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.
Latest from Mark Heinz
Green River Man Used Coke Bottle Silencer In Five-Year Deer Shooting Spree
In a case that took years to crack, game wardens say a Green River man used a .22 rifle outfitted with a suppressor made from plastic Coke bottles to illegally shoot five deer in town, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2025
Move Over, Prairie Grizzlies, Here Come The Prairie Mountain Lions
Mountain lions are associated with, well, mountains. But they are increasingly reclaiming habitat in Great Plains states such as Nebraska and Kansas. That follows patterns seen from other species, like grizzlies expanding back into prairie areas.
Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2025
Why Trail Cameras Are OK For Hunting In Wyoming, But Live Feed Video Isn’t
As technology continues to redefine hunting, at least one matter seems settled: Trail camera photos and videos are legally and ethically OK to scout wildlife, but livestream video is not.
Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2025
Fishermen Outraged Watching Huge ‘Tonka Truck’ ATV Rip Up Montana Riverbed
A Montana fishing guide said he was outraged watching someone drive a huge “Tonka Truck” SHERP ATV right through a river next to him. The huge balloon-tired ATV ripping up the riverbed was illegal, and the driver may be cited.
Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2025
Wolves Might Have Saved Yellowstone’s Aspen From Elk, But Now Bison Are Eating It
Scientists say wolves helped save aspen trees in Yellowstone by eating the elk that were gobbling aspen saplings. But now bison are moving in on the aspen, eating it and knocking the trees over.
Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2025
Colorado Wildlife Agents Target Sheep-Killing Wolf That Might Be From Wyoming
A wolf that killed three sheep in Colorado is safe for now, as wildlife agents can’t go after it because of a wildfire. Meanwhile, locals say it’s a wolf that wandered in from Wyoming in February.
Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2025
Wyoming Ranchers Ask U.S. Supreme Court To Hear Wyoming Corner-Crossing Case
The Wyoming Stock Growers and other agricultural groups want the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a Wyoming corner-crossing case. They say the high court should finally settle whether corner-crossing is legal.
Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2025
Third Colorado Wolf Wanders Into Wyoming And Dies
A third wolf reintroduced to Colorado wandered into Wyoming and died in late July, wildlife officials announced Wednesday. The female was one of the wolves brought in from Oregon in December 2023.
Mark HeinzAugust 06, 2025
Wyoming Outdoorsman Spoofs Controversial Sydney Sweeney Jeans Ads
Heads have been exploding over the controversial “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” American Eagle denim ads. A Wyoming outdoorsman decided to spoof it with his own, saying he has great jeans, too.
Mark HeinzAugust 06, 2025
Federal Judge’s Ruling Could Open Door To Putting Wolves Back On Endangered List
A federal judge’s Tuesday ruling could open the door to putting wolves back on the endangered species list in Wyoming and across the West.
Mark HeinzAugust 05, 2025
Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver Screaming At Each Other Keeps Wolves From Cattle
Oregon wildlife officials are using audio of actors Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver screaming at each other in the movie “Marriage Story” to scare wolves away from cattle. It seems to work, but isn’t very practical, a wolf expert says.
Mark HeinzAugust 05, 2025
Shift In Timber Rules Could Clear Way For Revival Of Wyoming’s Lumber Industry
Wyoming’s few remaining lumber mills have struggled, but a shift in federal and state timber policy might change that. Trump has ordered an “immediate expansion” of timber production, and Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday ordered Wyoming to follow suit.
Mark HeinzAugust 05, 2025
Bears Are So Common In Colorado Springs They’re Climbing Out Of Manholes
A big male black bear that got stranded in the storm drains under Colorado Springs escaped by climbing out of a manhole. While startling, the incident also illustrates what wildlife officials say is becoming common in the city.
Mark HeinzAugust 04, 2025
Wyoming’s Backcountry Lakes Are Stocked By Dropping Fish From Helicopters
In the pre-dawn darkness on Tuesday, a line of Wyoming Game and Fish Department vehicles rumbled into the Dubois Municipal Airport and parked next to a Robinson R66 helicopter. The mission? Stock 16 high-country lakes with roughly 40,000 fingerling-sized fish.
Mark HeinzAugust 02, 2025
Lost, Young Wild Horse Tries To Join Up With Pronghorn Herd During Roundup
A young mustang briefly joined a band of pronghorn during a recent Wyoming horse roundup. Wild horse advocates say the colt was lost after being separated from his mother during a BLM roundup.
Mark HeinzAugust 02, 2025
Wildlife Agents Still Search For Whoever Poached A Park County Grizzly
Wildlife agents are still trying to track down whoever shot and killed a grizzly bear found dead in late May alongside a remote hiking trail in Park County. A bear expert says if the grizzly had been killed in self-defense, it would’ve been reported.
Mark HeinzAugust 01, 2025
Delisting Grizzlies Drives Support — And Opposition — For Nesvik’s Confirmation
Former Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik is poised to be the new chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. His stance in favor of taking grizzly bears off the endangered list drives much of his support — and opposition.
Mark HeinzJuly 31, 2025
Lummis, Hageman Introduce Bill Targeting Endless Endangered Species Listings
Wyoming Republicans Cynthia Lummis and Harriet Hageman want to rename the Endangered Species Act the “Endangered Species Recovery Act.” It’s a reminder that species shouldn’t be listed forever if they have recovered enough for delisting, they say.
Mark HeinzJuly 31, 2025
Money Could Be Coming For Wildlife Crossings, Including $30M Project Near Dubois
A planned $30 million wildlife crossing near Dubois — which could save hundreds of deer — is on hold because of a lack of federal money. Supporters of wildlife crossings say that money could start coming soon.
Mark HeinzJuly 30, 2025
Anglers Upset Over Plan To Ban Boats On Wyoming’s Famed Miracle Mile
A proposal to ban watercraft on the upper stretch of the North Platte River’s Miracle Mile section near Casper is drawing fire from some anglers who want to kill the rule before Gov. Mark Gordon signs off on it.
Mark HeinzJuly 29, 2025
Colorado Halfway Done With World’s Largest Wildlife Overpass Spanning I-25
Colorado is about halfway through building what officials are touting as the world’s largest wildlife overpass. It’s a $15 million megastructure spanning six lanes of Interstate 25 south of Denver.
Mark HeinzJuly 29, 2025