Wyoming
Ravens Attack Lambs, But Are Protected In Wyoming, So You Can’t Shoot Them
Spring calving and lambing season is on across Wyoming, and ranchers are on guard against predators snatching up their newborn livestock.
Coyotes are a constant threat, as are wolves in parts of the state. Along with occasional marauding grizzlies, or foxes looking for an easy meal.
But as it turns out, ravens can be a bane to ranchers, as well – attacking calves’ tender parts or pecking out lambs’ eyes.
And because ravens are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Act, ranchers can’t legally shoot them.
“One sheepman I know over by Riverton said one of the most pathetic things you can see is a lamb that’s alive, but has had its eyes pecked out,” Wyoming Farm Bureau spokesman Brett Moline told Cowboy State Daily.
Big Piney area cattle rancher Tim Thompson told Cowboy State Daily that he dreads ravens showing up during calving season – and he and his family do their best to shoo them away.
“Those sons-a-bitches will eat a calf alive,” he said.
Don’t Mistake Ravens For Crows
Ravens’ smaller cousins, crows, can also cause trouble for cattle and sheep ranchers this time of year, Moline said.
Like ravens, they can attack newborn animals, he said.
There is a hunting season for crows in Wyoming, but that ended on Feb. 28. So, crows are also protected during much of the calving and lambing season.
In some cases, USDA Wildlife Services can issue permits to kill crows and ravens – to protect livestock or other human interests.
A few years ago, Riverton was practically overrun with those birds, and USDA allowed for many of them to be killed, Moline said.
Thompson said raven attacks on calves are gruesome.
Ravens will peck through a calf’s rectum area, trying to get to the hapless animal’s internal organs, he said.
Coyotes Everywhere
Wolves can threaten young livestock, particularly in Western Wyoming.
Last month, a wolf that had been transplanted from British Columbia, Canada to Colorado made its way to north-central Wyoming. It was killed by USDA Wildlife Services agents after it killed a rancher’s sheep on private land.
Grizzly bears can take a toll on lambs and calves as well, again mostly in northwestern Wyoming.
In April 2024, wildlife agents killed a young male grizzly that was attacking cattle south of Ten Sleep. It was the first verified report of a grizzly in the Bighorn Mountains.
But coyotes are the number one predator of newborn livestock across the state, Moline said.
Mother cows giving birth and newborn calves are especially vulnerable to coyotes, he said.
Cows like to go off by themselves, on the edge of the herd or into cover, to give birth, he said – and coyotes will take advantage of that.
Predators can cost ranchers their calves either “by killing them directly” or “by a cow panicking at a predator’s presence and stomping her calf,” Moline said.
Unlike crows and ravens, coyotes aren’t protected. They can be shot on sight anywhere in the state.
Thompson said if coyotes keep their distance from his momma cows and their calves, he leaves them alone.
“But if they’re bold enough to come around and try messing with those cows, we shoot them,” he said.
Eagles Swoop In
Golden and bald eagles are also protected species in Wyoming. Golden eagles occasionally attack lambs.
Thompson said that with cattle eagles are “mostly scavengers” that might gobble the carcass of a cow or calf that died for other reasons.
For sheep ranchers, eagles are a bigger concern, Moline said.
Raptors can “swoop in” and try flushing lambs away for their mothers, so they can close in for the kill, he said.
Countermeasures such as putting sheep into lambing sheds to give birth, or putting livestock guardian dogs on duty help mitigate the risks from predators, Moline said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
CASPER, Wyo. — High school athletics in Wyoming could see some drastic changes in the coming years following legislative changes to the state’s education budget, the Wyoming High School Activities Association recently announced in a statement.
According to the WHSAA, Wyoming school districts are facing a projected $3.9 million shortfall in activities funding, forcing officials to consider significant cuts to high school sports and extracurricular programs.
The WHSAA shared details regarding a new “silo” funding model implemented by the Legislature, stating that the recalibrated block grant model reduced funding for student activities and extra-duty responsibilities from $46.3 million to $42.4 million, an approximately 8.4% decrease statewide.
WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said the restructuring also restricts district access to an additional $76.2 million in previously flexible funding.
“A significant portion of the [April 28 WHSAA Board of Directors] meeting was dedicated to discussing the projected funding shortfall,” Wilson wrote.
The WHSAA is weighing several strategies to address rising costs with fewer resources. Proposed changes include eliminating regional tournaments and reducing the number of teams qualifying for state events from eight to four; limiting wrestling to two classes and restricting track and field state participants to the top 16 marks; making cuts to soccer, indoor track and field, Nordic and Alpine skiing, swimming and diving, spring golf and tennis; and reducing in-person speech and debate events by half and centrally locating All-State Music events to minimize travel. The board also recommended increasing gate admission or implementing student participation fees to offset costs.
While the WHSAA release states that no plans have been finalized and the various changes are currently just possibilities, Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees member Mary Schmidt criticized the WHSAA’s handling of the news at Monday’s board meeting.
“I take some issues with this, [including] the sheer fact that we as Board of Trustees members have not talked about that at all,” Schmidt said. “It is not our intent and it has not been brought to us to cut our athletics or activities budget for the upcoming school year. … I take issue with them picking sports and getting the community upset and ginning them up to be upset that this is all going to be cut when that hasn’t been discussed.”
Later in the meeting, Superintendent Angela Hensley clarified that Natrona County School District 1’s athletics and activities budget saw a reduction of roughly $550,000 in the coming year’s budget, but said the local school district does not plan to cut any sports.
“Thank you, Trustee Schmidt, for saying this, because I think people are wondering — we are not planning to cut athletics and activities for next year,” Hensley said. “We do have to take a look at our entire budget as we have talked about, as we learn more about these new rules that come in.”
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Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.
Cheyenne City Council has introduced a temporary moratorium, or pause, on new data center construction.
“The end goal is to actually have regulations in place, to have really heavy public involvement with this with data centers,” said Councilman Mark Moody.
The proposed ordinance is not a permanent ban on data centers and would not affect data centers currently under construction.
Councilman Moody says this is a bipartisan issue.
“I just want to make this clear, I’m not against data centers. We do need them from a national security perspective,” he said.
He said there needs to be more public input and regulations regarding data centers in Cheyenne.
The ordinance would require city staff to study data center impacts such as electricity usage, electricity tariffs, closed-loop cooling systems, groundwater impacts, agricultural impacts, and land value.
Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County, reported in November 2025 that there are 12 operational data centers in Wyoming, five under construction and plans for 43 data centers announced across the state.
“There needs to be more public input with this, and also to see how many we can sustain here in this community, cause there are talks of 43, and then another day 70. How many can we sustain here?” said Councilman Moody.
The proposed moratorium will now go to the Public Services Committee on Monday, May 18 at noon in the Municipal Building.
Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.
North Regional Tournament at Gillette:
Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am
(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am
(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm
(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:
Friday, May 15th:
(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am
(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am
(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm
(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm
Semi-Finals:
Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
Consolation Round:
Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!
Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!
Saturday, May 16th:
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.
2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place
TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place
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