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Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Steve Inman: Sunday, September 14, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Steve Inman: Sunday, September 14, 2025

 "I hope the fish are ok," as narrated by MMA announcer, Steve Inman....

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Outdoors

A 28-year-old Australian man has been found dead near Grand Teton National Park.

Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) recovered the body of the unidentified man  Wednesday morning. He was found in an area known as The Wigwams on the west slope of the Tetons.

According to TCSAR, the man is believed to have died from a fall from “a steep, high-altitude ridgeline” that separates Grand Teton National Park and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness.

“TCSAR sends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and wishes to express its gratitude to the partnering federal agencies who assisted in the investigation,” the agency said in a statement.

Cowboy State Daily could not reach TCSAR or Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr by the time of publication.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Difficult Search"}]

According to the information released by TCSAR, the Australian man was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, a 3,028-mile route that stretches across the Rockies from Alberta, Canada, to Chihuahua, Mexico.

The victim started from Canada and headed south, keeping his family informed of his progress via a Garmin satellite device.

By July 19, he reached Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park and sent a message with his intended route through the Tetons and into the Wind River Basin. 

The last communication the family received was a check-in from his device without coordinates or a message. Along with a video he sent via Facebook, his family placed him somewhere in Grand Teton National Park.

After four days without any updates, the victim’s family contacted Grand Teton officials July 27.

Using the Garmin device, it was determined that the July 23 check-in had been sent near The Wigwams in Teton County, near but outside the western boundary of then park.

At this point, TCSAR took over the search and rescue operation. A short-haul team was assembled to reach The Wigwams via helicopter Wednesday morning.

The victim’s body was found below a ridge south of North Wigwam Peak. He was located from the air because of his bright orange backpack.

The body was recovered and transported to the Teton County Coroner’s Office.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Tough Trail"}]

Hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail can take between two and seven months.

Thru-hikers attempt to do it continuously, from start to end, in one attempt. They only stop to sleep or resupply in communities along the route.

Marty Lee of Socorro, New Mexico, was hiking the Wyoming section of the Continental Divide Trail when he was 69 years old. 

 how thru-hikers regularly powered past him.

“Out in the Great Divide Basin, I was making 22-23 miles a day, but thru-hikers were blowing by me," he said in July 2023.

Lee was section hiking, taking multiple years to complete the Continental Divide Trail. By July 23, he’d finished the stretches in New Mexico and Colorado, and was hoping to finish the Wyoming and Idaho sections that summer.

 of the Appalachian Trail in 2024. He was averaging 18 to 22 miles every day, and it was an ordeal.

“In the first four months I wasn't sick, I didn't twist my ankle and had no major injuries, but I ended up pushing myself to the finish,” he said. “It was like running a marathon, and on your very last corner, you crash into the drinks table, and you end up having to crawl across the finish line.”

He reached the end of the trail, Mount Katahdin in Maine, on Oct. 6, 2024. It had taken him five months to get there.

“When I made my way up to Katahdin and saw the sign, it was kind of strange,” he said. “It was a total non-event. It was like, ‘There's the sign, let's go get my pictures and get off the mountain.’ I think I was just so ready to be done.”

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

, only 1 in 4 people who attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail actually finish it. No similar statistics exist for the Continental Divide Trail.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More, More, More"}]

TCSAR has been busy in 2026. Its volunteers respond to every call, but at the cost of significant impacts on personnel and resources.

Of the 4,990 search and rescue missions in Wyoming between 2009 and 2026, 1,205 were

. Lincoln County was a distant second with 583 missions during the same period.

TCSAR can recover some of its costs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which allows it to obtain grants and donations. Other funds are available, but they’re distributed to SAR teams throughout the state via the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.

TCSAR’s call numbers jumped in 2021 and have stayed relatively high since. The 64 calls between Dec.1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, used to be as many as the agency got in an entire year.

That correlates with the steady growth of the outdoor recreation industry, which s

. That likely means more calls, more expenses, and more asked of volunteers going forward.

TCSAR hasn’t released the name of the Australian man who died in the Tetons, but statistics say that 72% of their calls are for males.

Demographically, 16- to 30-year-olds accounted for 33% of the rescues, followed by 31-to 45-year-olds, with 29%.

Nevertheless, TCSAR’s all-volunteer force will always mobilize as quickly as they can. No matter where or what, the job gets done.

“Rescues come in all shapes and sizes,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart told Cowboy State Daily in July 2025. “We’re there to give you a hand without judgment.”

Teton County Search and Rescue

<title>Australian Man Dies Near Grand Teton While Hiking Continental Divide Trail | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Teton County Search and Rescue recovered the body of an unidentified Australian man in the Teton Range on Wednesday. The man, who was attempting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, is believed to have died from a fall off a ridgeline.

