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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

Punt guns are essentially waterborne cannons that can slaughter up to 100 waterfowl in a single blast. Their use helped fuel the push toward conservation and regulated hunting.

When Hunters Would Massacre Entire Flocks Of Waterfowl With Giant Punt Guns

Punt guns are essentially waterborne cannons that can slaughter up to 100 waterfowl in a single blast. Because punt guns were so devastating to the bird populations, some states started banning them for hunting as far back as 1860.

Mark HeinzApril 26, 2025

Left, Ashlea Roberts and her dogs Pistol, Recon, and Nitro with a rattlesnake Roberts caught for her dog-training clinic. Right, Jerry Colson and his dog Charlie with one of the family's finds.

Just As Rattlesnake Season Starts In Wyoming, Pet Vaccine Drying Up

A vaccine that helps protect dogs against rattlesnake venom might soon be unavailable, just as rattlesnake season begins in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzApril 25, 2025

Wolves in California are costing ranchers millions of dollars far beyond just the price of cattle killed, according to a new study. A Wyoming rancher says the secondary costs of predation are well-known here.

Study Says One Wolf Can Cost Ranchers More Than $160,000 In Losses

Wolves in California are costing ranchers millions of dollars far beyond just the price of cattle killed, according to a new study. A Wyoming rancher says the secondary costs of predation are well-known here.

Mark HeinzApril 25, 2025

Kevin Christopherson has used trail cameras to capture numerous images of wildlife on land he owns in the Box Elder Canyon area south of Glenrock.

Proposed Limits On Landowner Hunting Tags Could Cut Out Many Property Owners 

Hunters worry that a plan to more than double the amount of land that people need to own to qualify for landowner hunting tags could cut out property owners across Wyoming.

Mark HeinzApril 24, 2025

Anatolian Shepherds are huge livestock guardian dogs fierce enough to chase off grizzlies and wolves. And it turns out that they’re also great at keeping an eye on toddlers.

Local Rancher Not Surprised Anatolian Pyrenees Dog Rescued Lost Arizona Toddler

Montana rancher Lauren Stoddard told Cowboy State Daily that she wasn’t the least bit surprised by the account of an Anatolian Pyrenees rescuing a lost toddler in Arizona this month. “These dogs identify need," Stoddard said.

Mark HeinzApril 24, 2025

Ammunition for sale at Frontier Arms & Supply in Cheyenne. Displays like this, where customers can grab their own ammunition while shopping, will be illegal in Colorado under a new law.

New Ammo Sales Restriction In Colorado Could Push More Customers To Wyoming

A new Colorado law will require retailers to lock up the ammunition in their stores. A Wyoming gun store manager says Colorado’s firearms policies could push more customers toward Wyoming.

Mark HeinzApril 23, 2025

A lot of elk getty 4 23 25

Wyoming Rancher Worries More Elk Tags Will Make Herds Hide From Hunters

Elk hunters in northeast Wyoming are facing a quandary — how to give hunters access to kill enough elk to keep the herds in check. An area rancher worries more tags will make the herds hide from hunters.

Mark HeinzApril 23, 2025

Overpass 9 14 22

With Federal Grants In Question, Wyoming Wildlife Crossing Projects Are On Hold

With federal grants frozen as the Trump administration combs through federal budgets, some major Wyoming wildlife crossing projects are on hold.

Mark HeinzApril 22, 2025

Protecting the “Path of the Pronghorn” migration route is vital for the Sublette antelope herd, which is a national treasure, a biologist says. Drilling technology could help keep the path clear for Wyoming’s prized pronghorn.

Horizontal Drilling Could Keep Wyoming’s ‘Path Of The Pronghorn’ Clear

Protecting the “Path of the Pronghorn” migration route is vital for the Sublette antelope herd, which is a national treasure, a biologist says. Drilling technology could help keep the path clear for Wyoming’s prized pronghorn.

Mark HeinzApril 22, 2025

Stacy O’Nell caught photos of this extremely rare black fox in Yellowstone National Park, when it made a brief appearance along the roadside last week. The fox’s unusual coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism, which can cause black skin, fur or feathers in numerous species.

Rare Black Fox Pops Out Along Roadside In Yellowstone

A fox with rare black fur made a brief roadside appearance in Yellowstone National Park last week. The fox’s coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism.

Mark HeinzApril 21, 2025

With calving and lambing season underway, Wyoming ranchers must fend off predators. Ravens are among the worst, but can’t be shot because they’re a protected species.

