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

Wyoming Chef Says The Best Way To Cook Groundhog Is With A Pork Rub

Groundhogs don't have to be just ceremonial animals that allegedly predict when spring arrives. They can be good eating too. One of Wyoming’s top chefs says groundhog is best when cooked in a smoker with a pork rub.

Mark HeinzFebruary 04, 2026

Feds Pushing Grizzly Rules To December Could Be Step Toward Delisting

Delisting grizzlies could be imminent, hunting advocates say, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers regulations for bear hunting. They say pushing the deadline for the agency's decision on bears to December could be a step toward delisting.

Mark HeinzFebruary 03, 2026

A recent grizzly bear study in Yellowstone National Park involved 120 remote cameras set up around the park, to capture photos of the bears’ activity.

From Bear Wrestling To Wildlife Monitoring, AI And Tech Evolution Fuels Research

Wildlife researchers are using technology to take a hands-off approach to studying wildlife, stressing animals less and saving researchers from eye-blurring data crunching. It's a huge leap from the days of wrestling bears in the name of science.

Mark HeinzFebruary 03, 2026

Firearms suppressors, commonly called silencers, can greatly reduce noise and recoil – even in robust cartridges, such as the .500 Smith & Wesson.

Gun Silencers Go From Fringe To Mainstream After Tax Elimination

People with firearms suppressors or silencers no longer have to pay a $200 federal tax. That could be the tipping point that makes the devices the next big thing for hunters, gun sellers say.

Mark HeinzFebruary 03, 2026

Outdoor adventure influencer Coyote Peterson found this bison skull in a remote “animal boneyard” in Yellowstone National Park. After admiring it, he left it there. It’s illegal to remove animal parts from Yellowstone.

Yellowstone’s Remote ‘Animal Boneyard’ Is Where Elk And Other Animals Go To Die

Bison, elk and other animals die in droves in Yellowstone's remote “animal boneyard.” Only a few know how to get there, wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson told Cowboy State Daily. Their carcasses provide a springtime buffet for grizzlies and wolves.

Mark HeinzFebruary 02, 2026

Ice fishing at night can provide an advantage for certain fish species, such as burbot. But it isn’t for the faint of heart because it’s much harder to spot thin ice at night. Burbot are one of the best species to catch by ice fishing at night. Ice anglers say they’re one Wyoming’s tastiest fish species.

Night Ice Fishing On Wyoming Lakes Is Dangerous, But Good Way To Catch Burbot

Ice fishing at night can be dangerous because it’s much harder to spot thin ice. But it’s a good way to catch burbot, which one angler calls "poor man's lobster" and says is delicious when boiled in Sprite.

Mark HeinzJanuary 31, 2026

Critics: Self-Defense Legal Fee Reimbursement Bill Could Spark Court Chaos

A former Washakie County prosecutor is critical of a bill forcing counties to pay back the legal fees of Wyomingites cleared of murder or manslaughter charges in shootings ruled as self-defense. He said it would throw courts into chaos.

Mark HeinzJanuary 30, 2026

January Is Baby Boom Month For Yellowstone Grizzlies, Researchers Discover

The new crop of grizzly cubs that will emerge this spring to the delight of visitors in Yellowstone have likely already been born, researchers say. A long-term study nailed down January as the month when most grizzly cubs in Yellowstone are born.

Mark HeinzJanuary 29, 2026

The Split 5 Bull, also called Atlas, was a dominant bull in the huge elk herd that hangs around Estes Park, Colorado. The bull was legally shot by a hunter this fall.

Hunter Kills Huge ‘Split 5’ Bull Elk From Estes Park Urban Herd

Fans are mourning the loss of the gigantic “Split 5” bull elk that was part of the Estes Park, Colorado, urban herd. Popular with photographers and wildlife watchers because of his remarkable size, Split 5 was legally killed by a hunter.

Mark HeinzJanuary 28, 2026

This grizzly was spotted wandering around Monday in the north end of Yellowstone National Park. Experts say it could be one of the earliest grizzly sightings ever in the park. Bears usually don't emerge until early March.

Grizzly Spotted In Yellowstone, Biologist Says One Of Earliest Sightings On Record

A grizzly spotted out wandering in Yellowstone National Park on Monday might be up from hibernation incredibly early or awake incredibly late. “This would be one of the earliest sightings on record,” bear biologist Frank van Manen told Cowboy State Daily.

Mark HeinzJanuary 28, 2026

From a gun rights and self-defense standpoint, the passage of House Bill 14 would be a win, Mark Jones of Buffalo (pictured), a national director for Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily.

