Wyoming’s legal embrace of killing wildlife with snowmobiles triggers federal bill

The fallout from the infamous incident involving a Wyoming wolf that was run down by Daniel man on a snowmobile, badly injured and paraded into a bar now includes federal legislation aimed at banning the practice.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) was the lead author of a bill that’s been dubbed the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act , which would prohibit running over and killing wildlife with motorized vehicles on some classes of federal land. The bipartisan measure was introduced on Thursday, according to Gabrielle Lipsky, a staffer for the South Carolinian congresswoman, who shared a statement on behalf of her boss.

“Our federal lands are not battlegrounds for reckless and belligerent behavior,” Mace said. “This bill will preserve the safety and beauty of our natural spaces and ensure wildlife can thrive without the threat of harm from motor vehicles.”

Co-sponsors include three congressmen from southern states that aren’t exactly known for their snowmobiling: Reps. Don Davis (D-North Carolina), Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and Troy Carter (D-Louisiana). The bill materialized after months of lobbying from animal rights and environmental organizations, and it was shepherded chiefly by Wayne Pacelle, a former president of the Humane Society of the United States who now leads a group called Animal Wellness Action.

“We have allowed state authorities plenty of time to handle the situation on their own,” Pacelle told five members of the Wyoming media in a press call on Thursday. “That’s why we’re turning here.”

Simultaneous to the bill that will be considered by Congress, the Wyoming Legislature will have a shot at enacting legislation in response to the February torture of a wolf in Sublette County. In its current form, the state-level legislation would explicitly maintain the legality of running over species classified as predators with motorized vehicles, with the caveat that they must be swiftly killed after being struck.

Pacelle also shopped the bill to one member of Wyoming’s congressional delegation: U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who was not on board.

“With all due respect to my southern colleagues, we do not need members from districts that do not even drive snowmobiles trying to regulate our western way of life,” Lummis told WyoFile in a statement.

Efforts to regulate running over animals with snowmobiles have been contested by the livestock industry.

“I’ve talked with a number of livestock producers across the state — in particular, sheep producers — who have said that they view it as one of their most effective tools” for predator management, Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna told WyoFile in July.

Lobbying nationally, Pacelle also ran into resistance from industry groups. Early in the summer he was working with Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) on sponsoring the legislation, who was “poised” to bring it, but it died while being vetted.

“I do believe it was the Texas Farm Bureau and perhaps the Safari Club International,” Pacelle said.

Although Safari Club International is a hunting organization, hook-and-bullet conservation groups have generally advocated for a prohibition on running over animals with snowmobiles, which is a recreational activity in some portions of Wyoming.

In Pacelle’s view, broad support for addressing animal cruelty helps explain why what could be considered strange congressional bedfellows have united to sponsor the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act .

“These are lawmakers who are keenly interested in animal welfare,” he said. “Ultimately, their decision to introduce the bill today is an affirmation of their view that cruelty to animals is wrong.”

The framework of the SAW Act is based on a single-sentence state statute from Minnesota that dates to 1986: “A person may not use a motor vehicle to intentionally drive, chase, run over, kill, or take a wild animal.”

The SAW Act, however, has more layers. It would impose a fine of up to $5,000 and up to one year imprisonment for intentionally using a motor vehicle to “run over, strike, or kill a wild animal on public lands.”

There are also exceptions. A snowmobiler or motor vehicle user would not be liable if they struck wildlife to “avoid injury or death to themselves or another person” or to “avoid the destruction of personal property.” Wildlife officials who run over animals “pursuant to a preexisting wildlife management plan” would also not be in violation.

As it’s written, the SAW Act defines public land as those managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. That provision would exclude U.S. Forest Service managed property — which is under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s purview. Federal land managers in Wyoming told the Jackson Hole News&Guide this spring they lack the jurisdictional authority to prohibit killing wildlife with snowmobiles. Absolute primacy over wildlife policy is debated , however, and there are federal laws that prohibit certain types of hunting, such as the Airborne Hunting Act .

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