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Advocates push committee for deeper review of vehicular pursuit and killing of wildlife
Summary
Advocacy groups urged the committee to expand work on laws addressing use of motor vehicles to pursue and kill wildlife, recommending broader study and potential statutory updates to align law with public values and hunting ethics.
Kristen Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, asked the committee to consider an interim review of laws related to using motorized vehicles to pursue and kill wildlife. She said the practice is at odds with many residents' values and urged further study following earlier bill‑level work this session.
A second speaker described being raised in rural Wyoming and said vehicular pursuit of wildlife harms the state's reputation and suggested nonlethal mitigation alternatives for landowners and producers, including fox lights, range riding and drones for monitoring.
Speakers recommended combining related bills and topics where appropriate (for example, consolidating two bills discussed this session) and requested that the committee consider public education, enforcement guidance and narrow statutory clarifications rather than broad bans without enforcement feasibility studies.
Committee members noted February hearings and the session’s bill discussions as a starting point and signaled interest in pairing any statutory proposals with outreach to sheriffs and ranchers so enforcement and mitigation options are practical.
