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

Story Of Birdshot Dropping Charging Grizzly Seems Unbelievable, Wyoming Hunters Say

A Montana man once stopped a charging grizzly bear with a load of birdshot from a .410 shotgun. That seems unbelievable to Wyoming hunters because of the gun’s relatively weak stopping power.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2024

Casper guitarist and songwriter Cory McDaniel, inset center, was a member of the Tremors, a prominent band in the Northwest during the 1970s and 1980s. He still occasionally returns to Seattle to play with old friends there.

Did Nirvana’s Rise As Grunge Rock Royalty Begin With A Wyoming Garage Band?

The early 1970s was a heyday for Wyoming garage bands. Legend has it that a band from Casper went to Seattle and inspired Kurt Cobain to start the 1990s grunge rock movement.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2024

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Shooting Drones Is Illegal, But A Shotgun Would Work Best If You Must

We're not recommending anyone shoot down a drone. That's illegal in Wyoming. But if someone needed to, a shotgun would be the right weapon, gun experts say.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

Bryan Bedrosian, the conservation director for the Teton Raptor Center, wants to do all he can to help Wyoming’s golden eagle population.

Man-Made Nests Could Protect Eagles From Getting Slaughtered By Wind Turbines

With too many golden eagles getting slaughtered by wind turbines in central and southeast Wyoming, it’s hoped man-made nests can help. They create a safe haven for the raptors away from wind farms.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

This map from the Federalo Emergency Management Agency shows places where people can buy homes to avoid the impacts of nuclear war, as much as that's possible. Much of Wyoming is clear, except Cheyenne and the southeast corner of the state, which would likely be vaporized.

Much Of Wyoming May Be Safe If US Is Nuked, But Cheyenne Likely To Be Vaporized

A FEMA map showing the best places in the U.S. to survive a nuclear attack shows much of Wyoming clear. Cheyenne and surrounding areas, however, will likely be immediately annihilated.

Mark HeinzDecember 15, 2024

A shooter wears ear protection as he demonstrates a pistol equipped with a "loudener," in this case a funnel-like device attached to the end of the gun to amplify its sound.

Forget About Silencers, People Are Putting ‘Loudeners’ On Their Guns

“Loudeners," or devices that increase a gun's noise and concussion, have a fan base. But some Wyoming shooters say there's no reason for them and loundeners are just stupid.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2024

In Wake Of CEO Slaying, Wyomingites Not Spooked Over 3D Printed “Ghost Guns”

3D printed “ghost guns” are back in the news, as one might have been used in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. Wyomingites say plastic 3D printed guns aren’t worth the trouble.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2024

Noted Wyoming Outdoorsman Paul Ulrich, a fishing guide for Two Rivers Fishing Company of Pinedale, worries about Wyoming’s waters getting too crowded.

As Out-Of-Staters Mob Wyoming’s Prime Fishing Spots, Some Want To Regulate Guides

Out-of-staters are taking advantage of Wyoming’s loose regulations for fishing guides and crowding the state’s prime waters, say backers of a bill that would change that.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

Colorado will use range riders to help ranchers protect their livestock from that state's reintrocuded wolves.

Ranchers Skeptical Range Riders Will Save Colorado Livestock From Wolves

As Colorado prepares to release more wolves, the state will use range riders to help protect livestock. Unless they’re allowed to kill interloping wolves, ranchers are skeptical range riders could make a difference.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

This bronze cannon recently unearthed in Arizona is the oldest firearm ever found in the continental United States. It was used during a Spanish expedition in the 1540s.

1540s Bronze Cannon Dug Up In Arizona Is The Oldest Gun Ever Found In The U.S.

A nearly 500-year-old bronze cannon used by Spanish conquistadors was recently unearthed in Arizona, making it the oldest firearm ever found in the continental U.S. It’s also more than 200 years older than the first guns in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

Some Eagles' Nests Weigh More Than 1,000 Pounds & Can Fit Several People

Eagles’ nests are huge, sometimes weighing more 1,000 pounds, and it takes generations of the raptors to build them. The most colossal ones can be big enough to seat several people inside.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

Top Bear Biologist Argues For More Grizzlies; Wants Them To Roam Freely All Over The West

A top bear biologist is arguing against delisting grizzlies from federal protection and hunting them. Instead, he says there should be more — a “meta-population” of grizzlies from Canada to the southern end of Yellowstone National Park.

