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.

Find Mark Heinz

Envelope

Latest from Mark Heinz

For some, prairie dog hunting isn’t as simple as driving around until they find the rodents. Serious hunters hire guides to take them to target-rich prairie dog towns.

Group Says Prairie Dog ‘Massacre’ Litters Plains With Lead-Riddled Carcasses

People who “massacre” prairie dogs in Colorado should have to pick up the lead-riddled carcasses, says a group calling for more regulation of hunting the rodents. The hunting also leads to other wildlife getting lead poisoning, it says.

Mark HeinzDecember 31, 2025

Kamra is a mama racoon that got into trouble when she trashed someone’s vehicle in Cheyenne. She was reunited with her four offspring at the Broken Bandit animal rescue east of Cheyenne.

Wyoming Animal Rescue Says Raccoon Reunion With Her Babies Favorite Story Of 2025

Patricia Wyer has seen many animals come and go at her wildlife rescue center near Cheyenne, but her most heartwarming tale of 2025 is that of a momma raccoon who lost her babies, trashed a pickup in her angst, but then got a second chance.

Mark HeinzDecember 30, 2025

Sand Creek Road just off the Snowy Range Scenic Byway is hugely popular with local residents, and this winter it’s getting plowed. But only logging trucks are allowed on it, as in this file photo.

Snowy Range Residents Pleased Sand Creek Road Getting Plowed For Winter Logging

Many locals in the Snowy Range are pleased that a logging road is getting plowed this year even though they can't use it. Because of the "ghost forests" (massive stands of dead trees killed by pine beetle epidemics), they're just happy for the winter logging.

Mark HeinzDecember 28, 2025

Hunting in Wyoming’s grizzly country is intimidating, but with the right mentality going in, it doesn’t have to be terrifying. Overcoming that fear of getting mauled is a big part of hunting where grizzlies live.

Overcoming Fear Of Getting Mauled A Big Part Of Hunting In Grizzly Country

Celia Easton of Thermopolis said being attacked by a grizzly last October while she was elk hunting alone in the Beartooth Mountains has left her shaken. “Until you go through something like that, you don’t understand what it does to you,” she said

Mark HeinzDecember 28, 2025

A team of French researchers published a study claiming teddy bears are too cute and cuddly to give children a realistic view of the apex predators, or nature in general. Bear experts in Wyoming laughed at the study and said that seems ridiculous.

French Researchers Concerned Teddy Bears Give Children Unrealistic View Of Nature

French researchers published a study claiming teddy bears are "too cute" and give children the wrong view of nature. Bear experts told Cowboy State Daily that if people are idiots around grizzlies, it's not because they had teddy bears growing up.

Mark HeinzDecember 27, 2025

The company proposing a 900-megawatt project at Seminoe Reservoir in Carbon County claims that restrictions aimed at protecting big horn sheep there will make it too expensive, driving costs up by $1.6 billion.

Company Says Protecting Seminoe Bighorn Could Add $1.6B To Power Project Costs

The company proposing a 900-megawatt power generation project at Seminoe Reservoir in Carbon County claims that restrictions aimed at protecting bighorn sheep there will make it too expensive, driving costs up by $1.6 billion.

Mark HeinzDecember 26, 2025

Tourists piling out of tour van parked in the middle of the road in Yellowstone National Park, which is against park rules. They also park in the flow of traffic.

Company Denies Claims That Yellowstone Tour Buses Routinely Block Roads

It's against the rules to stop in the middle of the road in Yellowstone National Park, but people do it anyway. Some claim big tour companies get away with it, but the park’s largest tour provider says that’s not the case.

Mark HeinzDecember 26, 2025

Mark Heinz: Cancer Took Randy Svalina's Leg But That Didn't Stop Him

Mark Heinz writes, "if you twisted my arm, I'd have to say the tale of Randy Svalina of Laramie was my favorite of 2025. "After a decades-long battle with bone cancer, he ended up losing most of a leg recently. But he wasn’t about to let that stop him, or even slow him down much, from working, spending time with his family, or even hunting."

Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2025

Unseasonably warm weather has kept some grizzlies out late, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re taking advantage of spring-like temperatures to go hiking.

Some Wyoming Grizzlies Still Out Roaming In Unusually Warm Weather

Unseasonably warm weather has kept some of Wyoming’s grizzlies out late, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re taking advantage of spring-like temperatures to go hiking. Normally, they’d be hibernating with full bellies by this time of the year.

Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2025

A cow moose that locals call “Big Betty” has been handing around Evanston. So far, she’s behaved herself, and wildlife agents haven’t been dispatched to catch her.

Urban Moose Named 'Big Betty' Seems Right At Home Wandering Around Evanston

A cow moose nicknamed "Big Betty" has been calmly wandering around Evanston, delighting residents and avoiding trouble. Wildlife officials say she is unusually peaceful, but still warn people to keep their distance.

