by Sophie Tsairis
Wyoming’s wild west of trapping might finally get some boundaries. Last month, two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Dan Dockstader (R)-Wyoming, and Rep. McKay Erickson (R)-Wyoming, introduced Senate File 0139, aiming to give the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission more muscle in deciding where trappers can and can’t set their snares on public lands.
“Trapping Requirements, Licenses, Seasons and Setbacks” would modify Wyoming’s trapping regulations by expanding the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s authority to establish trap setback specifications on public and state lands, including creating no-trapping zones in heavily recreated areas such as trailheads.
The bill would remove the previous requirement for the commission to consult with other entities before creating these rules, giving the agency more flexible regulatory oversight. At the same time, the statute maintains existing requirements for trapping, including permanently marking traps with owner identification, prohibiting traps within 30 feet of exposed bait over five pounds, and regularly checking traps and snares.
Wyomingites have long battled for the state Legislature to regulate trapping as recreation on public and state land continues to increase.
“We’ve been fighting for this for 12 years,” said Lisa Robertson, president and cofounder of Wyoming Untrapped. The Jackson Hole-based trapping-reform nonprofit launched in 2012 when wolves were delisted and when dog-trapping incidents increased. “Over a decade later we’re finally getting a legislative bill that would be significant.”
In some trapping cases, pets have been wounded or killed by traps near populated trails and campgrounds.
In 2023, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled there is no legal recourse for pet owners if a pet gets caught or killed in a trap. It’s the owner’s responsibility, the ruling stated, not the person who set the trap.
Wyoming currently has no regulations on how close to a public trail hunters can set their traps. Craig Smith, deputy wildlife chief for the WGFD, told Mountain Journal it’s unclear how often pets are injured or killed by traps, but that it does happen.
“There are very few restrictions on where people can recreate with their dogs and very few restrictions on where people can trap, so there is overlap with both activities,” he said.
The statute passed the Wyoming Senate in a third reading on February 5 and was received for introduction by the House the following day. Pending House approval, it would allow the Game and Fish Commission to make rules and regulations around where and when trapping is legal in the state.
“If it becomes law,” Smith said, “the commission will develop rules to implement and define setbacks through an open public process with the public and affected entities.”
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