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
Latest Tactic To Keep Wolves Away From Livestock: Dive-Bomb Them With Drones
Dive-bombing wolves with drones equipped with lights and speakers have scared them away from cattle in Oregon and a wolf conservation advocate hopes to work with ranchers in Colorado and Wyoming to see if drones have a similar effect here.
Mark HeinzMay 11, 2025
Bambi, A Disabled 250-Pound Goat That Lives South Of Laramie, Needs A Leg Brace
Bambi, a 250-pound Nubian goat, struggles to get around because of a back injury he suffered in a fight with a ram. The folks at a farm animal sanctuary near Laramie think he can walk again with a leg brace but crafting one has been difficult. So they're asking the public for help.
Mark HeinzMay 10, 2025
Casper-Based Company Wants To End Feuding Between Hunters, Landowners
Tensions between landowners and hunters seeking access to game herds are nothing new, even leading to national attention for Wyoming’s high-profile “corner-crossing” case. A Casper-based company thinks it’s found the solution.
Mark HeinzMay 09, 2025
Helicopter Drops Christmas Trees Into Popular Montana Lake To Save Yellow Perch
Walleyes were gobbling up too many yellow perch in Montana’s Canyon Ferry Lake. So, state officials started dropping old Christmas trees into water to provide spawning habitat and shelter for perch hatchlings.
Mark HeinzMay 08, 2025
Yellowstone Bison Goring The Latest In A Bad Week For Floridians Vs. Wildlife
A Florida man who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone on Wednesday was lucky. Another Floridian was killed by a bear this week, and yet another by an alligator.
Mark HeinzMay 08, 2025
Wandering Colorado Wolf Transplanted From Canada Logs 1,230 Miles Around State
Colorado’s reintroduced wolves have been making tracks all over the state, including one female that’s logged more than 1,200 miles. At least two are also known to have ranged into Wyoming.
Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025
Florida Man Is First Bison Goring Of The Season At Yellowstone National Park
A 47-year-old man from Florida was gored when he got too close to a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. The National Park Service reported the goring Wednesday, confirming it’s the first of the season after two gorings in 2024.
Clair McFarland & Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025
Grizzly 399 Offspring Hit And Killed By Car In Grand Teton
Grizzly 1058, a male from Grizzly 399’s famed 2020 litter of quadruplets, was confirmed dead on Tuesday, after apparently being hit by a vehicle in Grand Teton National Park.
Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025
States Move To Ban Glocks Over Worries They Can Be Made Fully Automatic
There’s already a ban on “Glock switches,” devices that can make the semiautomatic handgun fully automatic. Now some states are trying to also ban Glock pistols themselves.
Mark HeinzMay 05, 2025
Ringtail, Rare In Wyoming, Spotted Near Baggs — And Game And Fish Wants It
Ringtails, a distant cousin of raccoons, are a rare sight in Wyoming. A Baggs-area family spotted and photographed one, and Game and Fish hope to trap and release it somewhere safe from dogs.
Mark HeinzMay 05, 2025
After Surviving A Brain Tumor, Casper Boy Can’t Wait To Get A Service Dog
After Mikey Jonnassen was diagnosed with a brain tumor, doctors told his mom that he would spend the rest of his life bedridden. But he wasn’t having any of that. Now he’s walking, talking and looking forward to a service dog.
Mark HeinzMay 04, 2025
Proposal To Change Landowner Hunting Tags Targets ‘Hunting Club’ Market
A proposal to more than double the amount of land needed to qualify for landowner hunting tags would favor Wyomingites over out-of-staters, supporters say.
Mark HeinzMay 02, 2025
Daring Coyote Bites Grizzly 610 On The Butt — Without Getting Torn To Shreds
A coyote wasn’t about to let Grizzly 610, one of Wyoming’s most famous bears, get away with raiding its food along the Snake River on Monday. The coyote boldly snuck up and bit her on the butt — then avoided getting torn to shreds by the annoyed bear.
Mark HeinzMay 02, 2025
Mapping Countless Miles Of Fence Could Save Wyoming Wildlife From Gruesome Deaths
Wyoming deer, elk and antelope can suffer gruesome deaths when they get entangled, so mapping out the state's countless miles of fences are can help save wildlife, researchers believe.
Mark HeinzMay 01, 2025
Video Shows Bruno, Sire Of Many Of Grizzly 399’s Cubs, Isn't Great At Ice Fishing
Bruno the grizzly — best known for likely fathering many of Grizzly 399's cubs — recently tried his paws at ice fishing. While Alaska bears feast on fish, biologists say it’s a rare sight for bears in Grand Teton, and video shows Bruno's not great at it.
Mark HeinzMay 01, 2025
A Dozen Antelope Illegally Shot Near Kemmerer, Including Several Left Suffering
In an apparent case of mass wildlife thrill killing, 12 antelope were shot near Kemmerer, including several that were wounded and left to suffer, Wyoming Game and Fish reported.
Mark HeinzApril 30, 2025
Frustrated Californians Say Protected Wolves Have Them ‘Under Siege’
Frustrated Californians in Sierra County report wolves have them "under siege," attacking cattle and making their way into neighborhoods, including an elk slaughtered on someone's front porch. Wolves are protected in California, so nobody can touch them.
Mark HeinzApril 30, 2025
With LaPrele Dam Gone, Douglas-Area Farmers At ‘The Mercy Of Mother Nature’
The aging and crumbling LaPrele Dam near Douglas has been demolished, leaving farmers scrambling for what little irrigation water is left, saying they're now "at the mercy of Mother Nature." A new dam might be built by 2028 and could cost $187 million.
Mark HeinzApril 30, 2025
Game And Fish Sick Of People Blasting Their Signs With Gunfire
Shooting signs might seem like a redneck cultural tradition, but it costs taxpayers big money. It’s also prompted Wyoming Game and Fish to close some public recreation areas to shooting.
Mark HeinzApril 28, 2025
Montana Anglers Fend Off Charging Grizzly With Gunfire
Two anglers were charged by a grizzly and scared it off by shooting at it in the popular Red Rocks Lakes National Wildlife refuge in southwest Montana. It’s another area where grizzlies are expanding their range.
Mark HeinzApril 28, 2025
Rustic Airbnb RV And Cabin Rentals Are For Those Not Quite Ready To Rough It
As Wyoming continues to draw outdoors thrill-seekers, one entrepreneur thinks he’s found the ideal niche market. Airbnb-style rentals for people who want to avoid the mobs but aren’t quite ready to rough it.
Mark HeinzApril 26, 2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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