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.

Follow Mark Heinz

Envelope

Latest from Mark Heinz

A spat brewing between anglers and a landowner over a natural water channel connecting Pine Creek and the New Fork River near Pinedale could reflect a growing trend of tension between landowners and floaters across Wyoming. “It’s symbolic of greater issues,” legendary Wyoming fly fisherman and outdoor businessman Jack Dennis told Cowboy State Daily.

Legendary Outdoorsman Jack Dennis Says Pinedale Fight Fuels Tension Between Floaters, Landowners

A spat between anglers and a landowner over a natural water channel connecting Pine Creek and the New Fork River near Pinedale reflects a growing trend of tension between landowners and floaters across Wyoming. “It’s symbolic of greater issues,” outdoorsman Jack Dennis says.

Mark HeinzJune 22, 2025

The small, rural Wyoming town of Dayton could only watch and pray as the Elk Fire burns across the mountain face of the Bighorns above in this October 2024 file photo.

‘Roadless Rule’ Leaves Wyoming Vulnerable To More Huge Wildfires, Hageman Says

The 24-year-old federal Clinton Roadless Rule is largely to blame for Wyoming’s devastating wildfires, Rep. Harriet Hageman says. She told Wyoming legislators Thursday that more blazes are in store if the rule isn’t changed.

Mark HeinzJune 20, 2025

Adobe town, south of Rock Springs along rough gravel and dirt roads, is one of Wyoming’s most isolated locations.

More Changes For Rock Springs BLM Plan; Locals Say ‘We’ve Studied That Thing To Death’

In what’s become a familiar pattern, the Bureau of Land Management’s controversial Rock Springs management plan is up for another round of reviews. Wyoming legislators and officials say “we’ve studied that thing to death.”

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2025

Hunters are up in arms over potential federal public land sales included in a U.S. Senate budget bill. Two prominent outdoorsmen, one from Wyoming and another from Montana, blasted the measure.

Selling Federal Public Land Draws Massive Backlash From Western Hunters

Hunters are up in arms over potential federal public land sales included in a U.S. Senate budget bill. Prominent groups like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming's Muley Fanatic Foundation, and The Boone And Crockett Club all blasted the proposal.

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2025

Hageman Says Vast Swaths Of Wyoming Public Lands Won’t Be Sold

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman says a Wilderness Society map that shows nearly 15 million acres of public land could be sold if the Senate budget bill passes is wrong. The group stands by its report, which it says is based on what the language of the bill says.

Mark HeinzJune 18, 2025

A banner declaring “Cody Roberts Days” was displayed at the Green River Bar in Daniel on Saturday, in apparent response to pro-wolf activist coming through town for the “Hogs For Hope” rally.

‘Cody Roberts Days’ Banner Greets Pro-Wolf Activists On Ride Through Daniel

When pro-wolf activists arrived in Daniel, Wyoming, on Saturday to protest the state’s wolf management policies, they were greeted by a large banner celebrating the man who made international headlines for reportedly running down a wolf with a snowmobile.

Mark HeinzJune 18, 2025

Wyoming’s moose are nothing to trifle with, especially female moose with calves to protect.

Angler Shoots, Kills Charging Cow Moose Near Resort In Bighorn Mountains

An angler shot and killed a cow moose he says charged him Saturday on the North Tongue River near Bear Lodge Resort in the Bighorn Mountains. The cow’s two young calves had to be put down.

Mark HeinzJune 17, 2025

A German Shepard escaped its owner’s vehicle and chased after a juvenile wolf Friday near Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park. The dog and wolf both emerged from the brief encounter unscathed.

German Shepherd Jumps From Vehicle, Tries To Run Down Wolf In Yellowstone

A German shepherd showed its predator instincts Friday, leaping from a vehicle and chasing a wolf in Yellowstone National Park. A wildlife guide said the wolf, a juvenile, might have felt intimidated.

Mark HeinzJune 17, 2025

Motorcyclist Kyle Hamilton counts himself as extremely lucky, after he managed to keep his Harley-Davidson motorcycle upright after plowing into a white-tailed deer doe near Devils Tower. This video was taken from a camera mounted on the motorcycle of his friend riding behind him on June 6.

Harley Rider Manages To Stay On Bike After Plowing Into Deer Near Devils Tower

Kyle Hamilton counts himself as extremely lucky after he plowed into a deer while riding his motorcycle near Devils Tower but managed to keep the bike upright and on the road. His friend’s dash cam caught the incident on video

Mark HeinzJune 16, 2025

Don't expect to see one of these stands in California. They consider bear spray a weapon and have banned it

It’s A Good Thing California Doesn’t Have Grizzlies, Bear Spray Is Banned There

While officials admonish hikers to carry bear spray in Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, it’s banned in California’s Yosemite National Park. They consider it a weapon and are worried people will spray each other with it.

Mark HeinzJune 15, 2025

Slater Chandler of Georgia got this bull elk during a hunt with Hunting with Heroes Wyoming, which hosts hunts for disabled veterans.

