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 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

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

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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

Trail cam photos captured several image of an unidentified masked man creeping around a campsite in the Bighorn Mountains in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday.

Campers Creeped-Out By ‘Weird’ Masked Bandit Around Campsite In Bighorn Mountains

A Sheridan couple was baffled and creeped-out by trail camera photos showing a masked bandit pilfering their campsite in the Bighorn Mountains over a four-hour period last week.

Mark HeinzAugust 12, 2025

Horse trainer Sienna Hawk has worked with Red Solo Cup — a mustang from Wyoming’s White Mountain wild horse herd — to prepare him for adoption.

Wyoming Mustang Named ‘Red Solo Cup’ After Toby Keith Song Up For Adoption

Wild horses caught in government roundups have better chances of being adopted if they’re trained first. That’s the hope for one Wyoming mustang named Red Solo Cup, after the popular Toby Keith song.

Mark HeinzAugust 11, 2025

Game wardens say that Timothy Crooks of Green River attached this makeshift suppressor, made from plastic Coke bottles, to a Marlin .22 caliber rifle that he used to illegally shoot multiple deer.

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

A mountain lion lurks in a tree in the Metcalf Wildlife Management Area in Sheridan County, Nebraska.

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

Hunters say that trail cam photos help them determine the sex and size of black bears to better focus their hunting efforts. But livestream video is illegal.

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

A SHERP ATV rumbles through the Blackfoot River near Missoula, Montana.

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 in Yellowstone National Park helped save aspen trees there by eating elk that were gobbling aspen saplings, scientists claim. But now bison are moving in on the aspen, eating it and knocking the trees over.

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

A wolf in Wyoming gets a drink in this file photo.

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

Controversy that’s blown up over American Eagle denim ads, stating that actress Sydney Sweeney has “great jeans.” Dubois-area resident and outdoorsman Cade Cole spoofed it with his own “good jeans” social media post, posing with a revolver and his dog, Magnum.

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

A federal judge’s Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, ruling could open the door to putting wolves back on the endangered species list in Wyoming and across the West.

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

A screenshot from the arument scene in "Marriage Story."

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

A turnaround in Wyoming’s logging and lumber industry might start with clearing forests of massive amounts of dead trees, previously killed by pine beetles.

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