Outdoors Reporter

Mark Heinz

Mark Heinz covers the outdoors and wildlife for Cowboy State Daily.

He previously worked or freelanced for numerous newspapers and magazines across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, covering all manner of news and feature stories. He has a strong background in topics related to wildlife, hunting, and wildlands conservation. He's written extensively since the 1990s about the controversies surrounding wolves, grizzly bears and mustangs.

He also enjoys people-centric stories with quirky edge of humor and has written several such pieces for Cowboy State Daily.

Mark lives in Laramie with his wife, Kendy, and the youngest of their five children.

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Latest from Mark Heinz

Critics: Self-Defense Legal Fee Reimbursement Bill Could Spark Court Chaos

A former Washakie County prosecutor is critical of a bill forcing counties to pay back the legal fees of Wyomingites cleared of murder or manslaughter charges in shootings ruled as self-defense. He said it would throw courts into chaos.

Mark HeinzJanuary 30, 2026

January Is Baby Boom Month For Yellowstone Grizzlies, Researchers Discover

The new crop of grizzly cubs that will emerge this spring to the delight of visitors in Yellowstone have likely already been born, researchers say. A long-term study nailed down January as the month when most grizzly cubs in Yellowstone are born.

Mark HeinzJanuary 29, 2026

The Split 5 Bull, also called Atlas, was a dominant bull in the huge elk herd that hangs around Estes Park, Colorado. The bull was legally shot by a hunter this fall.

Hunter Kills Huge ‘Split 5’ Bull Elk From Estes Park Urban Herd

Fans are mourning the loss of the gigantic “Split 5” bull elk that was part of the Estes Park, Colorado, urban herd. Popular with photographers and wildlife watchers because of his remarkable size, Split 5 was legally killed by a hunter.

Mark HeinzJanuary 28, 2026

This grizzly was spotted wandering around Monday in the north end of Yellowstone National Park. Experts say it could be one of the earliest grizzly sightings ever in the park. Bears usually don't emerge until early March.

Grizzly Spotted In Yellowstone, Biologist Says One Of Earliest Sightings On Record

A grizzly spotted out wandering in Yellowstone National Park on Monday might be up from hibernation incredibly early or awake incredibly late. “This would be one of the earliest sightings on record,” bear biologist Frank van Manen told Cowboy State Daily.

Mark HeinzJanuary 28, 2026

From a gun rights and self-defense standpoint, the passage of House Bill 14 would be a win, Mark Jones of Buffalo (pictured), a national director for Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily.

Bill Would Force Wyoming Counties To Pay Self-Defense Legal Fees

If a Wyomingite kills somebody, claims self-defense, is charged with murder, but is cleared, the county that charged them would be on the hook for all the defendant’s legal fees and other expenses, according to a bill before the Wyoming Legislature.

Mark HeinzJanuary 27, 2026

Avid black bear hunter Julie Mccalllister of Rock River used her German Shepard, Eddie, to track bears she shot, before that was made illegal. A bill before the Wyoming Legislature would make it legal again.

Tracking Shot Bears With Dogs Would Be Legal Under Hunting Bill

Blood-trailing dogs may track down black bears shot by hunters if a bill before the Wyoming Legislature passes. It’s already legal to use dogs to track shot big game animals, such as elk and deer.

Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2026

A Yellowstone coyote pushed its luck by trying to creep up to a bison carcass that a wolf pack was feasting on. One wolf chased the coyote right past a tour bus, but didn’t kill it in front of the tourists.

Lucky Yellowstone Coyote Survives Taunting Wolves Who Were Feasting On Bison Carcass

A coyote in Yellowstone was lucky to escape after it got a little too close to a pack of wolves feasting on a bison carcass, and one wolf chased it right past a tour bus. “He pushed his luck,” said a tour guide, who took video of the incident on Sunday.

Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2026

Idaho’s elk overpopulation problem mirrors Wyoming’s. In one Idaho hunt area, elk are camping out on private land, so the state plans to relocate some and kill the rest.

As In Wyoming, Idaho Hunters Can’t Kill Enough Elk On Private Land, So State Will

When it comes to elk in Wyoming and Idaho, it's a case of different places, same problem. Herds are booming, but hunters can’t get on private land to hunt them. In one area on private land in Idaho, the state will relocate some and kill the rest.

Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2026

After a second clay on the right front paw of ChewBarka the beaver became permanently extended, it looks as if he’s flashing a peace sign.

ChewBarka: The Beaver That Became A Worldwide Sensation For Flipping People Off

ChewBarka is a burly old beaver who lives quietly with his family in Canada, but he’s become a worldwide social media star. That’s thanks, in part, to quirk in his front claws that looks like he was flipping people off but now looks like a peace sign.

Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2026

Perhaps the most famous grizzly bear that ever lived, Grand Teton National Park's Grizzly 399, and her many cubs are among the most recognizable bears in Wyoming. Now researchers are developing artificial intelligence recognition for bears, which could help prevent people from getting mauled in the future.

