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

Despite it being December, most of the angling at Flaming Gorge Reservoir is still open-water fishing.

Ice Fishing In Wyoming Way Behind Schedule, Anglers Still Fishing Open Water

Despite being early December, most Wyoming anglers are still fishing open water due to warm weather. It may not be until the beginning of the year until ice fishing season begins, which is more than a month behind schedule.

Mark HeinzDecember 08, 2025

A grizzly bear found shot to death outside Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in a 2023 file photo.

Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Death Toll On Track To Match Last Year’s Record Of 72

So far this year, 71 grizzlies have died in and near Yellowstone, compared to a record of 72 in 2024. Seasoned black bear hunter Joe Kondelis of Cody said he's not surprised as he's seeing more grizzlies than ever. “This spring, I saw 35 grizzlies in 20 days,” he said.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2025

Buddy Gee, who is just shy of turning 82, shot this big white-tailed buck in Fremont County. He donated the meat to Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Food From the Field program for the needy. The Gee family, of Wyoming and Michigan, has hunted with these two rifles for decades: A Remington 700 BDL, chambered in .25-06, and a Winchester Model 1886, chambered in .45-90.

Hunter, 82, Still Bagging Wyoming Big Game With Rifle He Bought In 1968

Brian Gee started hunting in Wyoming in 1968 with a rifle he bought for $121 that year. Now nearly 82, Gee still hunts — and still bags big game with the same Remington BDL.

Mark HeinzDecember 06, 2025

Skinned black bear paws eerily resemble human hands, said bear hunter Owen Miller, who provided this photo of a skinned bear paw.

‘Human Hand’ Found In Park County Dump Turns Out To Be Skinned Bear Paw

A freaky-looking severed “human hand” reportedly found at the Park County dump turned out to be a skinned bear paw. Outdoorsman Owen Miller said it is an easy mistake to make because, when skinned, they can look so much like human hands it's "creepy."

Mark HeinzDecember 06, 2025

Tucker Bass, 12, of Shoshoni caught this 2-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass in Fremont County. It sets the new world record in the 4-pound line class, junior divison.

Father And Son Named Bass Reel In Wyoming’s First World-Record Largemouth

When John and Tucker Bass moved from Tennessee, they were unsure about Wyoming’s bass fishing. Then Tucker, 12, caught a world record-setting largemouth bass in Fremont County.

Mark HeinzDecember 04, 2025

In Colorado, Wolves Are Getting Closer To The Denver Metro Area

Colorado’s reintroduced wolves have been closing in on the Denver Metro area, but officials don’t expect trouble — as long as people don’t feed them.

Mark HeinzDecember 04, 2025

Helicopters are tight to begin with. They’re even more crowded when hauling out game.

Helicopter Hunters Challenge Ranchers Over Access To Landlocked Public Land

To access sections of Wyoming public land surrounded by private property, some hunters are chartering helicopter pilots to fly them in, upsetting adjacent ranchers.

Mark HeinzDecember 04, 2025

The Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep are prized as one of Wyoming’s healthiest, most vibrant herds.

Wyoming Officials Fear Seminoe Power Project Could Ruin Premier Bighorn Herd

Wyoming wildife officials and others fear a Utah-based company’s plan to build a 900-megawatt power project at Seminoe Reservoir could ruin the state's most-prized bighorn sheep herd and a blue-ribbon trout fishery.

Mark HeinzDecember 03, 2025

The Cheyenne East High School clay target team practices at a local range in this file photo.

Trump Administration Gives UW $1M To Create Second Amendment Program For Schools

With a $1 million grant from President Donald Trump’s Department of Education, the University of Wyoming’s Firearms Research Center is tasked with creating nonpartisan public school courses on the Second Amendment.

Mark HeinzDecember 03, 2025

Large black hogs are being used to root our weeds from suburban lots as part of a pilot program in Fort Collins, Colorado. It’s hoped the idea catches on in Wyoming and other states.

Fort Collins Calls In 600-Pound Hogs To Root Out Weeds; Are They Better Than Goats?

Rock Springs hired a 300-goat army to eat through weeds clogging drainage canals this past spring. Now homeowners in Fort Collins, Colorado, are using 600-pound hogs to root out unwanted weeds, but are they better than goats?

Mark HeinzDecember 02, 2025

Bigfoot researcher Alan Megargle of Colorado has been looking for Sasquatch since 2009 and isn’t ready to give up.

