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
Retired Wyoming Professor Completely Surprised He Was A "Jeopardy!" Answer
Retired University of Wyoming archeology professor Robert Kelly doesn't watch TV, but his siblings do. He said he was completely surprised on Thanksgiving when he started getting texts telling him he was an answer on "Jeopardy!"
Mark HeinzDecember 03, 2024
App Aims To Keep Tourists From Getting Mauled When Taking Selfies With Wildlife
The Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board is trying to keep tourists in Wyoming from getting gored and mauled by wildlife. Its Selfie Control Instagram app tells people when they’re too close for photos.
Mark HeinzDecember 02, 2024
Hunter Baffled By Elk’s Weirdly Deformed Hooves
A Colorado hunter killed a cow elk last week that looked normal and healthy — except for some weirdly deformed hooves. Biologists say the elk is not a mutant, but the bizarre hoof deformities mirror the effects of an elk disease that’s spreading in other states.
Mark HeinzDecember 01, 2024
Critics Say Unchecked Traps Killing Wyoming Mountain Lions, Pets
Some claim traps should be checked more often to save pets and wildlife that get caught in them. But one experienced trapper says they already do that, and freeing a mistakenly trapped grizzly isn’t a DIY job.
Mark HeinzDecember 01, 2024
Wyoming Isn't Known For Having Opossums But It's Got At Least One
Wyoming doesn’t have a known wild opossum population, but that could change as two neighboring states have them -- Nebraska and Colorado. One showed up in Pine Bluffs last week and seems to have a fondness for cat food.
Mark HeinzNovember 30, 2024
No, You Can’t Make Wild Turkeys In Sheridan And Casper Your Thanksgiving Dinner
Mobs of wild urban turkeys in Sheridan and Casper, Wyoming, can be thankful they’re not on the Thanksgiving menu. It’s illegal to hunt turkeys in those cities, although that could change in Sheridan.
Mark HeinzNovember 28, 2024
Bear Caught On Video Trying To Eat Colorado Couple's Ring Camera
An Estes Park, Colorado, couple got to see the inside of a bear’s mouth the safe way last week — when it tried eating one of their nine Ring cameras. They've caputured lots of wildlife on the cameras, including an elk sneezing on one.
Mark HeinzNovember 27, 2024
Spot Near Grand Teton Is A Moose Magnet, But Too Many People Could Ruin It
If you want to see a moose, there's a spot near Kelly, Wyoming, that draws a ton of them during the early winter. It's so popular that locals are worried that the area will be discovered and ruined by the gawking humans.
Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2024
Polish Army Fought Alongside 600-Pound Bear Who Liked Booze & Cigarettes In World War II
As a Polish war unit prepared to enter the war zone in Italy in 1943, they hit a snag because animals were not allowed to accompany troops into battle but they got around that rule. They officially enlisted the bear as a private, giving him a salary and a serial number.
Mark HeinzNovember 24, 2024
Fierce Loyalty Of Wyoming’s Wolf Packs Make It Easier To Track Them
Wyoming's 350 wolves are scattered among 30 packs, raising the question of how those wolves, packs and pack membership are tracked. It's quite simple. They don't veer outside their packs. They live and die with the packs they were born into.
Mark HeinzNovember 23, 2024
No More Free-Range Pooping: Human-Poop Bags At Hiking Trailheads Are A Thing Now
“Sustainable pooping” has become an outdoors recreation catchphrase, with people expected to pack their own human waste out in plastic bags. Kiosks with these human-poop bags are popping up along popular hiking trails, like Mount Elbert in Colorado.
Mark HeinzNovember 22, 2024
If Wyoming Grizzlies Make It To Utah, They’ll Probably Get Sent Back
While it’s almost certain that Wyoming grizzlies will eventually migrate into Utah, they won’t be welcome to stay there. Unlike Wyoming, Utah does not have a sustainable habitat for grizzly bears.
Mark HeinzNovember 22, 2024
University Of Wyoming Trustees Reject Campus Concealed Carry On Split Vote
The University of Wyoming trustees voted Friday against allowing the concealed carry of handguns on campus. But the Wyoming Legislature could still override that decision.
Mark HeinzNovember 22, 2024
Even If UW Won’t Allow Concealed Carry, Legislature Probably Will, Trustee Says
Even if the University of Wyoming doesn’t allow concealed carry of firearms on campus, the Legislature is probably going to approve it anyway, a UW trustee said Thursday.
Mark HeinzNovember 21, 2024
After Colorado Wolf Found With Bullet Wound, Group Puts Up $50K In Rewards
After a bullet wound was found in a wolf carcass in Colorado, a conservation group has set up a $50,000 reward fund for tips about illegal wolf killings.
Mark HeinzNovember 20, 2024
Wyoming, Other Western States Push Back Against Electronic Cattle ID Tags
Wyoming ranchers don’t like federally mandated electronic cattle ID tags. They hope to join other Western states in an agreement to just keep using brands for livestock identification.
Mark HeinzNovember 19, 2024
One Way To Scare Grizzlies Away: Yell At Them Over Drone Speakers
Montana wildlife officials have been yelling at prairie grizzlies through the speakers on drones to scare the bears away from people. But that doesn’t always work, like the Colorado black bear who didn’t budge when blasted with heavy metal music.
Mark HeinzNovember 19, 2024
Get Over Your “Squishy Feelings,” UW Alum Tells Concealed Carry Panel At UW
At a panel discussion Monday, most attendees seemed to be against allowing concealed carry of firearms at the University of Wyoming. But one supporter told attendees to get over their “squishy feelings” and follow the law.
Mark HeinzNovember 18, 2024
Wyoming Coyotes And Badgers Will Team Up To Hunt Prairie Dogs
Coyotes and badgers in Wyoming will team up to hunt prairie dogs. Badgers dig into the rodents’ dens, while the coyotes wait at the exit to snatch any varmints trying to escape.
Mark HeinzNovember 18, 2024
Winter Storm Drives 150 Antelope To Their Deaths, Including 53 From One Truck Accident
150 antelope were killed earlier this week when a winter storm blasted eastern Colorado with snow and sent the animals onto the highways. That includes 53 antelope which were plowed down in a single accident.
Mark HeinzNovember 16, 2024
Tearing Up Luxury Cars In A Bear Suit To Scam Insurance “Really Stupid”
Tearing up a Rolls Royce and other luxury cars in a cheap bear suit in an attempt to scam California insurance companies was “really stupid,” industry and wildlife experts say. Four suspects were arrested Wednesday in the ill-conceived scheme.
Mark HeinzNovember 16, 2024