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

Two coyotes square off in an aggressive display over who gets access to a bison carcass in Yellowstone National Park. It’s for show, experts say, coyotes don’t get into violent fights with each other.

Yellowstone Coyotes Square Off In Aggressive Standoff Biologists Say Is All Show

Two coyotes in standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone National Park arched their backs, raised their paws and bared their teeth so aggressively it might be easy to assume they were ready to rip each other apart. Biologists say it’s all for show.

Mark HeinzJanuary 14, 2026

Canada geese can rush in during early spring and hog prime high-elevation nesting sites from raptors, like osprey.

Geese Steal Osprey Nests, Forcing The Birds To Risk Electrocution

Canada geese sometimes hog elevated nesting platforms from osprey in Wyoming. So, the ospreys try building nests on powerline poles instead — and get electrocuted.

Mark HeinzJanuary 13, 2026

This young black bear was photographed still out and about on Christmas Eve near Kelly Warm Springs in the Jackson area. Witnesses reported spotting it still out in early January.

Young Jackson-Area Bear Still Out In January Might Be Confused By Warm Weather

A young black bear has caused a stir in the Jackson area, spotted still awake and running around in January. A local wildlife tour guide said it’s not unheard of, but the unseasonably warm weather may have confused the bear about when bedtime is.

Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2026

The Bennett family of Big Piney found out that Dayton, 13, is a match to donate bone marrow to his little brother Traxton, 2, who is battling a rare form of leukemia.

Big Piney Teen To Donate Bone Marrow To Save Toddler Brother From Leukemia

Following up on a story we did last month, the medical verdict came in and 13-year-old Dayton of Big Piney is the perfect match to donate bone marrow to his 2-year-old brother Traxton, who is battling a rare form of leukemia.

Mark HeinzJanuary 11, 2026

Mule deer, like these in Wyoming’s Prospect Mountains, are having their habitat threatened by invasive cheatgrass.

'It's Bad Stuff': Aftermath Of Huge Wyoming Wildfires Threatens Wyoming Mule Deer

As if Wyoming’s mule deer aren’t facing enough problems, invasive cheatgrass moving into areas scorched by Wyoming's huge 2024 wildfires is ruining their habitat. "It's bad stuff," one Wyoming rancher said, "I can't emphasize that enough."

Mark HeinzJanuary 11, 2026

Nate Miller of Thermopolis shot this Shiras moose, left, in the Snowy Range Mountains. The massive bull could be one for the record books. This past season he also bagged this bighorn sheep, top right, and Rocky Mountain goat.

Wyoming Hunter Bags Coveted Big-Game Trifecta, Including Huge Moose

Nate Miller beat astronomical odds to draw Wyoming’s coveted three-species “trifecta" hunting tag, then bagged a bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and moose. He joked about selling his hunting rifles, because there’s no way to ever top this hunting season.

Mark HeinzJanuary 11, 2026

In 1958, capturing black bears for research was completely nuts. They used ether to put the bears into a stupor and hoped for the best. Veteran conservationist Cliff Bampton said one of his teammates once had to literally wrestle a bear.

In The 1950s, Bear Researchers Used Ether And A Football Player Who Wrestled Them

The pioneering days of bear research in the 1950s were not standardized at all. One capture team using ether-soaked cotton to put bears into a stupor and then had a college football player wrestle the bear.

Mark HeinzJanuary 10, 2026

Wolf 1090F, of the Mollie’s pack in Yellowstone National Park, recently hit the age of 11 years, nine months. That makes her her the oldest living wolf in the park, and one of the oldest ever.

Nearly 12 And Huge, Yellowstone Wolf 1090F Earns Title Of Oldest In Yellowstone

At the age of 11 years, 9 months, Wolf 1090F has earned the title of the oldest living wolf in Yellowstone, which is remarkable considering the average lifespan of a wild wolf is 5 or 6. Like other members of the pack known as Mollie’s pack, she’s huge.

Mark HeinzJanuary 10, 2026

Sublette County Deputy Busts Through Ice To Save Mom And Baby Deer

Sublette County Deputy Jason Overbaugh plunged into the icy New Fork River near Big Piney on New Year’s Day to rescue a trapped mule deer doe and fawn. Ally Cogburn spotted the struggling animals, and both survived Overbaugh's heroic effort.

Mark HeinzJanuary 09, 2026

Protesters Slap Stickers Over Trump's Image On National Park Passes, Voiding Them

The inclusion of President Donald Trump’s picture on 2026 “America The Beautiful” national park annual pass has made some people so livid, they’ve put stickers over the president’s image, which invalidates the passes.

Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2026

Former Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis has been hired as the new deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Davis was forced to resign in lieu of being terminated, according to a settlement agreement obtained by 9NEWS.

Wyoming’s New Deputy Game And Fish Director Is Former Controversial Colorado Chief

Former Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis who was mired in controversy over its wolf program has been hired as the new deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Davis resigned in Colorado instead of being terminated, according to a settlement agreement.

Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2026

As of Wednesday, Boysen Reservoir in Fremont County was still almost completely ice-free. That’s killed the ice fishing season so far this year.

Ice Fishing Season A Disaster So Far As Boysen Reservoir Still Isn’t Frozen

The ice-fishing season in Fremont County has been a disaster so far. Boysen Reservoir is nearly ice-free, and some recent days there have felt practically like summer.

Mark HeinzJanuary 07, 2026

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Prairie dog advocates in Colorado say coyotes are gobbling up people's pets in Boulder County because prairie dogs are being relocated to make way for development. But officials say the area still has a healthy prairie dog population.

Group Says Colorado Coyotes Are Eating Pets Because There Are No Prairie Dogs

Prairie dog advocates in Colorado say coyotes are eating people's pets in Boulder County because prairie dogs are being relocated to make way for development. But officials say the area still has a healthy prairie dog population.

Mark HeinzJanuary 07, 2026

Not Settled Yet: Wyoming Hunter Access Issues Will Likely Repeat In 2026

In 2025, hunters fought public-land access challenges in the courts and even by helicopter. While some legal issues about “corner-crossing” are settled, the tension over hunters accessing public lands remains into 2026.

Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2026

After a “state-of-emergency” power outage in Canada last week — on the heels of a massive outage in Wyoming — some Wyomingites say they’re thankful for off-grid power options. Others say they just hate power companies.

Home Generator Owners Say Peace Of Mind Is Worth The Investment

After a massive “state-of-emergency” power outage in Canada last week — on the heels of a massive outage in Wyoming — those who have invested in generators and other off-the-grid options say it's worth it. Others say they just hate power companies.

Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2026

A rural county in New Mexico makes children sit inside cage-like roadside shelters called “wolf houses" while waiting for school buses. That’s because their parents worry that wolves in the area might attack the children.

Why New Mexico Kids Wait In Protective ‘Wolf Houses' At School Bus Stops

Parents in a New Mexico county are worried their children might get attacked by wolves so they've built cage-like shelters for them at bus stops. Critics say it's ridiculous as there hasn't been a fatal wild wolf attack on a human in the lower 48 for 100+ years.

Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2026

Wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson set motion-activated cameras in two grizzly dens north of Yellowstone National Park in 2015. He finally recovered the cameras during the summer of 2025, and found they’d captured images of numerous wild animals.

Man Leaves Cameras In Grizzly Caves north Of Yellowstone, Captures Decade Of Video

Wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson left stop-motion cameras in two grizzly dens north of Yellowstone in 2015 and forgot about them. Last summer, he went back to the caves and, to his amazement, recovered the cameras and more than a decade of footage.

Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2026

Experts Say Woman Killed In Colorado Mountain Lion Attack A Rare Tragedy

At least one mountain lion — and possibly two — apparently attacked and killed a woman hiking in Colorado on Thursday. Mountain lion experts say attacks on humans are extremely rare, without an officially documented fatal mountain lion attack in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2026

Grand Tetons climbing Cavan Images via Alamy 1 2 26

Researchers Say 'Biophobia' — An Irrational Terror Of Nature — Is A Thing Now

A crippling fear of nature called “biophobia” is becoming more common, researchers say. A Wyoming backcountry guide said he’s skeptical, and conversely has seen exposure to nature change lives for the better.

Mark HeinzJanuary 02, 2026

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.

Group Says Prairie Dog ‘Massacre’ Litters Plains With Lead-Riddled Carcasses

People who “massacre” prairie dogs in Colorado should have to pick up the lead-riddled carcasses, says a group calling for more regulation of hunting the rodents. The hunting also leads to other wildlife getting lead poisoning, it says.

Mark HeinzDecember 31, 2025

Kamra is a mama racoon that got into trouble when she trashed someone’s vehicle in Cheyenne. She was reunited with her four offspring at the Broken Bandit animal rescue east of Cheyenne.

Wyoming Animal Rescue Says Raccoon Reunion With Her Babies Favorite Story Of 2025

Patricia Wyer has seen many animals come and go at her wildlife rescue center near Cheyenne, but her most heartwarming tale of 2025 is that of a momma raccoon who lost her babies, trashed a pickup in her angst, but then got a second chance.

Mark HeinzDecember 30, 2025

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