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

A customer at Wyoming Tactical Firearms shoots an AR-15 rifle. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider overturing bans on such rifles in other states.

Wyoming Gun Dealers Eager For Supreme Court To Overturn ‘Assault Weapons’ Bans

A gun-friendly U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to overturn “assault weapon” bans in Connecticut and the Chicago area — and Wyoming gun dealers are all in favor. They say that could make it easier to sell to customers in Colorado and other states.

Mark HeinzJuly 01, 2026

Lake Powell Water Critically Low; Wyoming Expects More Demand On Flaming Gorge

Already at critically low levels, Lake Powell is close to being "dead pool," which means water won't flow downriver anymore. That has Wyoming cities and industries worried that will mean more demand for water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Mark HeinzJuly 01, 2026

A rancher near Choteau, Montana caught video of six grizzlies strolling across his calving lot behind his barn late Monday, and said there were as many as seven bears on his property that night.

Holy Cow! Montana Rancher Spots 'Herd' Of 7 Grizzlies On Property

Montana rancher Neal Collins said a camera on his barn captured a "herd" of seven grizzlies on his property Monday night. The next morning, agents from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hazed 10 grizzlies out of brush across the road from his place.

Mark HeinzJune 30, 2026

Gov. Mark Gordon has designated Wyoming’s famous “Path of the Pronghorn”, one of the longest land migration routes in North America, as protected. While conservationists hailed the move, an energy landman said he hopes it doesn’t impede drilling.

Wyoming's Famous ‘Path Of The Pronghorn’ Gets Protected Status — Mostly

Gov. Mark Gordon has designated Wyoming’s famous “Path of the Pronghorn,” one of the longest land migration routes in North America, as protected — mostly. While conservationists hailed the move, an energy landman said he hopes it doesn’t impede drilling.

Mark HeinzJune 30, 2026

black bear tries braking into a dumpster in Durango, Colorado. There have been 77 reported bear-related incidents in the area so far this summer, 39 involving trash. (

Human-Bear Conflicts Up Across West Could Signal More Attacks, Removals Coming

It has already been a busy year for human-bear conflicts in Wyoming, Montana and across the West, with people getting mauled and bears being euthanized or relocated. And it could get worse thanks to drought and other factors, some bear observers say.

Mark HeinzJune 30, 2026

Amid Denver's urban sprawl, Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance is rescuing a fast-growing number of injured animals, like this badger.

Urban Sprawl Is Flooding Wildlife Rehab Center With Eagles, Foxes and Coyotes

Amid Denver's urban sprawl, Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance is rescuing a fast-growing number of injured animals. The animal hospital has taken in 627 patients this year with roughly one-third having suffered injuries from vehicle collisions.

Mark HeinzJune 27, 2026

Wyoming Hunting: Larry Hicks Is King Of Trophy Antelope With 16 Record-Book Bucks

Larry Hicks of Baggs has bagged 16 record-book trophy antelope bucks, including 14 in Wyoming. “After 20 years of trying, I finally got to the point where I cracked the code for spotting record book antelope," Hicks said.

Mark HeinzJune 27, 2026

Many avid antelope hunters, like Guy Eastman of Cody, didn’t draw tags this year.

With Antelope Numbers Still Down, This Year’s Tag Draw Dismal For Many Hunters

Wyoming hunters who didn’t draw antelope tags this year aren't alone. “I don’t know anybody who drew a good antelope tag,” said prominent outdoorsman Guy Eastman. They blame the winter of 2022-2023, which devastated antelope populations.

Mark HeinzJune 27, 2026

Bison in Yellowstone National Park aren't usually aggressive, but can be dangerous if their space is violated.

12-Year-Old Visitor Hurt By Yellowstone Bison, Sent To Hospital

A 12-year-old was taken to an area hospital Friday after being hurt by a bison just north of Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone National Park. This is the first recorded bison attack in Yellowstone of the year.

Mark HeinzJune 26, 2026

Screenshot of female grizzly nicknamed Miracle at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park

Miracle, Popular Grand Teton Grizzly, Relocated After Getting Too Close To People

After repeatedly getting too close to people and food sources, a popular young grizzly nicknamed Miracle was captured and relocated by wildlife agents in Grand Teton National Park on Thursday. "It was just a matter of time," said one wildlife photographer.

Mark HeinzJune 26, 2026

Upper Sunshine Reservoir Near Meeteetse Drained, No More Fishing For Two years

Upper Sunshine Reservoir near Meeteetse is popular with local anglers, particularly for ice fishing, but the reservoir is being drained, so there won’t be any fishing there for two years. It’s expected to be completely drained by Sept. 1.

