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

Some worry that rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule would impinge upon Wyoming’s prime remote hunting and angling areas.

Ending Roadless Rule Threatens Wyoming’s Hunting and Fishing, Outdoors Groups Say

The 2001 Roadless Rule applies to remote areas all over Wyoming, and the Trump administration might rescind it. Outdoors groups claim that could ruin prime hunting and fishing spots, while others say the rule has stunted proper management of forests.

Mark HeinzAugust 27, 2025

Gary Wadhams, a member of the volunteer Sand Wash Advocate Team (SWAT), prepares to dart wild horse mares with fertility-control drugs in northwest Colorado.

Colorado Shoots Mustangs With Birth-Control Darts, Why Doesn’t Wyoming?

In Colorado, volunteers shoot female wild horses with darts loaded with fertility-control drugs to manage herd numbers. Wyoming doesn’t, because its vast rangelands and huge mustang herds make birth control for horses impractical.

Mark HeinzAugust 27, 2025

The GPS service onX Hunt is practically standard equipment for hunters, but its accuracy might be off by a few yards. That’s enough to get users charged with trespassing — and into big trouble.

Popular Hunting App May Not Keep You From Trespassing — Or Out Of Big Trouble

The GPS service onX Hunt is practically standard equipment for hunters, but its accuracy can be off by a few yards. That’s enough to potentially get users charged with trespassing — and into big trouble.

Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2025

Beef tallow is gaining popularity as a skin moisturizer, and the jury is still out on its skin care benefits. But one thing is for certain — applying it in grizzly country is practically begging to get mauled.

Beef Tallow Is A Hot Skin Care Trend, But In Grizzly Country It Makes You Bear Bait

Beef tallow is gaining popularity as a skin care treatment, but slathering it on while vacationing in Yellowstone National Park or anywhere in grizzly country is a really, really bad idea, say bear experts.

Mark HeinzAugust 23, 2025

Archery hunter Austin Nimmo of Casper said that bowhunting for Wyoming elk is challenging and rewarding.

Wyoming Bowhunters Say Archery Seasons Are All About The Challenge

Wyoming’s big game archery seasons are kicking off, and bowhunters explain the allure of hunting with one of the most primitive methods. While bows and arrows are now high-tech, hunters say archery seasons are all about the challenge.

Mark HeinzAugust 22, 2025

Some worry that the felony cruelty to animals case against Daniel resident Cody Roberts for allegedly tormenting and killing a wolf could impact hunters and agricultural predator control in Wyoming.

Will Wolf Torture Felony Cruelty Indictment Spill Over To Wyoming Hunters?

Some worry that the felony animal cruelty case against Daniel resident Cody Roberts for allegedly tormenting and killing a wolf could impact hunters and agricultural predator control in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2025

A black bear boldly took down a mule deer doe alongside the highway over Sylvan Pass in Yellowstone National Park on Sunday.

Black Bear In Full Sprint Chases Down Mule Deer Next To Yellowstone Highway

In a dramatic display, a black bear in a full sprint chased down a mule deer doe Sunday in full view of the Sylvan Pass highway in Yellowstone. An expert says it’s rare for bears to chase down prey like that.

Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2025

An already-busy year for Carbon County Search and Rescue got busier Monday when a mushroom hunter was stranded with a severely injured ankle deep in the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Injured Mushroom Hunter Pulled Out Of Rugged Area In Medicine Bow Forest

An already-busy year for Carbon County Search and Rescue got busier Monday when a mushroom hunter became injured, stranded and in "severe danger" deep in the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2025

Ethan Overton of Laramie was archery hunting for a bighorn sheep ewe in the Ferris-Seminoe area when he discovered this massive bighorn ram skull.

Bowhunter Out For Bighorn Stumbles Across Trophy-Sized Ram’s Skull With Intact Horns

In a fantastic twist of fortune, a Wyoming archery hunter was out to fill a bighorn sheep ewe tag when he discovered the skull and horns of a trophy-sized bighorn ram. It’s a rare “deadhead” find that most hunters dream about.

Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2025

Many areas of the Red Desert in southwest Wyoming make up an outdoor recreation playground.

Lawmakers Consider Charging Fee For Mountain Biking On Wyoming State Trails

Wyoming might start charging bicyclists to use state trails. Riders and mountain biking advocates said they might support a fee as long as the money goes back into trail building and maintenance.

Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2025

No Matter Whether It’s Legal Or Not, Hunters Likely To Corner-Cross Anyway

Regardless of all the hype and controversy around corner-crossing, hunters say it doesn’t really matter. No matter what the U.S. Supreme Court or Wyoming Legislature decide on the issue, they’ll probably do it anyway.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2025

A day after the death of an F.E. Warren Air Force Base airman, the Air Force suspended the use of the M18 modular handgun. A Wyoming gunsmith said the guns have a history of reported unintentional firings, which could be due to an ill-fitting striker design.

Fatal F.E. Warren Shooting Further Hurts Sig Sauer’s Already-Damaged Reputation

The already-battered reputation of Sig Sauer pistols will continue to suffer in the wake of a fatal shooting at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, regardless of whether the pistol involved malfunctioned, gun industry experts say.

Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2025

Other Authors

If Samuel L. Jackson is tired of all those mother-bleeping snakes on that mother-bleeping plane, he should steer clear of Wyoming. Rattlesnakes are so common at the Greybull airport, the staff is used to them, although they might freak visitors out.

Snakes In A Plane (Hangar): Greybull Airport Is Rattlesnake Central

If Samuel L. Jackson has had it with all those mother-bleeping snakes on that mother-bleeping plane, he should steer clear of Wyoming. Rattlesnakes are so common at the Greybull airport, the staff is used to them, although they might freak visitors out.

Mark HeinzAugust 18, 2025

The population of beavers on the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming has declined by more half in recent years. Officials have built roughly 150 artificial beaver dams to make up for it.

With Beaver Population Dropping In Wyoming, Artificial Dams Rise In The Bighorns

It is thought there are fewer than half the beavers in the Bighorn National Forest now compared to about 15 years ago, and to make up for their work, wildlife officials have built more than 150 artificial dams. It’s not clear why the beaver population is declining.

Mark HeinzAugust 17, 2025

The Air Force will use Tesla Cybertrucks for target practice with missiles because enemies might use them. A Wyoming automotive expert questions why terrorists would even want Cybertrucks.

Air Force To Blow Up Cybertrucks With Missiles To Practice Terrorism Response

The Air Force plans to use Tesla Cybertrucks for target practice because there’s concern that terrorists might start using the hulking vehicles. According to contracting documents, the Cybertrucks have features that could make them formidable.

Mark HeinzAugust 16, 2025

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.

Yes, Prairie Dog Hunting Guides Exist, And They Have A Robust Business

Prairie dog hunting isn't about getting a trophy animal to put on your wall. It's more about getting in as much shooting as possible. It’s not so much hunting in the traditional sense, as it is live target practice. That's why people hire guides.

Mark HeinzAugust 16, 2025

Wyoming’s Mountain Lions Can’t Roar Like African Lions, But They Can Purr

Wyoming’s mountain lions aren’t lions in the true scientific sense. African lions are classified among “roaring cats,” while mountain lions fall in the less glamorous-sounding “purring cat” category. And they do purr.

Mark HeinzAugust 16, 2025

A rare “bear warning” has been issued for roughly 2,500 square miles in Canada amid reports of grizzlies bluff-charging people. A Canadian bear expert said bear trouble usually stems from stupid human behavior.

Charging Grizzlies Spark Rare And Widespread ‘Bear Warning’ In Canada

For the first time in nearly a decade, a roughly 2,500-square-mile county in Alberta, Canada, has issued a county-wide “bear warning,” after numerous reports of people being charged by grizzlies.

Mark HeinzAugust 15, 2025

The F.E. Warren Base Exchange store in Cheyenne put in an order for T-shirts with an “antelope” on them. As in, a Wyoming pronghorn. The shirts came in with a silhouette of an African greater kudu antelope.

Why Is An African Antelope On A Wyoming Air Force Base T-Shirt?

In a mix-up over different meanings of the term “antelope,” the F.E. Warren Base Exchange store ended up with T-shirts depicting an African antelope, not a Wyoming pronghorn.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2025

Montana Outfitter Kills Grizzly, Fails To Report It And Faces $10,000 Fine

A Montana outfitter faces up to a $10,000 fine for shooting a grizzly bear while black bear hunting. A Wyoming hunter who went through a similar case said it can be incredibly difficult to distinguish between the two bear species.

Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2025

Wyoming Timber Industry Set For Huge Comeback, More Sawmills Needed, Officials Say

Long-term success of expanding the Wyoming timber industry hinges on building back the “local timber industry,” instead of trucking logs to mills in other states, Bighorn National Forest Supervisor Andrew Johnson told a legislative committee on Tuesday.

Mark HeinzAugust 12, 2025

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