Australian Man Dies Near Grand Teton While Hiking Continental Divide Trail

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Mostly sunny in Wyoming on Thursday with a chance of rain, smoky in some areas. Partly cloudy overnight, chance of rain. Highs in the 80s and low 90s. Lows from the low 40s to low 60s.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

Patchy smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 57 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Widespread smoke mainly after 2 p.m., slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 93 and mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m., areas of smoke and a low near 57.

  Widespread smoke mainly after 2 p.m., slight chance of rain after 5 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 93 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

 Sunny today with a high near 85 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 48.

  Patchy smoke after 11 a.m., slight chance of rain after 4 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 91 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke after 8 p.m. and a low near 54.

Patchy smoke before 2 p.m., slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 49.

 Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 47.

 Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke after 7 p.m. and a low near 49.

  Patchy smoke, chance of rain after 2 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and mostly clear and breezy overnight with patchy smoke after 10 p.m., a slight chance of rain before 7 p.m., a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

 Widespread smoke, slight chance of rain after 4 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 49 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

  Areas of smoke, slight chance of rain after 4 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 87 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 48.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 81 and partly cloudy overnight with widespread smoke mainly after 4 a.m. and a low near 44.

Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 4 p.m., increasing clouds and breezy today with a high near 93 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 61 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

:  Patchy smoke, chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 90 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 61.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 92 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 62.

   Chance of rain after 10 a.m., patchy smoke, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 60.

  Slight chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 93 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 56.

:   Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 58.

Chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

   Chance of rain mainly after noon, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight, a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

:  Chance of rain mainly after noon, gradually becoming sunny today with a high near 90 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

  Sunny and hot today with a high near 92 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 61.

  Sunny and breezy today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

  Patchy smoke, slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny and breezy today with a high near 90 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 57 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

   Chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 87 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

  Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight a low near 56.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 55.

  Sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke before 11 p.m. and a low near 57.

   Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 85 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 56.

   Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 56.

Daycap small 7 30 26

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 30, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Wildlife

Wolf advocates are offering a $10,000 reward for the the identity of any hunter shooting a member of a famed Yellowstone National Park wolf pack that recently denned outside of the park in Wyoming. 

Social-media influencer Jonas Black of Austin, Texas, told Cowboy State Daily during a telephone interview Wednesday that posting the reward is necessary to protect the Mollie’s Pack, particularly 12-year-old Wolf 1090 F. 

Those wolves have spent most of their lives in Yellowstone and aren’t afraid of people, so there’s no way it could be a “fair-chase” hunt, Black said. 

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Angi Bruce denounced the move in a text message Wednesday to Cowboy State Daily. 

Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have laws keeping wolf hunters’ identities confidential to shield them from doxing, harassment and stalking.

“Putting an animal before the welfare of a person is outrageous,” Bruce said. “This is the exact reason our legislators put this statute in place – to prevent harassment of our hunters.”

 that he and others are offering the reward if any of the Mollie’s wolves are shot during the season, set to begin Sept. 15. 

“Anybody harvests one of these wolves during Wyoming’s wolf season and somebody snitches? That snitch gets ten grand cash,” Black wrote.

During the interview, Black said the intent is specifically to protect the Mollie’s, not to undermine the states’ statutes protecting wolf hunters’ identities. 

The Mollie’s this summer denned and are raising pups on the Shoshone National Forest. 

During its 30-plus year history, the pack has spent nearly all of its time inside Yellowstone, where hunting is forbidden. 

So, the wolves are essentially like “zoo-type animals” insofar as having little fear of humans, Black said. 

Black said he isn’t anti-hunting and supports fair-chase hunting, when animals are actively trying to evade humans.

“I’m not going to interfere or try to interfere with state laws. But with this pack, it’s like shooting a dog. Man, it’s unreal,” Black said. 

‘I’m Going To Burn Your House Down’

Wyoming Statute § 23-1-304(d)(vi) protects the anonymity of wolf hunters. Under the statute, Game and Fish may not release any private or confidential information regarding legal wolf harvests, and that information is not a matter of public record. 

Montana and Idaho also have statutes that keep wolf hunters’ identities confidential. 

That wouldn’t stop private individuals from revealing that information to other private parties, though. 

Those statutes are there for good reason, said Randy Newberg, a prominent outdoorsman and hunting content creator from Bozeman, Montana.

Newberg featured a successful wolf hunt in an episode on his 

He told Cowboy State Daily the blowback was vicious. 

“People from all over the world were emailing me with crazy stuff. ‘I’m going to burn your house down. I’m going to kill your dogs.’ Wow,” he said. 