Mark HeinzJune 25, 2026

Facing extreme drought in the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, officials in Colorado and Oregon have thrown up their hands and told anglers at some reservoirs: Catch all the fish you want, because they’re going to die anyway. Antero Reservoir in Colorado

Colorado And Oregon Lift Fishing Restrictions, Drought Will Kill Fish Anyway

Facing extreme drought in the wake of an exceptionally mild winter, officials in Colorado and Oregon have told anglers at some reservoirs: Catch all the fish you want, because they’re going to die anyway. In Wyoming, emergency measures are on hold.

Mark HeinzJune 25, 2026

Other Authors

Colorado Wildlife Officials Uncertain Why Black Bear Attacked, Followed Woman

Colorado wildlife agents are trying to determine why a black bear attacked a woman on a hiking trail in Denver and then followed her for 30 minutes despite her shouting and throwing rocks at it. The woman who took video of the encounter said it was "circling her."

Mark HeinzJune 24, 2026

LA BARGE, WYOMING - MAY 28: An aerial view of the Green River can be seen flowing into the Fontenelle Reservoir on May 28, 2026 near La Barge, Wyoming.

Colorado River's Dire Water Picture Expected To Hit Green River Ranchers Hard

At a meeting in Denver on Tuesday, Wyoming's state engineer said 2026 is "one of the worst, if not the worst, hydrologic years on record" due to the dire water situation in the Colorado River's Upper Basin states. He said Green River Basin ranchers will be hit especially hard.

Mark HeinzJune 23, 2026

Wheatland firefighters and Wyoming Game and Fish personnel prepare to lift a young bull moose that was tranquilized and rolled onto a tarp early Sunday.

How First Responders Relocated A Moose That Wandered Into Wheatland

When a bull moose wandered too close to Interstate 25 near Wheatland early Sunday, wildlife agents tranquilized it and then had to get the massive, comatose animal into a waiting horse trailer. “Once he woke back up, he was not too pleased,” said a fire-rescue responder.

Mark HeinzJune 22, 2026

This massive grizzly bear, called The Boss, lives in Alberta, Canada, where grizzlies have been protected from hunting since 2006. Some Albertans want grizzly hunts brought back.

Just Like In Wyoming, There's A Big Argument In Alberta Over Hunting Grizzlies

As in Wyoming, grizzlies are showing up in Alberta, Canada, in places they haven't been seen in 50 to 100 years. And just like Wyoming, their arrival has sparked emotional debate over whether to hunt the endangered species again.

Mark HeinzJune 22, 2026

Erika Babbitt-Rogers of Laramie is a “worm wrangler” selling customers worms for fishing bait and food for pet reptiles. See also sells worm castings, or worm poop, as fertilizer.

Wyoming ‘Worm Wrangler’ Says Nightcrawlers Are Popular But Worm Poop Is Bestseller

Laramie's Erika Babbitt-Rogers considers herself to be a professional “worm wrangler." She says anglers and pet owners are regular customers, but the real demand is for worm poop. “Everybody’s wanting that worm poop on their gardens,” she said.

Mark HeinzJune 21, 2026

A young female grizzly named Storm had a bloody muzzle after devouring a calf elk alive in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Tourists Learn That Nature Can Be Brutal When Grizzly Attacks Elk Calf

Tourists in Yellowstone got a brutal taste of reality Thursday when a grizzly went after a live elk calf and devoured it. John Winnie, an ecology professor at Montana State who was there, said most people don't "grasp just how high elk calf mortality is."

Mark HeinzJune 20, 2026

New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, left, holding a 3D-printed ghost gun, stands with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, middle, and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, who is holding a machine gun conversion device called an auto-sear.

California, New York Aim To Ban 3D Printers That Can Make ‘Ghost Guns’

In the latest twist in efforts to ban 3D-printed “ghost guns,” lawmakers in New York and California are pushing to ban printers capable of making them. From a technical standpoint, the bans won’t work, said Kevin Thomas, owner of T&G 3D Printing in Basin.

Mark HeinzJune 20, 2026

A hunting guide in Utah who shot his bow at cattle was convicted of attempted destruction of livestock.

Utah Hunting Guide Accused Of Poaching Also Caught Shooting At Cows With Bow

While investigating a Utah hunting guide for poaching a deer, wildlife officials came across a video of him shooting at cows with a bow. “It’s appalling,” says a Rock Springs bowhunter. “That sort of outfitter would never get a license in Wyoming."

Mark HeinzJune 19, 2026

Wyoming Congressional Delegation Doesn't Support Democrat Bill To Stop Federal Land Sales

Wyoming's congressional delegation says they do not support a Democrat bill that bans the sale of large swaths of federal lands. “I oppose any effort to make public land management more difficult ... and threaten our Western way of life," Hageman said.

Mark HeinzJune 18, 2026