Bill Would Force Wyoming Counties To Pay Self-Defense Legal Fees

If a Wyomingite kills somebody, claims self-defense, is charged with murder, but is cleared, the county that charged them would be on the hook for all the defendant’s legal fees and other expenses, according to a bill before the Wyoming Legislature.

Mark HeinzJanuary 27, 2026

Avid black bear hunter Julie Mccalllister of Rock River used her German Shepard, Eddie, to track bears she shot, before that was made illegal. A bill before the Wyoming Legislature would make it legal again.

Tracking Shot Bears With Dogs Would Be Legal Under Hunting Bill

Blood-trailing dogs may track down black bears shot by hunters if a bill before the Wyoming Legislature passes. It’s already legal to use dogs to track shot big game animals, such as elk and deer.

Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2026

Other Authors

A Yellowstone coyote pushed its luck by trying to creep up to a bison carcass that a wolf pack was feasting on. One wolf chased the coyote right past a tour bus, but didn’t kill it in front of the tourists.

Lucky Yellowstone Coyote Survives Taunting Wolves Who Were Feasting On Bison Carcass

A coyote in Yellowstone was lucky to escape after it got a little too close to a pack of wolves feasting on a bison carcass, and one wolf chased it right past a tour bus. “He pushed his luck,” said a tour guide, who took video of the incident on Sunday.

Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2026

Idaho’s elk overpopulation problem mirrors Wyoming’s. In one Idaho hunt area, elk are camping out on private land, so the state plans to relocate some and kill the rest.

As In Wyoming, Idaho Hunters Can’t Kill Enough Elk On Private Land, So State Will

When it comes to elk in Wyoming and Idaho, it's a case of different places, same problem. Herds are booming, but hunters can’t get on private land to hunt them. In one area on private land in Idaho, the state will relocate some and kill the rest.

Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2026

After a second clay on the right front paw of ChewBarka the beaver became permanently extended, it looks as if he’s flashing a peace sign.

ChewBarka: The Beaver That Became A Worldwide Sensation For Flipping People Off

ChewBarka is a burly old beaver who lives quietly with his family in Canada, but he’s become a worldwide social media star. That’s thanks, in part, to quirk in his front claws that looks like he was flipping people off but now looks like a peace sign.

Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2026

Perhaps the most famous grizzly bear that ever lived, Grand Teton National Park's Grizzly 399, and her many cubs are among the most recognizable bears in Wyoming. Now researchers are developing artificial intelligence recognition for bears, which could help prevent people from getting mauled in the future.

Scientists Develop AI-Based Facial Recognition Software To Decrease Bear Maulings

Scientists have developed facial recognition software for bears that they say will decrease maulings. They say using this software, instead of relying on DNA, can quickly identify bears involved in attacks so they can be removed before mauling again.

Mark HeinzJanuary 24, 2026

$15,000 Reward For Finding Who Illegally Killed Grizzly In Idaho

A $15,000 reward is being offered in the case of an illegal grizzly killing that has stumped wildlife agents for months. The female was from the tiny, isolated Cabinet-Yaak grizzly subpopulation in Idaho and Montana.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

By the early 1970s, there were 136 grizzlies left in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. There are about 1,000 now, and some say they should remain under federal protection.

Hageman's Push For Grizzly Hunt Slammed By Wyoming Wildlife Advocates

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman calling for grizzlies to be delisted is a bad look for Wyoming, some Wyoming wildlife advocates say. Hageman and others for delisting say the growing number of bears across expanding territory makes their case.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

A pine marten tries, but fails, to catch and kill a grey squirrel in Yellowstone National Park

Frustrated Yellowstone Pine Marten Can't Catch Elusive Squirrel Teasing It

A Yellowstone pine marten that was teased by a squirrel into chasing it in laps around a tree trunk shouldn’t feel bad. Squirrels evade all sorts of predators that way, a biologist says. A video offers rare footage of Wyoming's rodent hunters.

Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2026

Invasive rats first started showing up in the Boise, Idaho, area a couple of years ago. Their population has exploded, and exterminators can’t keep up.

'Nuclear Bomb' Of Invasive Rats That Exploded In Boise Can Threaten Wyoming

Wyoming isn’t immune to a rat invasion like the infestation taking place in Boise that one exterminator called “a nuclear bomb of rats.” Spikes in rat populations can result from favorable conditions, such as mild winters, a Wyoming zoology professor said.

Mark HeinzJanuary 22, 2026

This helicopter, seen in a file photo by Wyoming Game and Fish Department, was one of two that collided near Parkman on Jan. 19, 2026, while doing contract work for the agency.

Choppers Collide During Wyoming Mule Deer Capture Operation

Two helicopters slammed into each other Monday while trying to land near Parkman in Sheridan County during a Wyoming Game and Fish operation to capture mule deer.

Mark HeinzJanuary 22, 2026

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