Wildlife Services Wyoming State Office Records --

The Wildlife Services (WS) program in Wyoming has a long history of working to help citizens, organizations, industries, and government agencies resolve conflicts with wildlife by protecting agriculture, property, and natural resources, and by guarding human health and safety. From the late nineteenth century to the present, Wyoming has worked to protect livestock from predators such as coyotes, red fox, mountain lions, black bears, and grizzly bears. The WS Wyoming State Office identifies the cause of livestock damage and aims to resolve conflicts while minimizing impacts on both wildlife and the environment. The Wyoming State Office collaborates with a diverse group of cooperators, including airports, businesses, cities, counties, and individuals to reduce or prevent wildlife damage to a variety of resources.

From its early days as a western territory, Wyoming has confronted many issues related to wildlife damage and predator control. The Wyoming Territorial Legislature enacted the first predator control legislation in 1869 when it began to regulate the sale and distribution of poisons. By 1875, Wyoming legislators had passed acts to pay bounties on wolves, eagles, hawks, bobcats, lynx, bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. These acts provided funding for wildlife control until 1945, when the law was changed to a mill levy system to fund predator control.

Wyoming became a state in 1890, and by the early 1900s, state game wardens were assessing the problems associated with conflicts between wildlife and livestock producers in the West. In 1903, the Wyoming legislature provided funding for wildlife management and protection by issuing hunting licenses and collecting fees. Congress appropriated funds for federal predator control operations in 1915 focused on wolves, coyotes, and other predators. In 1931, Congress passed the Animal Damage Control Act, which authorized federal control of injurious animals.

The State of Wyoming has remained actively involved in predator management in the West. In 1974, the state was issued an experimental use permit by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct research on the use of the M-44 device to control coyotes. As well, Wyoming WS has increasingly utilized aerial gunners and pilots to provide predator control, particularly for livestock producers. Today, USDA’s Wildlife Services Wyoming State Office, along with the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, County Predator Management Boards, and individual livestock producers work cooperatively to manage wildlife damage in Wyoming.