Mark HeinzDecember 11, 2024

Other Authors

A grizzly sow and her cubs in Yellowstone.

Feds Under Deadline To Decide On Delisting Grizzlies By Jan. 20

A judge’s order has ratcheted up the pressure on federal officials to decide whether Wyoming’s grizzlies should be delisted. Montana and Idaho are clamoring for delisting as well, with a Jan. 20 deadline looming.

Mark HeinzDecember 11, 2024

A grizzly bear named Ethyl wandered 5,000 miles across Montana and Idaho. Biologists think it might have been because she couldn’t find her way back home.

Ethyl, The Grizzly That Wandered 5,000 Miles, Was Likely Trying To Get Back Home

Grizzlies are known to wander, but one named Ethyl took it to the next level, logging 5,000 miles wandering across Montana and Idaho.

Mark HeinzDecember 10, 2024

A Sweetwater County animal control officer holds George, a pesky opossum that was living under a local resident's home in summer 2022.

Despite What Wildlife Experts Say, Wyoming Has Plenty Of Opossums -- And They Reek

Cowboy State Daily readers reached out to us -- en masse -- to tell us although there may not be an "official" opossum population in Wyoming, they're here and there are a lot of them. And, as a bonus, they really stink.

Mark HeinzDecember 08, 2024

A scout rifle is a short-barreled, all-purpose rifle with a low-powered scope for quick target acquisition. The design was conceived by Marine Corps veteran and legendary small arms expert Jeff Cooper. Van Dorsten Custom Firearms in Sheridan specializes in scout rifles.

Made In Wyoming: Gunsmith Gets Back To Basics Making Custom “Scout Rifles”

With the hunting rifle world increasingly dominated by magnum-caliber, extreme-range rifles, semiautomatics and super-powered scopes, a Sheridan gunmaker hopes to carve out his niche with compact, handy “scout rifles.”

Mark HeinzDecember 08, 2024

Randy Haas, an assistant professor in the University of Wyoming department of anthropology practices using an ancient weapon called an atlatl. He did it with his son, Hank, on his back to see if it was possible for ancient people to hunt huge beasts like mammoths while packing their kids.

Stone Age People Could Easily Hunt Packing A Baby, Wyoming Anthropologist Finds

Taking your toddler hunting is nothing new in Wyoming, or in human history for that matter. A University of Wyoming anthropologist says there's evidence that stone-age hunters took their kids hunting with them.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Thieves are targeting horses, stealing their tails to sell on the black market for big money.

Horsehair Thieves Cutting Off Horse Tails And Manes In Albany County

Thieves supply a black market for horsehair by sneaking into pastures and stalls and cutting off the animals’ tails and manes. Horse owners say there’s been a rash of such crimes around Laramie.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Parc Omega is a wildlife preserve in Canada that lets people stay in lodges next to a wolf preserve, with large picture windows to view the predators up close.

Lodges That Let People "Sleep With The Wolves" A Bad Idea, Wyoming Wildlife Experts Say

A wildlife preserve in Canada has lodges where visitors have only a pane of glass between them and a pack of wolves. Billed as a chance to “sleep with the wolves,” Wyoming wildlife officials say it’s a terrible idea.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Yippie-Ki-Yay! Cody Gun Range Offers Holiday “Die Hard” Experience

For those who think “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie, a gun range in Cody will let you shoot the weapons Bruce Willis uses in the classic action film. Yippie-Ki-Yay!

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Canadian Man Severely Mauled After Jumping On Polar Bear To Save Wife

A Canadian man was severely mauled on Monday after jumping on a polar bear that was attacking his wife. His heroics are similar to how a Wyoming wrestler saved a friend by jumping on a grizzly bear in 2022.

Mark HeinzDecember 06, 2024

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