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

After mistaking his own reflection in a sliding glass door for a rival ram, a desert bighorn sheep headbutted the door, and then fled, startled by the shattering glass.

Bighorn Ram Destroys Sliding Glass Door After Mistaking Reflection For Rival Ram

A bighorn sheep ram destroyed a sliding glass door in Yuma, Arizona, last week after seeing his own reflection and mistaking it for another ram. A former Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife supervisor wasn't surprised. "That's normal behavior," he said.

Mark HeinzApril 09, 2026

A Bison cow managed to pull herself free of the water in muck in Yellowstone National Park’s Blacktail Pond. The area is notorious for bison drownings.

Yellowstone Photographer Captures Bison's Heroic Escape From Notorious Death Trap

Yellowstone’s Blacktail Pond is a death trap for bison when they fall through ice or get stuck in mud there. Wildlife photographer Pete Bengeyfield thought for sure that one unfortunate bison was doomed but was thrilled to see her escape.

Mark HeinzApril 09, 2026

A grizzly feasts on a carcass in Yellowstone National Park.

Grizzlies Face Carcass Shortage After Mild Winter And Wolves Getting Them First

A mild winter means fewer rotting big game carcasses for Wyoming grizzlies to feast on this spring and wolves are getting them first. "I had three feet of snow in my yard last year. Now I have three inches of grass,” said wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2026

Hunters worry that the wording of the Greyhound Protection Act inserted into the U.S. House Farm Bill could lead to bans on training hunting dogs.

Hunters Say Federal ‘Greyhound Protection Act’ A Sneaky Way To Ban Working Dogs

Hunters worry that language slipped into the federal Farm Bill to protect racing greyhounds could ban the training of hunting and cattle dogs with “live lures." A Wyoming outdoorsman says the language is so vague it could even include police dogs.

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2026

Grizzly 760, the grandson of Wyoming’s famed grizzly 399, had a reputation for being mellow and polite toward people.

Fans Still Mourn Death Of Grizzly 760, Wyoming’s Most Polite Bear

Grizzly 760 was the grandson of the famed Grizzly 399, said to be mellow and Wyoming’s most polite bear. He was killed in 2014 after stealing a hunter’s deer carcass, which fans of the bear are still mad about.

Mark HeinzApril 08, 2026

Mule deer are pictured here on the move alongside Elkhart Road near Pinedale. Deer advocates say a proposed new trail system in the area would disrupt the animals’ migration.

Opponents Say Bike Trail Could Cut Off Migration Route For Prized Deer Herd

Opponents of a proposed Pinedale-area bike trail say they fear it will cut off “the bottleneck,” a migration route for the area’s prized Sublette mule deer herd. Supporters say it won’t, but will open more outdoor recreation opportunities.

Mark HeinzApril 07, 2026

Every spring, hundreds of turkey vultures show up on the University of Wyoming campus and stay until fall.

Wyoming's Turkey Vultures Do Much More Than Hang Around Looking Creepy

The turkey vultures are back. They return to Wyoming each spring, roosting by the hundreds on the UW campus and in Casper. Researchers say they do more than just poop all over trees, barf up pellets of leftover gristle, and hang around looking creepy

Mark HeinzMarch 21, 2026

Yellowstone Ravens Cleverly Predict Where Wolves Will Make Kills

A new study finds Yellowstone’s ravens don’t just follow wolves but use mental “maps” to predict likely kill sites. Researchers say the birds’ memory and human food sources may shape their scavenging habits.

Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2026

Utah Law Makes People Buy Hunting/Fishing Licenses To Use State Lands

Utah passed a law that could require anyone using its wildlife management areas to buy hunting or fishing licenses, even if they’re not hunting or fishing. Some Wyoming outdoors enthusiasts say that’s unfair and prefer general user fees instead.

Mark HeinzMarch 20, 2026

Fremont County residents Leah Edwards and John Bass are among many Wyomingites who love fishing for walleye.

Wyoming Anglers Excited For State Hatchery To Produce 1.28 Million Walleye Per Year

A Wyoming fish hatchery is expected to churn out well over 1 million walleye per year, and anglers are excited. Wyoming might be primarily known for trout, but walleye are also a favorite game fish.

Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2026

There Were More Than 6,000 Human-Grizzly Conflicts In Wyoming Over The Last 40 Years

According to a report to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission earlier this week, there were more than 6,000 human-grizzly conflicts in Wyoming from 1982 to 2025, including 220 in 2025. Neither attack last year resulted in life-threatening injuries.