Mark HeinzDecember 21, 2025

Big Piney Toddler Battles Leukemia As Brothers Compete To Be Donor

Traxton Rex Bennett (aka “T-Rex”) can’t be home in Big Piney for Christmas. He's in a Utah hospital fighting a rare form of Leukemia. He has lots of support, including two big brothers who are arguing over who gets to be his bone marrow donor.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2025

A cow elk viciously stomping a mountain lion, and her own calf, is indicative of the pressure Idaho elk feel from predators, a hunter said.

Cow Elk Stomps Mountain Lion In Desperate Bid To Save Calf

Caught between wolves, mountain lions and grizzly bears, elk are struggling to fend off predators. A trail camera video shows the elk's desperation as it viciously pummels a mountain lion that has her calf by the neck.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2025

Other Authors

Starlings fly in a tight, swirling pattern called “murmuration” over farmland north of Torrington.

Weird Bird Tornado Near Torrington Was A Wild Flight Of Starlings

A swirling “bird tornado” over farmland near Torrington turned out to be a flock of European starlings. While a sight to see, starlings are an invasive species in Wyoming that harm native birds and crops.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2025

Nearly four months after committee approval, U.S. Senate confirmation is imminent for Wyoming’s Brian Nesvik as head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sen. John Barrasso on Wednesday blasted Democrats for blocking Trump’s nominees.

New Wildlife Chief Brian Nesvik Says Grizzly Delisting Could Be Two Years Away

New U.S. wildlife chief Brian Nesvik told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that It could take another two years to work through an analysis of the data on grizzlies and reach a final decision regarding delisting. As for hunting, he said that would be left to the states to decide.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2025

A snowmobile chases a wolf across a snowy landscape in Canada.

House Bill Targets Wolf ‘Whacking’ With Snowmobiles On Federal Land

For the second time in as many years, a bipartisan coalition introduced a bill in the U.S. House to ban using snowmobiles to run over wolves and other predators on federal lands. The act was inspired by the alleged wolf torture in Wyoming in 2024.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2025

Hoback, a famous bull moose in Grand Teton National Park, was the first of the park’s moose to start shedding his antlers, on Dec. 10.

Beginning Of The End For Hoback, Grand Teton National Park's Most Famous Moose

Wildlife photographers say the reign of Hoback, the most famous moose in the Grand Tetons, could be coming to an end. Estimated to be around 18 years old, he shed his antlers early this year and is suffering from a recent wolf attack.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2025

Colorado is touting the Greenland overpass along Interstate 25 south of Denver as one of the largest wildlife crossings in the world.

Largest Wildlife Crossing In U.S. Opens In Colorado But Animals Aren't Using It Yet

Work is finished on what’s being touted as North America’s largest wildlife crossing bridge south of Denver — but it’s been so warm, animals haven’t started using it yet. The 200-foot-wide, 209-foot-long Greenland overpass spans six lanes of I-25.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2025

Outdoorsman Barrett Liquori uses a Springfield Hellcat 9 mm pistol to shoot off roughly half of a white-tailed buck’s antler to free it from entanglement with a dead buck’s antler.

Texas Hunter Shoots Buck’s Antler Off To Free It From Deadlocked Deer

A Texas hunter used his pistol to shoot off part of a buck’s antler and free it after it became entangled with a dead deer and was near death from exhaustion.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2025

Male ruffed grouse attract mates by cupping their wings and flapping them rapidly, to create a “drumming” sound that can be heard a quarter-mile away.

When A Ruffed Grouse Starts Air Drumming, He's Looking To Get It On

When a male ruffed grouse is looking for some action, he doesn't put on a Barry White record while having some Courvoisier. Instead he begins air drumming by beating the air with his wings. It’s rare to catch them in the act, as one lucky wildlife photographer did.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2025

Ben McArthur of Casper and his son Mateo like filling their family’s freezer with elk mean from late cow elk tags.

Late-Season Cow Elk Hunts Fill Freezers But Test Hunters’ Grit In Wyoming

Elk hunter Ben McArthur said he appreciates availability of late-season cow elk tags in Wyoming as it's challenging. “It's fun because it matches up with holiday weekends. Weather conditions can be miserable, but if you get after it, you can be successful."

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2025

A popular Yellowstone National Park grizzly called Ojo claws the brains from a bison carcass. He was one of four male grizzlies feasting on the carcass.

Why A Yellowstone Grizzly Eating Bison Brains Is So Interesting

Wildlife biologists say it's rare for grizzlies to eat from the head of a bison because it would be difficult to get through the thick skull. That's what makes the instance of Ojo, a one-eyed Yellowstone bear, eating the brains of a bison so unique.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2025