The Wyoming House of Representatives passed a bill to halt Internet hunting in its tracks before the shooting starts in Wyoming. Now House Bill 207 will head to the Wyoming Senate, where Rep. Seth Carson, D-Laramie, the bill's sponsor, is relatively confident the bill will pass.

Internet hunting, also referred to as cyber hunting or computer-assisted remote hunting, allows the hunter to shoot game in the comfort of their home.

Essentially, a remote-control camera attached to a rifle is mounted in the field by a vendor and linked to the hunter's computer at home.

When an animal comes in sight of the camera/rifle, the user pulls a remote-control trigger by tapping the computer's mouse.

“The thing that is sort of scary is the technology is out there,” Carson said.

Aside from the fact that is not sporting to kill an animal from a remote location, House Speaker Colin Simpson, R-Cody, said the hunter should be present in case the animal is wounded.

And there is always the risk of another hunter actually on location getting hit by a stray bullet by a faceless, feckless hunter miles from the site.

“You never know who is going to be clicking the mouse,” Simpson said.

There are 38 states, including Texas, that have banned Internet hunting, said Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody.

Many sportsmen, the National Rifle Association and state game and fish agencies have opposed Internet hunting, Childers added.

Carson said many sportsmen's groups recently voiced their support for his bill in Cheyenne.

“Personally, I don't call that hunting,” said David Allen, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

“It (Internet hunting) is not a concept the Elk Foundation would support,” Allen said.

Allen, who lives in Billings, patted the Wyoming Legislature on the back for writing the bill and said it makes him proud to have attended the University of Wyoming.

“It's unsportsmanlike; get your lazy butt off the couch,” said Jess Dingman, Cody Chapter Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Dingman said that statement was his personal opinion, not the foundation's.

Programs are available to take physically-challenged individuals hunting.

“There are plenty of opportunities for people with handicaps to go hunting,” Dingman said.

Hunters should be out there because they love the outdoors. “There is more to hunting than killing something,” Dingman said.

Allen said the foundation does not support Internet hunting, but it does support programs that get people with physical impairments into the field.

During the Montana 2008 hunting season, Allen saw plenty of trophy mule deer bucks and massive elk bulls, but the avid hunter, who loves eating elk, never fired a shot. Allen hunts because he enjoys the outdoors and seeing wildlife, he said.

“If you can't hunt and enjoy it like that, you do something else,” Allen said.

Carson called House Bill 207 a proactive approach to nip Internet hunting in the bud before it is unleashed on the Cowboy State.

If the bill passes, those found guilty of Internet hunting could face a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail, Carson said.

Carson said pseudo hunters pulling a trigger via computer monitors while oblivious to the possibility of other people in the vicinity gives him the willies.

“Hopefully we never have this in the state,” Carson said, “that is the purpose of this bill.”