Newberg noted that as a prominent figure in the hunting world, “I live in a fishbowl,” and so he expected the pushback. 

But rank-and-file hunters should be spared that sort of harassment if they shoot any of the Mollie’s, Newberg said. 

“If their information got out there, I can assure you, that person is going to undergo a level of threat and intimidation that’s completely out of line,” he said. 

Black said the possibility of facing worldwide condemnation should deter anyone from even trying to hunt the Mollie’s. 

It could be similar to the global shame heaped upon the American hunter who went to Africa and killed the beloved “Cecil the Lion,” he said.  

And that’s the point of offering the reward he said. 

Black is a dog trainer who became an outspoken wolf advocate in the wake of the capture, torture and killing of a wolf by Daniel resident Cody Roberts in February 2024. 

Black has stated that his efforts, along with Wolf and Wildlife Advocates president Kim Bean and others, were instrumental in a felony animal cruelty charge being brought against Roberts, to which he pleaded guilty.  

In April, a judge sentenced Roberts to a possible 18- to 24-month prison term if he fails probation.

Black said that with the Mollie’s his beef isn’t with Game and Fish.

“This has nothing to do with Game and Fish,” he said. "I think Game and Fish is doing a great job with the Mollie’s.”  

Wolf & Wildlife Advocates’ Bean said Game and Fish, along with a rancher in the pack’s denning area, have been trying to coax the pack back into the park.

Game and Fish has kept the Mollie’s location confidential. 

However, some people have discovered the pack’s location and posted it on social media, “putting a bull's-eye on the pack,” Bean said. 

Black said some of those who have revealed the pack’s alleged location are supposedly wolf advocates. 

Publicizing the pack’s location is f***ing stupid,” he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Fair Game’"}]

Montana outdoorsman and retired game warden Jeff Darrah told Cowboy State Daily he supports the statutes shielding wolf hunters’ identities. 

“There is a concerted effort by some of these eco-terrorists to find those hunters,” said Darrah, executive director of Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.

He acknowledged that emotions can run high when it comes to famous Yellowstone wolves such as the Mollie’s Pack. 

But when they pass outside the park’s boundaries “they become not a park wolf anymore but a Wyoming wolf. And they’re fair game,” he said. 

To mitigate the loss of Yellowstone wolves, Montana reduced the hunting quota to three wolves in each of the two hunt districts immediately north of the park, Darrah said.

“At one time, the quota there was up around 20 wolves,” he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Asshats’"}]

Newberg said it’s “very disturbing to me” that advocates are trying to work their way around state laws meant to protect the anonymity of people engaged in a legal activity. 

“How do we pick and choose?” he said of which legal activities should be protected. 

Newberg added that trying to expose hunters who might happen to shoot Mollie’s wolves could undermine the advocates’ cause. 

Bean said she, Black and others have hardened their stance only because of the hardened anti-wolf stance against the Mollie’s. 

There have been “hundreds” of people bragging about deliberately trying to find and kill the pack, she said. 

“They’re threatening to kill the pack, and we’re threatening to expose them,”  Bean said. “This isn’t about anonymity, this is about a bunch of asshats out there” threatening the Mollie’s Pack. 

Geriatric old wolf 1090 3 1 10 26

<title>Advocates Offer $10,000 Bounty To Name Hunters Who Kill Famed Yellowstone Wolves | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A social media influencer and others are offering a $10,000 bounty for the identities of hunters who shoot members of Yellowstone National Park's famed Mollie’s wolf pack this fall. Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce calls the bounty “outrageous.”

Advocates Offer $10,000 Bounty To Name Hunters Who Kill Famed Yellowstone Wolves

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

A felony case against a Gillette man accused of confronting police officers with an AR-style rifle and threatening "I'm gonna be a martyr" is headed to district court.

A Campbell County judge on Tuesday found probable cause to bind over the felony case against Chauncey Patrick Miller, born in 1980, sending it to district court on charges of aggravated assault and battery, possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

[{"type":"text","text":"Miller is in jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond."}]

An affidavit shows Gillette police officers were at an apartment complex June 20 responding to an unrelated emergency medical call when they heard a man screaming profanities at a woman inside a neighboring apartment.

When officers went to investigate, they say a female opened the door. Miller yelled at officers to "get the f*ck out" before he armed himself with what they describe as an assault rifle. 

One officer reported watching Miller pull back the rifle's charging handle. Investigators wrote that body-camera audio also captured the sound of a round being chambered. 

As officers repeatedly ordered him to "put the rifle down" and "step away from the door," Miller responded by telling them, "You either leave me alone, or I guess we're going gang, gang," according to the affidavit.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Answer To God'"}]

As the confrontation continued, Miller closed the door and officers shifted their efforts to negotiating with him over the phone, court documents state.