Bigfoot Hunter Won't Quit After FBI Says 'Evidence' Is Just Deer Hair

A Bigfoot hunter said he’s determined to continue his quest for the elusive creature, despite an FBI report releasing 50-year-old recently unsealed records. The documents say a test on supposed Bigfoot fur showed it was deer hair.

Mark HeinzDecember 01, 2025

Kaci Bulkley,12, dropped this bull, her first elk, with a single 600-yard shot.

Wyoming Girl, 12, Stuns With One-Shot Kill From 600 Yards To Bag Huge Elk

At age 12, Kaci Bulkley of Campbell County is already an accomplished hunter. This fall, she stunned even seasoned hunters with decades of experience by dropping a huge bull elk with one shot from 600 yards away.

Mark HeinzNovember 29, 2025

Other Authors

Hunters Fear Bill Would Turn Wilderness Into Militarized Surveillance Zone

Critics of a bill co-sponsored by Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso say it would turn prime wilderness into a surveillance zone. Barrasso says it would protect wildlands from being trashed by smugglers and illegal immigrants.

Mark HeinzNovember 28, 2025

During the rut, or mating season, for bighorn sheep, rams gather to crack horns in an area near Dubois that fans call “Ramland Wyoming.”

Famed Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Herd Still Recovering From Brutal Winter Of '85

The famed Whiskey Mountain bighorn sheep herd near Dubois is a shell of what it used to be, down from 2,500 sheep to about 750. A wildlife artist who has watched the sheep for decades says the decline started with the bitterly cold winter of 1985.

Mark HeinzNovember 28, 2025

Welcome To Thanksgiving Hell: Wyoming Plumbers Brace For ‘Brown Friday’

Although the Thanksgiving holiday might be a time of food, football, and family for many people, there's a price to pay for the festivity. "Brown Friday" is real and it's the busiest day of the year for many Wyoming plumbers.

Mark HeinzNovember 27, 2025

How Desperate Would You Have To Be To Eat A Prairie Dog?

When it comes to gross things to eat in a survival situation, Wyoming has quite a few options, but it raises the question — who would resort to campfire-roasted prairie dog?

Mark HeinzNovember 26, 2025

Authorities say somebody shot and killed this young-of-the-year black bear cub near Stevensville, Montana sometime between Nov. 20 and Nov. 22.

Game Warden Says Montana Black Bear Cub Shooting ‘As Bad As It Gets’

Montana authorities are searching for whoever shot a black bear cub and left its carcass to rot, a wildlife code violation punishable by up to $2,000 in fines and jail time. As far as wildlife crimes go, this is "as bad as it gets," a game warden said.

Mark HeinzNovember 26, 2025

Samantha Strable, the woman caught on video earlier this year harassing a baby wombat in Australia, faces multiple charges claiming that she lied about her residency to get hunting tags in Wyoming.

Woman Who Harassed Wombat In Australia Accused Of Wyoming Hunting Violations

A woman caught on video earlier this year harassing a baby wombat in Australia faces multiple charges claiming that she lied about her residency to get hunting tags in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzNovember 26, 2025

A grizzly bear attack on a group of about 20 on a school picnic in remote British Columbia, Canada, was a rare occurrence that has left bear experts puzzled. Four people, including three children, were seriously hurt.

Grizzly Mauling Of School Picknickers In Canada Baffles Experts

Bear experts are baffled over the grizzly bear attack on a group of about 20 on a school picnic in remote British Columbia, Canada. Four people, including three children, were hospitalized. Some are in critical condition.

Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2025

Hunter Ryan Chuckel is pictured with a bull elk he recently shot on public land in the southern Bighorn Mountains, left. He and his hunting companions claim that an adjacent rancher later tried to steal the elk’s head. Right, a helicopter ferries out elk meat and heads with antlers from an isolated area of public land in the southern Bighorn Mountains.

Wyoming Rancher Accused Of Trying To Steal Trophy Elk Head From Helicopter Hunters

Some hunters claim that after they helicoptered into an isolated public land area in the Bighorn Mountains and killed bull elk, an adjacent landowner tried to swipe one of their trophy elk heads.

Mark HeinzNovember 24, 2025

Researchers claim that wolves pulling on lines to steal bait from underwater crab traps is proof that they’re “using tools.” But some wolf experts dispute that idea.

Researchers Say Wolves Are Smart Enough To Use Tools

Wolves have been stealing bait from underwater crab traps in British Columbia which some researchers claim amounts to “tool use." Some Rocky Mountain wolf experts say it’s impressive behavior, but a stretch to call it that.

Mark HeinzNovember 23, 2025