Ravens Attack Lambs, But Are Protected In Wyoming, So You Can’t Shoot Them

With calving and lambing season underway, Wyoming ranchers must fend off predators. Ravens are among the worst with their attacks on lambs, but can’t be shot because they’re a protected species.

Mark HeinzApril 20, 2025

A new study from a group that wants grizzlies reintroduced to California claims the state could handle nearly 1,200 bears. Wildlife officials say that’s unrealistic.

Group Wants Nearly 1,200 Grizzlies In California, But Could It Actually Happen?

A new study from a group that wants grizzlies reintroduced to California claims the state could handle nearly 1,200 bears. Wildlife officials say that’s unrealistic.

Mark HeinzApril 19, 2025

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The “Path of the Pronghorn,” one of Wyoming’s most-used antelope travel routes, could be designated as an official migration corridor, possibly restricting energy development.

Protecting Wyoming Pronghorn A Balancing Act Of Conservation, Energy Development

The “Path of the Pronghorn,” one of Wyoming’s most-used antelope travel routes, could be designated as an official migration corridor, possibly restricting energy development.

Mark HeinzApril 19, 2025

This mamma black bear was sluggish as she emerged from her hibernation den in Yellowstone National Park on Monday with at least one, and possibly two tiny cubs.

Momma Black Bear, Tiny Cub Caught Crawling Out Of Their Yellowstone Den

Female bears with cubs usually don’t emerge from hibernation until May. But a lucky photographer got photos when one momma black bear was "like a sloth" venturing out of the den early with at least one tiny cub Monday in Yellowstone National Park.

Mark HeinzApril 18, 2025

Limpy, aka Tripod or Chester, is a coyote that lives in the Lamar area of Yellowstone National Park. He tries to sucker tourists out of snacks by looking pathetic along the roadside.

Limpy, Yellowstone’s Infamous Coyote Con Artist, Is At It Again

Limpy the coyote is Yellowstone National Park’s greatest con artist. He hangs out along the roadside, greatly exaggerating a leg injury, hoping to get snacks from soft-hearted tourists.

Mark HeinzApril 17, 2025

Josh Coursey

Prominent Wyoming Mule Deer Advocate Picked To Serve In Trump Administration

Prominent Wyoming wildlife conservationist Josh Coursey has been tapped to serve in President Donald Trump’s administration in a role he can't yet disclose. He joins a number of people with Wyoming ties picked by the administration.

Mark HeinzApril 17, 2025

In the first reported major run-in between a grizzly and a human this year, a man hunting shed antlers in north-central Montana shot and killed a female grizzly bear that he claimed charged him.

Montana Hunter Kills Charging Grizzly In Year’s First Reported Human-Bear Clash

In the first reported major run-in between a grizzly and a human this year, a man hunting shed antlers in north-central Montana shot and killed a female grizzly bear that he says charged him.

Mark HeinzApril 15, 2025

Wolves have been switching from hunting elk to hunting bison in Yellowstone National Park. Hunting bison requires larger wolf packs, as seen in this file photo.

Famous Yellowstone Wolf Pack Hunting Calf Nearly Clobbered By Adult Bison

Yellowstone National Park’s Junction Butte wolf pack failed in a recent attempt to bring down a yearling bison calf. The calf and its mother ran to a group of adult bison, which in turn tried to clobber the wolves.

Mark HeinzApril 15, 2025

There seems to be some confusion over whether it’s legal to won a kangaroo in Wyoming. It is — but you’ll need a special permit, and as mostly outside pets, kangaroos probably couldn’t handle the Wyoming cold. Here, a kangaroo shivers in a rare dusting of snow in Australian winter.

It’s Legal To Own Kangaroos In Wyoming, But They’d Probably Freeze To Death

There seems to be some confusion over whether it’s legal to own a kangaroo in Wyoming. It is — but you’ll need a special permit, and as mostly outside pets, kangaroos probably couldn’t handle the Wyoming cold.

Mark HeinzApril 14, 2025

One of five wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Agencies Tight-Lipped About Second Colorado Wolf Killed In Wyoming

A Wyoming law that protects the identities of wolf hunters seems to be behind an information blackout about the second Colorado wolf killed in Wyoming. That has people in both states frustrated.

Mark HeinzApril 14, 2025

It’s widely assumed that an adult mountain lion kills a deer a week, but some seasoned mountain lion hunters question that. They say the big cats are blamed for killing more deer than they actually do.

Mountain Lions Blamed For Killing More Deer Than They Actually Do, Hunters Say

It’s widely assumed that an adult mountain lion kills a deer a week, but some seasoned mountain lion hunters question that. They say the big cats are blamed for killing more deer than they actually do.

Mark HeinzApril 13, 2025

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