Landowner Tag Changes Could Hurt Hunts For Disabled Vets, Organizers Worry

A proposal to raise the number of acres to qualify for landowner hunting tags in Wyoming from 160 to 640 has organizers of hunts for disabled veterans worried. Their concern is the change would shrink the pool of donated tags available to veterans.

Mark HeinzJune 15, 2025

Marmots might seem pudgy and harmless, but they can disable vehicles by chewing up hoses and wires. Some people wrap their cars in tarps to protect against the ravenous rodents. The National Park Service recomends wrapping your car from the bottom up to ward off the critters.

Marmots Might Seem Harmless, But They’ll Chew Up And Destroy Your Car

Marmots might seem pudgy and harmless, but they can disable vehicles by chewing up hoses and wires. Some people are now wrapping their cars in tarps to protect against the ravenous rodents.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

Other Authors

Hunter Brian van Lanen and guide Lance Kronberger pose with a male grizzly bear that van Lanen shot near Norton Sound, Alaska in September 2024. It set the record for the largest-ever hunter-killed grizzly.

Wisconsin Man Sets New World Record For Largest Grizzly Ever Killed By A Hunter

A Wisconsin man has set a new world record for the largest grizzly ever killed by a hunter. The size of the Alaskan bear is "staggering" and experts say this record will be next to impossible to beat.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

Bigfoot crossing Cheri Alguire via Alamy 6 14 25

After Two Sasquatch Sightings In Colorado, Boulder County Puts On Bigfoot Hunt

Boulder County has been buzzing with Sasquatch fever after two reported sightings this year both in the vicinity of Longmont. So a group of Bigfoot-hunters went out on Friday night to track him down. Although they came up empty-handed, the group plans another outing this summer.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

A locked gate blocks Boswell Road at the Ox Yoke Ranch property line. The property owners say they want to allow public access, but are worried about liability issues — because official jurisdiction over the road remains murky.

Popular Snowy Range Road Stays Closed Because Nobody Can Figure Out Who Owns It

Boswell Road in southeast Wyoming’s Snowy Range has been there since before Wyoming was a state. But it remains officially closed because nobody can figure out who owns it. In the meantime, the closure is killing a housing project.

Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

Yellowstone National Park visitor Vince Botkin said unidentified tourists used a drone to buzz an osprey nest in the park. The National Park Service confirmed that “an individual” was cited for illegally flying a drone near an osprey nest late Thursday.

Tourist Who Buzzed Yellowstone Osprey Nest With Drone Could Get Six Months In Jail

A tourist allegedly used a drone to buzz an osprey nest in Yellowstone National Park and could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine for the violation of park rules.

Mark HeinzJune 12, 2025

Tempers flared during a legislative hearing Wednesday during debates over whether Wyoming ranchers should be allowed to sell their landowner hunting tags. It could be just a warm-up to the fight that’s ahead in the 2026 session. Pictured is Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Cultural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, in a file photo from the 2025 session.

Tempers Flare Over Selling Landowner Hunting Tags During Heated Hearing

Tempers flared during a legislative hearing Wednesday in debates over whether Wyoming ranchers should be allowed to sell their landowner hunting tags. It could be just a warm-up a fight ahead in the 2026 session.

Mark HeinzJune 12, 2025

A group of pronghorn does relentlessly pursue a coyote that tried to snatch one of the herd’s fawns in Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley.

Yellowstone Antelope Relentlessly Chase Coyote That Tried To Snatch Fawn

Getting a meal is no easy task for coyotes in Yellowstone National Park. One unfortunate coyote was relentlessly pursued by some pronghorn after trying to snatch a fawn in the Lamar Valley.

Mark HeinzJune 10, 2025

A Wyoming bull elk with a group of females.

‘Nonresident Native’ Tags Could Bring Former Wyomingites Back Home To Hunt

People born and raised in Wyoming who move to other states must pay expensive nonresident tag fees to come back to hunt. Legislators are considering lower-priced “nonresident native” hunting tags for them.

Mark HeinzJune 09, 2025

After being shot down in the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 session, a proposal to let Wyoming landowners put their hunting tags up for sale was revived before a legislative committee Friday.

Controversial Proposal To Let Landowners Sell Hunting Tags Revived

After being shot down during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 session, a proposal to let Wyoming landowners put their hunting tags up for sale was revived before a legislative committee Friday.

Mark HeinzJune 07, 2025

Despite their declining numbers across Wyoming and the West, mule deer remain wildly popular among wildlife watchers and hunters.

Wyoming’s Golden Age Of Mule Deer Is Gone, With Fewer Than Half Of Peak Numbers

Wyoming has fewer than half of the 500,000 mule deer it did during the heyday of the 1960s to 1980s, and it will likely never see mule deer herds like that again, a Game and Fish official told legislators Friday.

Mark HeinzJune 06, 2025