I will go to my grave stating that "wolf whacking," the practice of running down wolves with a snowmobile or other mode of transportation, is not hunting. I know there's some debate around it by those who participate in the practice, but it doesn't follow the tenets I learned as a hunter or fair chase ethics at all.
I state this as the Wyoming legislature has once again kicked the ball down the proverbial road in terms of even hearing debate on banning the practice.
The state has been at the center of the debate ever since an incident last year that sparked global attention and fury, as a resident ran down a wolf, but didn't dispatch the animal right then and there. Instead, they tied the wolf up, taped its mouth shut, and paraded it through a local bar where patrons took pictures with the wounded animal. Then, after their "frivolity" was over, the man responsible took the animal outside and shot it in the alley behind the bar.
It was cruel, and it led many, including many Wyoming residents and politicians, to call for the banning of the practice. Or, at the very least, impose new rules that would require participants to dispatch the animal quickly and as humanely as possible. But legislators wouldn't hear it, as though calls from inside and outside the state were loud, many agricultural producers in the state were hell-bent on keeping it from getting banned.
And so, bill after bill, amendment after amendment, failed to garner enough support. That's continued to today as a new ban was proposed to be heard during the next legislative session, but was ultimately passed over.
According to Wyofile, which has been doing absolutely amazing work on both this topic and proposed public land sales, states that two different proposals were on the table regarding wolf whacking for the 2026 legislative session for the state's Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. Both were looked over, however.
"A continued push to end a brutal form of motorized over-snow hunting did not gain traction with Wyoming lawmakers studying bills ahead of the 2026 legislative session, despite a Sublette County incident that shined an unprecedented spotlight on the practice and sparked multiple nominations for a ban," states the outlet, adding that both included concessions to livestock producers in the state to, hopefully, get them on board.
Obviously, that didn't occur.
Representative Karlee Provenza, a Democrat out of Laramie, stated "Such conduct is cruel, unsportsmanlike, and damages Wyoming’s reputation as a responsible manager of wildlife. A vehicle should never be used as a weapon against wildlife." But both Republicans and Democrats have come out in opposition to the practice and introduced bills, proposals, and more to ban it. Likewise, after the incident last year, fines were increased for those who don't dispatch the animal right then and there, as well as anyone who acts as cruelly as Cody Roberts did. But other than that, real consequences haven't really come about.
And although it's been once again passed over, there are more opportunities for Wyoming delegates to introduce further fines, stiffer penalties, and more legislation ahead of the 2026 legislative session. That said, according to how the Wyoming legislature works, any introduction would face a very steep uphill climb. Wyofile states, "While it’s clear a committee bill will not come out of the interim session, [Representatives] or a coalition of lawmakers could still bring a personal bill during the Legislature’s 2026 session. It will face longer odds of becoming law because it’s a budget year, requiring all non-budget bills to earn two-thirds support for introduction."
Hopefully, folks don't give up on fighting to ban the practice, as again, it isn't hunting. It doesn't follow hunting ethics. And it's a stain on snowmobiling recreation.