Officers also discovered Miller had two confirmed warrants for his arrest, according to the affidavit. One was for failing to appear in court on an original battery charge. The second stemmed from failing to pay fines associated with DUI, driving under suspension and interference charges.

An officer wrote in the affidavit that Miller "was very upset" due to the belief that officers were there because of his warrants, even though they had responded to the residence for "an EMS call unrelated to Chauncey completely."

While on the phone, Miller said, "I won't be seeing you tonight homie unless we are gonna have some fun." The affidavit claims Miller rambled about how law enforcement is "tax collectors for tyrants."

Then, "here's the thing. You wanna f***ing answer to God tonight? I don't, I really don't dude. I don't wanna answer to Him, but that's what's gonna happen unless you leave me the f*ck alone." 

Later in the conversation Miller reportedly said, "ain't gonna be funny, man dies because of $430 he owes to the government." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Case Moves Forward"}]

Authorities say Miller was prohibited from possessing the firearm because of a previous felony conviction related to a fourth or subsequent DUI charge. 

The case has been assigned to Campbell County District Judge Stuart S. Healy III. Miller has not yet entered a plea.

Campbell County Deputy Attorney Kyle A. Ferris prosecuted the preliminary hearing. Miller is represented by defense attorney Carina Maria Elisabeth Ostberg.

If convicted, Miller faces significant prison time. Aggravated assault and battery carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. 

Possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent is punishable by up to five years in prison and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a penalty of up to

Chauncey Patrick Miller 7 29 26

<title>Gillette Man Accused Of Pointing Rifle At Police, Saying He's 'Gonna Be A Martyr' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Gillette man accused of confronting police officers with an AR-style rifle had his felony aggravated assault case advanced to district court Tuesday. Prosecutors say he told police that, "I'm gonna be a martyr."

Gillette Man Accused Of Pointing Rifle At Police, Saying He's 'Gonna Be A Martyr'

Public Safety

A Utah man who died after collapsing inside the Lincoln County Detention Center after his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival is being remembered by lifelong friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him.

Tyson J. Alvares, 38, of Smithfield, Utah, died July 25 after collapsing while being booked into the Lincoln County jail, less than an hour after he was arrested by the Kemmerer Police Department at the festival.

According to a Lincoln County Sheriff's Office press release, Alvares was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, breach of peace and disorderly conduct after officers encountered him at the festival. Authorities said Alvares admitted using a controlled substance and was behaving erratically, prompting officers to have him evaluated by emergency medical technicians before transporting him to jail.

The sheriff's office said EMTs cleared Alvares for booking. He arrived at the detention center at about 9:30 p.m. and collapsed in a holding cell around 10:20 p.m. while being booked. Detention officers began lifesaving efforts after noticing he was no longer breathing, but he could not be revived, the sheriff’s office said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson told Cowboy State Daily there was no use of force involving Alvares at the detention center. He said any additional information would be released as part of DCI's ongoing investigation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Was Always There'"}]

Stacie Lynn Izatt said she has known Alvares since childhood. Their families grew up together in Utah, and she said he was the kind of friend people knew they could depend on.

"If you needed something, if you needed help, if your bike broke or anything that way, all the way up to that, he was there," she said. "You could call him at any point."

While Izatt worked nights at a gas station, Alvares would sometimes stop by. If customers made her uncomfortable, he wouldn't leave until he knew she was safe.

"There would be creepy guys that would come in," she recalled. "He would stick around until they left ... or walk me to my car if I needed to."

She summed him up in one sentence: "He would literally give you the shirt off his back."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Fought Like Hell' "}]

Since Alvares' death, Izatt said she has struggled to read online comments from people who knew nothing about him beyond the circumstances of his arrest.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"All they see is the drug use,\" she said."}]

She doesn't deny that addiction became part of Alvares' life. He attended rehabilitation, experienced periods of sobriety and relapse, and repeatedly tried to regain his footing, she said.

"He fought like hell," she said. "He would do good. He would do bad. It was hard to watch."

But she hopes people understand that addiction is not the totality of a person's life.

"Just because he was an addict, he didn't deserve to die," Izatt said. "If people saw him outside of that label, they would want to be his friend."

[{"type":"text","text":"Recovery, she said, is rarely a straight path."}]

"They're still human. They're still people. They're still somebody's child. They're somebody's brother," she said. "Don't define them by that."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Family Facing More Heartbreak"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Alvares' death has compounded years of tragedy for his family."}]

A Utah man who died after collapsing inside a Lincoln County jail following his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival is being remembered by friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him.

Steve Inman: Sunday, September 14, 2025

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