Box Elder County has passed an ordinance prohibiting "spotlighting" to hunt wildlife, except under certain circumstances.
Spotlighting is defined as "throwing or casting the rays of any spotlight, headlight, or other artificial light on any highway or in any field, woodland, or forest while having in possession a firearm by which protected wildlife may be killed."The ordinance is designed to give law enforcement agencies the power to stop illegal hunting practices and vandalism, big problems in the county, according to Sheriff Leon Jensen. The ordinance does not affect farmers and ranchers engaged in irrigating crops and tending or protecting livestock at night.
Hunting by spotlight is legal in unincorporated areas of the county by permit obtained through the Box Elder County sheriff's office and under other specified conditions. Even with the permit, a person is required to notify the sheriff's office at least one hour in advance of spotlighting.