.
Ulrich was one of the main backers of House Bill 275, the “Clean Kill Bill,” which passed the Wyoming Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon earlier this year.
It calls for possible felony criminal charges against people who deliberately prolong the suffering of predatory animals.
“The legislation that passed, I believe, is incredibly strong,” Ulrich said. “It sends a powerful message and has significant penalties for those who torture any wildlife in Wyoming.”
We’ll See You In Court
Black is among those who think the new law doesn’t go far enough. That’s because it doesn’t ban pursuing and running over predators with snowmobiles or other vehicles, a practice commonly called “whacking.”
Black said that he and others who want predator whacking banned in Wyoming have decided to take the matter to court, although he declined to comment on the details of what the litigation might entail.
Hogs for Hope has raised nearly $40,000 toward that end this year, he said. Last year’s rally raised nearly $130,000 in donations.
Thes scene in Daniel, Wyoming, before the Hogs For Hope motorcycle rally reached town May 26, 2024. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
Cattle trailers and vehicles were parked in front of the Green River Bar in Daniel, Wyoming, for the Hogs For Hope motorcycle rally on May 26, 2024. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) 
Cattle trailers and vehicles were parked in front of the Green River Bar in Daniel, Wyoming, for the Hogs For Hope motorcycle rally on May 26, 2024. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
A Wolf Called Hope
Black organized the Hogs for Hope rally last year in response to reports of a wolf being hit with a snowmobile and then captured and kept alive for hours on Feb. 29, 2024.
According to accounts of events, the wolf was run down by local resident Cody Roberts.
Roberts then reportedly took the wolf to his home and duct-taped its mouth shut before showing it off at the Green River Bar in Daniel, then finally killing it out behind the bar.
Roberts forfeited a $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 worldwide outrage.
As part of his response, Black dubbed the wolf “Hope.”
Not A Warm Welcome In Daniel
Black, along with a few other motorcycle riders followed by a caravan of about a dozen vehicles rolled into Daniel on May 26, 2024.
They had planned to present a check of the donated money to representatives of Wyoming wildlife groups on the front porch of the Green River Bar.
But ahead of their arrival, locals had blocked off the bar from the street by parking several large trailers end-to-end in front of it.
That and a potentially hostile reception led to the decision for the caravan to simply roll through town without stopping.
There were harsh words and shouted insults exchanged between the caravan and some locals, but it didn’t turn violent.
Black said that he still gets hateful messages, and even some death threats from people in Daniel and Sublette County.
But he’s convinced that most people there, and across Wyoming, support his cause.
Whacking Ban Remains Open Question
Black said the Wyoming Legislature not banning whacking remains his main point of contention. He said he won’t stop organizing yearly rallies and raising money for litigation until the practice is banned here.
Ulrich said the law that he and others helped put on the books is a strong response to the Daniel wolf incident.
“It (the law) gives the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other agencies the tools they need if we ever have another case like this,” he said.
The Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee recently rejected a possible ban on whacking as an interim topic.
However, a bill addressing it might still be brought up during the 2026 Legislative session, Ulrich said.
Although the Clean Kill Bill put a great law on the books, “there’s always room to improve,” and a bill specific to a ban on whacking might address that, Ulrich said.
Black said he’ll also push for “non-lethal” methods of keeping wolves away from livestock.
“Any rancher in Wyoming that wants some livestock guardian dogs implemented, I’ll do it for free,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