Mark HeinzMarch 19, 2026

A cow elk boldly strode out onto the sod roof of a building in Gardiner, Montana early Tuesday, to graze on the sod.

Elk Boldly Climbs On Sod Roof To Graze In Gardiner As Locals Watch In Amazement

A cow elk walked out onto the roof of a building in Gardiner, Montana, just outside of Yellowstone National Park to the amazement of onlookers. Apparently, she wanted the roof’s sod all to herself.

Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2026

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The Dry Creek area near Greybull is bare, after stands of Russian olive were cut down recently.

Hunters Say BLM Wiped Out Favorite Hunting Location With Tree Removal

Hunters in northern Wyoming say the BLM destroyed some of the best pheasant hunting in the entire region by removing entire strands of Russian olive trees near Greybull. The BLM says it's an invasive tree species.

Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2026

Lever-action rifles are usually associated with grandpas who like to hunt. But tricked out with “tactical” accessories like red-dot sights, they’re getting new life with younger shooters.

Old-Time Lever-Action Rifles Get New Life With ‘Tactical’ Upgrades

Lever-action rifles are getting tricked out with “tactical” accessories like red-dot sights, giving them new life with younger shooters. Mounting accessory rails on lever-action rifles might have seemed absurd — until people started doing it.

Mark HeinzMarch 17, 2026

But with unusually warm, dry weather this year, the bears are out “stupid early,” even at high altitudes, avid black bear hunter Julie Mccallister of Rock River told Cowboy State Daily.

Hungry Black Bears Out ‘Stupid Early’ Could Make Wyoming Spring Hunts Wild

Spring black bear hunting season could be wild this year as the bears are out about a month early. One hunter said bears are sniffing around cabins in the Snowy Range. “There's a reason ‘mama bear’ is a term. They’re flat-out aggressive,” she said.

Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2026

Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after their 15-year-old son Ethan carried out a school shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit in 2021.

Convictions For Parents Of Teen Shooters Put Wyoming Gun Culture Under New Scrutiny

Recent cases in Michigan and Georgia where parents have been found guilty in connection with school shootings carried out by their sons set a precedent that might someday reach Wyoming, defense attorneys say.

Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2026

Hunters who used a helicopter to reach public land surrounded by private property in Johnson County say a rancher tried to steal an elk head and antlers from them. Brett D. DeLapp was charged with misdemeanor theft and pleaded not guilty.

Wyoming Rancher Charged With Trying To Steal Elk Head From Helicopter Hunters

A Kaycee area rancher has been charged with theft after prosecutors say he tried to steal an elk head from hunters who helicoptered into public land near his ranch. The hunters say a video they posted shows the confrontation between the two parties.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

An unusually warm winter kept much of Wyoming’s prime lakes from freezing, cutting ice fishing season short or canceling it entirely. That didn't stop some anglers, who still had success fishing from boats. Above, Jackson Lake is usually a prime ice fishing spot. Inset, Fontenelle Reservoir in Southwest Wyoming was one of the few ice fishing destinations to get decent ice this winter. This gigantic burbot was caught while night ice fishing there.

Winter Of Discontent: Wyoming Had Almost No Ice Fishing Season This Year

With temperatures regularly soaring into the 40s and 50s during the usually prime ice fishing months of January and February, Wyoming’s ice fishing season was brief in some places, and never happened in others.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

Cowboy Engineers Build Self-Driving Rodeo Robot For Steer Roping Practice

To streamline steer roping practice, people started pulling dummy cows with ATVs. Then a pair of cowboy engineers took it a step further and built the "Rope Hog," where a dummy cow is pulled along by an ATV controlled with an ordinary vehicle key fob.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

Elk calf killed by eating a yew bush that is toxic to wildlife

Montana Elk Die After Eating Japanese Yew, A Pretty Plant That Kills Wildlife

At least five elk died in Montana after eating needles from Japanese yew, a plant toxic to animals. Back in 2017, the plant caused one of the worst wildlife disasters in Idaho’s history when a herd of 50 pronghorn died on the spot after eating it.

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2026

For decades, reintroducing grizzlies to California seemed completely unrealistic. Now, the California Legislature is considering a plan that could include relocating Yellowstone grizzlies there.

California Considers Grizzly Reintroduction Plan That Could Use Wyoming Bears

For decades, reintroducing grizzlies to California seemed unrealistic. Now, California lawmakers are considering a plan that could relocate Yellowstone grizzlies there. One skeptic says, "I don’t think it’s feasible. There’s 40 million people in California."

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2026