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

Bicyclists slowing down to take photos of a bison in Yellowstone

Bison Biologist: Yellowstone Bulls Are Extra Ornery Because They're In A Rut

Ornery Yellowstone bull bison have now tossed a grandpa 8 feet in the air, chased a man around cabins and popped a car tire, because they're in their annual rut, says one bison biologist. A bison rancher says one solution is a face full of bear spray.

Mark HeinzJuly 22, 2026

This grizzly was photographed on May 6 in Glacier National Park in Montana. There was a fatal bear attack in the park on May 3.

"Nightmare Scenario": Victim Of Glacier Grizzly Attack Likely Surprised Bear In The Dark

Officials concluded Tuesday that a 33-year-old man likely surprised a grizzly in the dark before he was killed in Glacier National Park in May. Running into a bear in the dark is a “nightmare scenario,” said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time.

Mark HeinzJuly 22, 2026

Mia, a German shepherd, was trying to take a bathroom break during a road trip with her owners when Yellowstone tourists mistook her for a bear.

Tourists Stop To Look At Yellowstone Bear — But It Was Only A Pooping Dog

Tourists driving through Yellowstone thought they had spotted a bear, so they stopped their cars to look at it. They were disappointed to learn it was only a pooping German shepherd. "She looked very much like a small bear,” said the dog’s owner.

Mark HeinzJuly 21, 2026

Grizzly advocates in Montana want bear spray to be mandatory for hunters like wearing fluorescent orange is now.

Montana Grizzly Advocates Want Bear Spray Mandatory for Hunters, Trappers

Grizzly advocates in Montana submitted a petition Tuesday to make bear spray mandatory for hunters like wearing fluorescent orange is now. Guy Eastman of Cody has hunted numerous times in grizzly country and said the idea “isn’t going to fly with hunters.”

Mark HeinzJuly 21, 2026

Aggressive elk attack far more people than grizzlies, black bears, coyotes and mule deer, according to an extensive study. Elk "can inflict serious damage with those stomps and kicks,” said a wildlife specialist. Here, an elk gets aggressive with a car near Mammoth, Wyoming.

Study: In Tourist Areas, Aggressive Elk Attack Far More People Than Grizzly Bears

Aggressive elk attack far more people than grizzlies, black bears, coyotes and mule deer — especially in tourist areas, according to an extensive study. Elk "can inflict serious damage with those stomps and kicks,” said a wildlife specialist.

Mark HeinzJuly 21, 2026

Retired Forest Service hydrologist and wildlife photographer Pete Bengeyfield has been watching and photographing grizzlies, such as this one, in Wyoming and Montana for decades and says bears are plentiful.

Even If Grizzlies Have ‘Recovered,’ Advocates Still Don’t Want The Bears Delisted

Grizzly advocate Pete Bengeyfield, who has been watching and photographing the bears for decades, said even he has to admit there are probably enough of them to consider the species “recovered." However, he still opposes having the bears delisted.

Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2026

Oldest Yellowstone Wolf Pack Strays Into Hunt Area, Activists Want Pack Protected

The Mollie’s Pack is Yellowstone's oldest wolf pack and includes the famous Wolf 1090F. The pack has strayed outside the park into a Wyoming wolf hunt area, and activists worry that 1090F will be shot this fall. They are requesting the pack be protected.

Mark HeinzJuly 17, 2026

The study, published in Ecology And Evolution found that cortisol levels in hair samples from cows indicate that cattle exposed to wolves experienced different levels of seasonal cortisol fluctuation, compared to those not exposed to wolves.

Study Says Wolves Stress Cows Out; Ranchers Say, ‘We Told You So’

Ranchers in Wyoming said a new study that shows cattle get stressed out by wolves is something they've been saying all along. “We ranchers have known about this for years. Why do you think our great-great grandfathers eradicated them?" one rancher said.

Mark HeinzJuly 17, 2026

Wyoming Gun Activists Increasingly Alarmed Over AI Cameras Searching For Guns

Although manufacturers of AI software that uses surveillance cameras to search for guns say it makes people safer, gun rights activists are alarmed. Buffalo's Mark Jones, of Gun Owners of America, says it violates the Second and Fourth Amendments.

Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2026

Eagles and other raptors are highly vulnerable to colliding with wind turbines.

Wyoming Wind Turbines Killed More Than 23,000 Birds And Bats Last Year

More than 23,000 birds and bats were killed by wind turbines in Wyoming in 2025, according to a report presented Wednesday to the state Game and Fish Commission. “They’re flying around and they’re not paying attention to those blades,” said an official.

Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2026

Grizzly bears, such as this female with cubs near Cody, would be brought under state management, according to a proposal put forward by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Full Implications Of Fed Move To Hand Grizzly Management Over To States Unclear

It remained unclear Wednesday whether a federal decision to hand management of grizzlies over to the state will set the stage for a full delisting of grizzlies. But Rep. Harriet Hageman said efforts will continue to get them delisted through legislation.

