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 a roughly three-year ban on M-44 cyanide bombs to kill coyotes on public land, the Trump administration has cleared the way for them to be used.

As Trump Moves To Allow ‘Cyanide Bombs’ To Kill Coyotes, Some Worry Dogs Will Die

The Trump administration is moving to lift a three-year ban on spring-loaded cyanide bombs used to kill coyotes on public land. Some say that’s great news for ranchers, others argue that it will get dogs killed.

Mark HeinzMay 22, 2026

Some Wyoming firearms manufacturers say that YouTube has censored their content, without offering any solid reason why. “It’s incredibly frustrating,” one company representative said.

Wyoming Firearms Companies Say YouTube Unfairly Targets Gun-Related Content

Some Wyoming firearms companies say YouTube is unfairly censoring and banning them without giving solid reasons why. "I hate to lose the audience, but I don't miss the BS,” said a video creator about dealing with YouTube before getting kicked off.

Mark HeinzMay 22, 2026

Outdoorsman and wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson encountered 47 grizzly bears before noon in the high country of the Southern Absaroka mountains. The bears were congregating to gorge themselves on army cutworm moths.

Filmmaker Finds 47 Grizzlies Gorging On Moths High Up Absaroka Mountains

A wildlife filmmaker spotted 47 grizzlies in the Absaroka Mountains before noon, more than twice as many as he's ever seen in one day in the Yellowstone area. They were feasting on moths, so he tried one. "They taste like honey-roasted peanuts,” he said.

Mark HeinzMay 21, 2026

Hawk Springs Reservoir, a popular boating and fishing area in Goshen County, is already low because of drought, and could be essentially dried up by the end of summer.

Goshen County’s Hawk Springs Reservoir, A Favorite For Anglers, Drying Up Fast

Hawk Springs Reservoir in Goshen County is a popular fishing and boating spot for locals and other Wyomingites. But it’s already incredibly low, and might be dried up by the end of summer.

Mark HeinzMay 20, 2026

A skinny-looking young black bear has been hanging around a rural neighborhood near Upton in Weston County. Residents say it’s been timid so far.

‘Our Resident Bear’: Scrawny Black Bear Hangs Out Around Rural Upton Neighborhood

A young, scrawny and seemingly confused black bear has been hanging around a rural Weston County neighborhood outside Upton. “He’s, like, our resident bear,” says one resident who had to shoo it away from garbage cans. So far, though, it’s behaving.

Mark HeinzMay 20, 2026

Disabled Vietnam veteran Kent Kimble of Casper relies on an antelope tag donated to the Hunting With Heroes Wyoming program to go on antelope hunts each fall.

Wyoming Veterans Fear Changing Disability Hunting Regs Could Freeze Them Out

Wyoming groups that host hunts for disabled veterans fear a proposal to change Game and Fish regulations on what counts as a disability could freeze out some vets. The change could disqualify vets with PTSD or disabilities that aren't apparent.

Mark HeinzMay 19, 2026

River Mossberg of Cheyenne got this massive black bear in the Snowy Range Mountains, using the “spot-and-stalk” hunting technique.

‘Holy Cow!’ Wyoming Hunter Bags Super-Sized Black Bear In Southeast Wyoming

On his first day out black bear hunting in southeast Wyoming, a Cheyenne hunter got his pickup hopelessly stuck, but on the second day bagged a super-sized black bear. "Holy cow! This sucker is size 5XL,” he said about spotting the bear.

Mark HeinzMay 18, 2026

Grizzly bears frequently get mobbed on Togwotee Pass. Wildlife and traffic safety officials say it’s a recipe for disaster.

Grizzly Paparazzi: Photographers Shove Each Other Over Bears On Togwotee Pass

Over the past decade, Togwotee Pass between Dubois and Moran Junction in Wyoming has become a circus of wildlife paparazzi around grizzlies. “There’s arguing, there’s threats,” says one photographer, adding that, “I don’t want to go up there anymore."

Mark HeinzMay 18, 2026

This wolverine was spotted last weekend near the Lower Green River Lakeside Trail in the Wind River Mountains.

Hiker Has Incredibly Rare Wolverine Encounter In Wyoming's Wind River Mountains

A software designer and wildlife watcher who was hiking in Wyoming last week had an incredibly rare encounter with a wolverine at the Green River Lakeside Trail in the Wind River Mountains. Photos he took clearly show a tracking collar on the animal.

Mark HeinzMay 16, 2026

Black Bear Killed In Subdivision North Of Cheyenne; 2nd Bear In Area This Week

A black bear was shot and killed late Friday morning in a subdivision north of Cheyenne. This is the second black bear spotted in the Cheyenne area this week. The property owner gave a neighbor, who had a bear hunting tag, permission to shoot the bear.

