What Wyoming resident Cody Roberts did to a wolf a few months back was not hunting, full stop. It was cruel and inhumane, the opposite of what the ethical code of conduct all hunters strive to uphold.
For those unfamiliar with the case, which made national and international news, Roberts ran down a wolf atop a snowmobile, injured the wolf, trapped it, and then paraded the muzzled animal in a local Wyoming bar before ultimately dispatching it later. The latter of which remains unclear of how Roberts euthanized the animal.
It sparked a furor among animal rights activists, as well as hunters alike. Especially given the callousness Roberts showed toward the animal and the meager $250 fine he was given. I, myself, even wrote a column about the ordeal.
The practice is called "Wildlife Whacking" and involves using a motor vehicle—in Roberts' case, a snowmobile—and running the animal down. It is, unfortunately, legal in parts of the country. And there may be legislation on the horizon from U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls.
(Update) RideApart heard from Congressman Nehl's Office, which stated that, "Congressman Nehls isn’t working on this legislation. He hasn’t announced he is working on this legislation, and hasn’t introduced this legislation."
We asked whether or not the office knew of any other congressional representatives that were working on such legislation that Jackson Hole News & Guide, the original source of the claim, could have mistaken Nehls for, but they weren't aware of any.
So, unfortunately, it doesn't look like this legislation is currently being worked on, even though it absolutely should.
But with the incident still fresh in everyone's minds, there's real potential for the practice to be outright banned if a group of congressional delegates get together and do the right thing. I hope something goes through, as well as I hope people can differentiate between what Roberts did and what ethical hunters do.
The two are not the same and every hunter I know and know of came down hard on Roberts' actions, as they should.
Here's hoping the practice can be outlawed.