Mark HeinzJuly 15, 2026

Crews work on the arch structure for a wildlife overpass on U.S. Highway 189 near Kemmerer.

$30M Kemmerer Wildlife Crossing Ahead Of Schedule, $28M Dubois Project Stalled

A $30 million wildlife crossing in a “death zone” for deer on U.S. Highway 189 near Kemmerer is about a year ahead of schedule. But another $28 million project near Dubois, which conservationists say is equally vital, is stalled over money.

Mark HeinzJuly 15, 2026

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With northwest Wyoming’s wolf population is at a 20-year low, the state Game and Fish Commission has cut the wolf hunt limits by more than half. Some advocates say that’s not enough, arguing to suspend hunting wolves altogether.

Wyoming Game And Fish Commission Cuts Wolf Hunt Quotas By More Than Half

With northwest Wyoming’s wolf population at a 20-year low, the state Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday cut the wolf hunt limits by more than half. Some advocates said that’s not enough, arguing to suspend hunting wolves altogether.

Mark HeinzJuly 14, 2026

Nonprofit groups, such as Vets 4 Huntin & Fishin, host hunts for military veterans from Wyoming and other states.

Wyoming Game And Fish Backs Off Proposal To Tighten Tag Regs For Disabled Vets

After an outcry, Game and Fish has backed off its proposal to prevent veterans with PTSD and other non-apparent disabilities from hunting during special early seasons. The public was "loud and clear," said Bill Brinegar of Hunting With Heroes,

Mark HeinzJuly 13, 2026

Laramie Elk Caller, 9, Guns For World Title Against Others Nearly Twice His Age

Laramie 9-year-old elk caller Axl Anton is set to compete against teens nearly twice his age in the world elk calling championship this month. He's already "in the top five best callers in the country, if not the best,” said a hunting industry insider.

Mark HeinzJuly 12, 2026

Wyoming’s mule deer are doing good so far this year, but there’s concern over their forage drying out before they can fatten up enough for winter.

Rain Gives Wyoming Mule Deer A Boost, But They’ll Need To Pack On Fat For Winter

Wyoming’s mule deer are enjoying lush forage for now in the high country, but there’s concern if the low country dries out and winter hits hard. "If it's any sort of normal winter, it's going to be rough," says Bill Ames of the Wyoming Mule Deer Alliance.

Mark HeinzJuly 12, 2026

Some say chainsaws should be allowed wilderness areas to clear trails of dead trees. Others argue that wilderness is no place for machinery of any kind.

As Dead Trees Clog Wyoming Wilderness Trails, Some Argue For Using Chainsaws

So many dead trees are piling up on Wyoming’s remote wilderness trails, some outfitters say they should be allowed to use chainsaws to clear them rather than working for days with hand tools. Chainsaws have been banned from those areas for 62 years.

Mark HeinzJuly 11, 2026

Investigators Say Colorado Bear That Ate Human Remains Shouldn’t Crave People

Investigators don’t think a bear or bears that ate parts of a human body found Sunday near Grand Mesa in western Colorado will develop a taste for people. They likely didn’t hunt the person, but instead scavenged someone already dead.

Mark HeinzJuly 10, 2026

For about 20 years, tire scars have marred the side of Fossil Hill near Sinks Canyon in Fremont County. Retired Forest Service ranger Karl Brauneis said.

Sinks Canyon Public Land Damaged By Illegal Off-Roaders 'May Never Recover'

Off-roading tire ruts have marred Fossil Hill at Sinks Canyon near Lander for more than two decades, and a retired ranger says such illegal drivers tearing up public lands are a growing problem. “I just don’t think that site is going to recover," he said.

Mark HeinzJuly 10, 2026

Screenshot of video taken in late June in the Dayton Gulch Road area of the Bighorn Mountains, shows what is allegedly a grizzly bear.

Distant Video Of Bear In Bighorn Mountains Reignites Debate Over Grizzlies In Area

A Lovell man says he thinks a bear he spotted off Dayton Gulch Road in the Bighorn Mountains last week was a grizzly. Casey Jones took a quick video of the bear and said,"The hump between the shoulders, that’s what got me to thinking it’s a grizzly."

Mark HeinzJuly 10, 2026

Shonna Kaye Dehl of Lovell (foreground) and Maggie Bassett of Powell have camped in the Bighorn Mountains for years. Their camp was trashed by an aggressive black bear late Sunday.

Aggressive Black Bear Drives Women From Bighorns Camp Before Shredding Tents

Two experienced Wyoming outdoorswomen said a large black bear aggressively entered their camp in the Bighorns late Sunday and turned it into "total chaos." When they returned the next day after escaping to a cabin, their camp was completely torn apart.

Mark HeinzJuly 08, 2026