Mark HeinzMay 15, 2026

Donny Paul of Cody likes to go bear hunting in the Bighorn Mountains.

Wyoming Hunter Angry After Putting Out Bait, Then Another Uses It To Shoot Bear

A Park County hunter is angry after putting out bear bait only to have other hunters use his bait to shoot a bear. He says that’s “unethical and immoral,” while one of the other hunters says they never got close and it’s a misunderstanding.

Mark HeinzMay 15, 2026

Raspberry, a favorite Yellowstone grizzly, is pictured here with her last cub, Little Bear.

Raspberry, The ‘Grizzly 399 Of Yellowstone’ Missing For A Year, Feared To Be Dead

It’s been a year since the last sighting of Raspberry, the “Grizzly 399 of Yellowstone.” She usually emerged in May and was highly visible from the road on the park’s east side. Fans are worried she's succumbed to an injury from a 2022 vehicle strike.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2026

Other Authors

Wyoming congressional delegation is firmly behind the Trump administration’s move to rescind the 2001 federal Roadless Rule. But opponents of doing away with the rule say that will get grizzlies killed and derail efforts to delist them.

Opponents Say Rescinding Roadless Rule Will Get Grizzlies Killed, Derail Delisting

At a press conference Wednesday to voice concern over the expected rescinding of the 2001 federal Roadless Rule in national forests, opponents said doing away with the rule will get more grizzlies killed and could derail delisting.

Mark HeinzMay 13, 2026

Coyote Loses Bid Against Mountain Lion In Red Desert, Ends Up Becoming Supper

A coyote pushed its luck too far with a mountain lion in the Red Desert and ended up becoming supper. Most of the time, run-ins between the two end with both walking away unharmed. "It's a rough world out there," said biologist Franz Camenzind.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2026

A black bear that was wandering around Cheyenne tried taking shelter in this barn on the east outskirts of town. The bear was safely captured and released back into the wild.

Black Bear Captured In Cheyenne Barn

A black bear caused a stir in Cheyenne early Tuesday when it was spotted wandering around the east side of town. It took shelter on a hayloft in a resident’s barn. “The bear probably thought that was a good place to hide,” the owner said.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2026

Trump Moves To Open National Parks, Other Federal Lands, To More Hunting

The Trump administration has moved to open more National Park Service land to hunting. But that doesn’t mean fluorescent orange hunting vests and rifle shots will light up Yellowstone National Park this fall during elk hunting season, however.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2026

Pepper Fipps, the Cow Boss at the Rafter Star Ranch near Sheridan, uses only “Big Wonderful Wyoming” mud flaps on the ranch flatbeds and big rigs. He’s having trouble finding replacements.

Rancher Won’t Use Anything But ‘Big Wonderful Wyoming’ Mud Flaps, Can’t Find More

A Sheridan-area rancher is on a quest for “Big Wonderful Wyoming” mudflaps — and won’t use anything else on the ranch’s trucks. “I’ll order eight sets of them,” she told a Wyoming auto parts dealer.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2026

Firefighting crews pour water on the Old Faithful Snowlodge in Yellowstone National Park in summer 1988.

No Winter, Drought Has Firefighters On Alert For Repeat Of 1988 Yellowstone Fires

After winter essentially didn’t come to Wyoming, and drought and rising temperatures persist across the region, there are concerns the 2026 fire season could be like 1988 all over again. "It’s spooky,” said the Greater Yellowstone Fire Action Network.

Mark HeinzMay 10, 2026

Game and fish says that drought has led to the decline of the once-legendary trout fishery in Soda Lake near Pinedale. Avid Wyoming fishermen contend that a Game and Fish wetlands project is to blame.

Some Claim Wyoming Game And Fish Project Caused Nosedive Of Trout In Soda Lake

There’s widespread consensus that the glory days of trout fishing at Soda Lake near Pinedale are over, but there's disagreement over why. Avid anglers in the area blame a Game and Fish wetlands project while the department says drought is to blame.

Mark HeinzMay 10, 2026

When elk are infected with mange, they can suffer dry, crusty skin and massive hair loss. It can weaken them to the point of dying from exposure or starvation.

Hunters And Outfitters Say There's Been A Surge Of Mange In Elk In Montana

Hunters and outfitters in southwest Montana claim there’s been a surge of mange in elk. They say the disease has been spreading as elk crowd together around haystacks or alfalfa fields on private land.

Mark HeinzMay 10, 2026

The Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne offers some of the most spectacular views in southeast Wyoming.

Most Scenic Parts Of Belvoir Ranch Still Difficult To Access Due To Railroad

As the famed Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne comes closer to opening to the public on July 1, critics say the best part of the 19,000-acre recreation paradise is hard to access because of Union Pacific. It's like "The Great Wall of China," the mayor said.

Mark HeinzMay 09, 2026