Scientists Develop AI-Based Facial Recognition Software To Decrease Bear Maulings

Scientists have developed facial recognition software for bears that they say will decrease maulings. They say using this software, instead of relying on DNA, can quickly identify bears involved in attacks so they can be removed before mauling again.

Mark HeinzJanuary 24, 2026

$15,000 Reward For Finding Who Illegally Killed Grizzly In Idaho

A $15,000 reward is being offered in the case of an illegal grizzly killing that has stumped wildlife agents for months. The female was from the tiny, isolated Cabinet-Yaak grizzly subpopulation in Idaho and Montana.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

By the early 1970s, there were 136 grizzlies left in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. There are about 1,000 now, and some say they should remain under federal protection.

Hageman's Push For Grizzly Hunt Slammed By Wyoming Wildlife Advocates

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman calling for grizzlies to be delisted is a bad look for Wyoming, some Wyoming wildlife advocates say. Hageman and others for delisting say the growing number of bears across expanding territory makes their case.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

Other Authors

A pine marten tries, but fails, to catch and kill a grey squirrel in Yellowstone National Park

Frustrated Yellowstone Pine Marten Can't Catch Elusive Squirrel Teasing It

A Yellowstone pine marten that was teased by a squirrel into chasing it in laps around a tree trunk shouldn’t feel bad. Squirrels evade all sorts of predators that way, a biologist says. A video offers rare footage of Wyoming's rodent hunters.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

Invasive rats first started showing up in the Boise, Idaho, area a couple of years ago. Their population has exploded, and exterminators can’t keep up.

'Nuclear Bomb' Of Invasive Rats That Exploded In Boise Can Threaten Wyoming

Wyoming isn’t immune to a rat invasion like the infestation taking place in Boise that one exterminator called “a nuclear bomb of rats.” Spikes in rat populations can result from favorable conditions, such as mild winters, a Wyoming zoology professor said.

Mark HeinzJanuary 22, 2026

This helicopter, seen in a file photo by Wyoming Game and Fish Department, was one of two that collided near Parkman on Jan. 19, 2026, while doing contract work for the agency.

Choppers Collide During Wyoming Mule Deer Capture Operation

Two helicopters slammed into each other Monday while trying to land near Parkman in Sheridan County during a Wyoming Game and Fish operation to capture mule deer.

Mark HeinzJanuary 22, 2026

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep rams put on a show for fans along the roadside near Corwin Springs, Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Bighorn Ewe Draws A Dozen Amorous Rams In Late Rut Frenzy Near Yellowstone

A single bighorn ewe kept a dozen or more rams busy for hours, butting heads and trying to mate with her. Observers say she was no worse for wear from the aggressive attention.

Mark HeinzJanuary 21, 2026

The American Prairie conservation organization has been grazing bison on Bureau of Land Management permits in northern Montana for 20 years. Now, the BLM is saying the bison should be removed and the land used for cattle grazing only.

Does BLM Pulling Montana Grazing Leases For Bison Reclassify Them As Wildlife?

A Wyoming bison rancher is concerned that a BLM Montana decision to pull grazing leases for bison could lead to reclassifying the large animals as wildlife. That could make raising bison illegal in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzJanuary 20, 2026

Wolf 1478F was the latest member of Yellowstone National Park’s famed Junction Butte pack to be killed. She’s thought to have been illegally poached in Montana.

Wolf From Yellowstone’s Famous Junction Butte Pack May Have Been Poached

Another wolf from Yellowstone National Park's famous Junction Butte Pack killed in Montana is being investigated as a poaching, once again raising questions over wolf hunting near the park.

Mark HeinzJanuary 19, 2026

Images of elk and deer with freakishly gargantuan antlers touted as the “new world record” pop up on social media, but the highly respected Boone and Crockett Club says those are probably captive animals that can’t make the official record books.

Why Captive Animal 'World Records' Are Banned From Official Hunting Records

Images of elk and deer with freakishly huge antlers touted as a “new world record” frequently pop up on social media. But the highly respected Boone and Crockett Club says those are probably captive animals that can’t make the official record books.

Mark HeinzJanuary 19, 2026

Gerald Gay of Casper got his Outrider Coyote all-terrain wheelchair for hunting, but says it’s handy around town as well.

Rugged Electric Buggy Allows Disabled Casper Man To Hunt Wyoming Backcountry

Gerald Gay of Casper thought he’d never hunt off-road again after becoming partially disabled in 2016, but an all-terrain electric buggy has changed that. He says such vehicles could be a breakthrough for disabled hunters.

Mark HeinzJanuary 18, 2026

Wamsutter post office. Inset photo: 3d rendering weapon glock 43 tactical

For 99 Years It’s Been Illegal To Mail A Handgun, That Soon Could Change

Wyoming gun advocates are applauding Thursday's U.S. Dept. of Justice opinion that says a 1927 law banning the practice of mailing handguns is unconstitutional. UW law professor George Moscary says to use caution, however, as "it's a complicated area of law."

Mark HeinzJanuary 16, 2026