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
Grizzly 399 Descendants Get Reprieve As Orphaned Cubs Go To Colorado Zoo
Two descendants of Grand Teton's famed Grizzly 399 were sent to a zoo in Colorado Springs after their mother was killed in Montana for cattle predation. Cubs typically are euthanized if no zoo has availability because they won't survive alone in the wild.
Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2026
"It's Like His Dog!": Wolf Keeps Following Tourist Even After Two Bear Spray Blasts
A tourist from Texas said he was spooked when a wolf trailed him for more than 10 minutes in Yellowstone even after he blasted it with bear spray two times. "It's like it's his dog! Dude, he's got to be scared," said another tourist who filmed the event.
Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2026
At Monday Press Conference, Game And Fish Refuses To Discuss Director's Departure
Wyoming Game and Fish’s interim leadership team declined to address former director Angi Bruce's abrupt Aug. 6 departure during a press conference Monday. "I will not be addressing the transition that occurred a few weeks ago," the interim director said.
Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2026
Coloradans Call For Bear Baiting And Hounds To Deal With Unprecedented Bear Conflicts
Some Colorado residents want the state to allow using bait and hounds again to hunt black bears due to a substantial rise in conflicts. Colorado's sightings and conflicts have doubled to more than 6,000 this year, including six attacks on humans.
Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2026
Bears’ Fall Feeding Frenzies Can Get Them Into The Strangest Places — And Trouble
When bears go into a fall feeding frenzy to fatten up for winter, they can end up in odd places. One died in a car in Colorado Springs, Game and Fish once baited a grizzly with M&M’s candy, and a black bear roamed the halls of a Montana high school.
Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2026
Wyoming Hunters Are Already Filling Their Freezers With Early Season Cow Elk
With Type 8 tags, Wyoming hunters can go after cow elk as early as August — despite the heat — in places where numbers have swollen well over Wyoming Game and Fish objectives. Hunters say access to private land is the key to success.
Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2026
After Director Quits, People Asking What’s Up With Wyoming Game And Fish?
As fall hunting season nears, Wyoming Game and Fish is facing public scrutiny after the sudden resignation of Director Angi Bruce and the appointment of an interim director. In a rare move, Game and Fish will give a state of the agency update Monday.
Mark HeinzAugust 21, 2026
Mustang Advocates Say Report Proves Wild Horses From Wyoming Sent To Slaughter
Mustang advocates say a New York Times report proves horses rounded up from the range in Wyoming and other states have been sent to slaughter. An advocacy group is now asking Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to shut down all sales of wild horses.
Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2026
The Impact Of Trump's Expansion Of Hunting, Fishing On Wildlife Refuges In Wyoming
Three of Wyoming's national wildlife refuges will see modest changes from the new plan to open 92 million acres to hunting and fishing. It's touted as the "largest expansion of hunting and sport fishing in the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2026
Nevada Hunter Vows To Kill Famous Yellowstone Mollie's Pack Wolf 1090F In Wyoming
A Nevada hunter and social media influencer is vowing to come to Wyoming to kill the leader of Yellowstone National Park's oldest wolf pack, the Mollie's. “The matriarch 1090F is going down on the 15th of September,” he says.
Mark HeinzAugust 20, 2026
Fate Of 3.3 Million Acres Of Roadless Areas In Wyoming About To Be Decided
The 2001 Clinton-era Roadless Rule could soon end, opening 3.3 million acres of national forests in Wyoming for road construction. Harriet Hageman calls the rule a disaster, while roadless supporters say it protects prime hunting, fishing and tourism.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026
Polarizing Billionaire Joe Ricketts Says He’s Focused On 'Saving Yellowstone'
Billionaire Joe Ricketts once wanted to build a mega-resort on his 1,300-acre ranch and rename Bondurant “Little Jackson Hole.” Now he's focused on "Saving Yellowstone." "If we don’t move now, it will be gone forever,” he said Wednesday.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026
UW Professor Cameron Wright Defeats Incumbent Ocean Andrew in Laramie's HD 46
Cameron Wright, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and University of Wyoming engineering professor, defeated incumbent Ocean Andrew in the GOP primary election for House District 46 in Albany County. He'll face Democrat Gary Wilken in November.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026
Former House Speaker Sommers Soundly Wins GOP Nod To Regain HD 20 Seat
Albert Sommers handily won the GOP nomination for House District 20 seat in a three-way race Tuesday, soundly beating fellow Republicans Bill Winney and Matt McGinnes in the primary election. Sommers is a former House speaker.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2026
Sandhill Cranes Put On Parenting Show For Onlookers In Grand Teton National Park
Sandhill cranes in Grand Teton National Park put on a real-life parenting show for onlookers while teaching their offspring how to fly, run, and other survival skills. Everything a colt must know to survive is taught by the parents, one naturalist explained.
Mark HeinzAugust 18, 2026
Hageman: California 'Failed All Of Us' And Made Colorado River Water Crisis Worse
Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman says California should be accountable for the Colorado River crisis because instead of building water infrastructure it spent billions on "stupid things" like high-speed rail. In the meantime, Lake Powell has hit a record low.
Mark HeinzAugust 17, 2026
When A Bear Wants To Eat You: Outdoorsman Has Terrifying Predatory Encounter
Outdoorsman Ryan Lutes had a predatory encounter with a female brown bear earlier this summer. He told Cowboy State Daily that he credits confidence and bold action for coming out alive. "I knew I had to plant my ass, stand firm and not appear weak," he said.
Mark HeinzAugust 15, 2026
Spike In Roadkill: Drought Has Wildlife Searching For Food And Water Near Roads
Wyoming’s persistent hot, dry weather could be to blame for a spike in roadkill as wildlife is being drawn to greenery and water alongside highways. One Teton County resident says she’s seen many bears not far from where Grizzly 399 was struck and killed.
Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2026
Under Severe Drought Conditions, Wyoming’s Powder River Has Completely Stopped Flowing
The Powder River in Sheridan County has completely stopped flowing for nearly a month due to severe drought conditions and irrigation. During a typical year, the Powder at Arvada is flowing at 135 cubic feet per second, now it's at zero cubic feet per second.
Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2026
Wolf-Grizzly Drama Over Carcass Shows Yellowstone Visitors How Predators Coexist
A grizzly and wolf initially had a tense standoff over a bison carcass in Yellowstone, but opted to resolve it peacefully. The photographer who filmed the interaction said they're smarter than people think. "They know that conflict is costly," she said.
Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2026
BLM Says Red Desert Wild-Horse Herd Must Be Cut By 1,800 To Prevent Starvation
The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up about 1,800 mustangs in the Red Desert Complex of central Wyoming this fall, claiming that overpopulated horses are at risk for starvation. “That’s baloney," says wild-horse advocate Carol Walker.
Mark HeinzAugust 13, 2026