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

Montana Man, 81, Gets Prison For Scheme To Create Huge Hybrid Bighorn Sheep

An 81-year-old Montana man was sentenced to six months in prison this week for trying to create huge hybrid bighorn sheep using “Jurassic Park”-like techniques.

Mark HeinzOctober 04, 2024

In Brief: Grizzly Killed For Killing Dog, Raiding Camps In Beartooth Mountains

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it killed a young male grizzly that was raiding camps in the Beartooth Mountains, then killed a hiker’s dog.

Mark HeinzOctober 04, 2024

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that the wolf in this photo a lone leftover pup from the Copper Creek Pack. But others say it’s a small adult female wolf, perhaps from Wyoming.

Uncollared Wolf Spotted In Colorado May Have Come From Wyoming

An uncollared wolf spotted in northern Colorado has sparked controversy. Wildife officials say it’s lone pup from a pack they trapped, but others think it’s an adult from Wyoming.

Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Andrew Johnson said he killed this mountain lion with a shovel late Sept. 25, when the big cat came directly for him and his dog at their campsite in Colorado.

Man Who Killed Mountain Lion With A Shovel Says It Came At Him ‘Low And Fast’

A man who killed a mountain lion with a shovel told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that he has no doubt the lion was trying to kill his dog. It came at them both “low and fast.”

Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Colorado Man Kills Mountain Lion With Shovel To Keep It From Eating His Dog

A Colorado man killed a mountain lion with a shovel to keep it from eating his dog last week, wildlife officials reported Wednesday. It’s an impressive feat, an experienced Wyoming mountain lion hunter said.

Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Residents of the little town of Alpine claime that expansion of a gravel pit on the edge of town could ruin air quality there.

Alpine Is Growing Fast, But Residents Protest Controversial Gravel Pit Expansion

The tiny town of Alpine, Wyoming, has seen explosive growth. But residents say expanding a gravel pit there will pollute the air and water.

Mark HeinzOctober 02, 2024

$There are plenty of huge polar bears prowling near the oil fields of Alaska's North Slope, where Gillette resident Tex McBride works two to three weeks at a time.$

Gillette Welder Commutes To Alaska, Works Next To Polar Bears

Gillette's Tex McBride has an interesting commute. For two- to three-week stretches, he heads up to the North Slope of Alaska where he welds for an Arctic drilling company and frequently sees polar bears. “They’re frickin’ huge," he says. "It's frickin' awesome."

Mark HeinzOctober 02, 2024

A bear-resistant fence around the Wapiti Elementary School west of Cody keeps bears from climbing into the schoolyard.

Bear-Proof Fence, “Grizzly Drills” Just Routine At Wyoming’s Wapiti School

Wapiti Elementary School west of Cody is like many other rural Wyoming schools — except its surrounded by a bear-resistant fence. Teachers running “grizzly drills” with kids is part of the routine.

Mark HeinzOctober 01, 2024

A vocal crowd showed up to give comment to the Joint Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Resources Committee meeting at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. Most spoke against a proposed bill that stops short of banning running down wolves and other predators with snowmobiles.

Wyoming Legislators Stop Short Of Banning Running Over Wolves With Snowmobiles

Despite calls to criminalize running down Wyoming wolves with snowmobiles, a legislative committee Monday advanced a bill that stops short of banning it. It would require the animal to be immediately killed if run down.

Mark HeinzSeptember 30, 2024

Hunter’s Pistol Jam During Grizzly Attack Could Have Been Because Of Ammo, Grip

An archery hunter’s Glock pistol jamming on him twice during a Wyoming grizzly attack Thursday could have been due to a variety of factors. But gun experts say he did well in terrifying situation.

Mark HeinzSeptember 30, 2024

Eric Widmaier of Maryland loves to hunt in Wyoming. To get the choice cuts of game meat – backstraps and tenderloins – back home, he seals them inside a soft-sided cooler. He takes the cooler aboard the airplane as part of his carry-on luggage. He'll ship the rest back to be delivered on his front porch, which can coat $600-$800.

How Out-Of-State Hunters Get Their Game Meat Back Home

Hunters who come from all over the country for Wyoming’s legendary big game face a quandary — how to get all that meat back home. The solutions are varied, but rarely cheap.

Mark HeinzSeptember 29, 2024

Chester, a packhorse from Utah, was photographed Tuesday on a county road near Bondurant after he went missing for four days and five nights in the Wyoming wilds. He was caught early the next day.

The Adventures Of Chester, A Runaway Packhorse In The Wilds Of Wyoming

Chester is a huge roan packhorse from Utah that disappeared for five nights in the remote wilds of Wyoming and was found on a country road in Bondurant last week. He survived in bear and wolf country, but his adventures will remain a mystery.

Mark HeinzSeptember 29, 2024

Other Authors

Chase Melton, 19, of Sugar Camp, Wisconsin, said he shot this wolf in self-defense after he and two kids he took duck hunting in Wisconsin were surrounded by a wolf pack. Unlike in Wyoming, wolves can’t be legally hunted in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Duck Hunter Claims He Killed Wolf In Self Defense; Case Under Investigation

A Wisconsin duck hunter said he was surrounded by a pack of aggressive wolves and shot one in self-defense. Unlike in Wyoming, wolves remain federally protected in Wisconsin and can’t be hunted. The man says he's confident he'll be cleared.

Mark HeinzSeptember 28, 2024

Now 4 Grizzlies Have Drowned In A Canal Near Cody; Advocates Say Bear Ladders Needed

When grizzlies enter the canal, they find out too late that they can’t climb back out of the concrete lining, so they become exhausted and eventually drown. A former federal ecologist and bear advocate says installing ladders on both sides would prevent that from happening.

Mark HeinzSeptember 28, 2024

The opening of the Antelope Creek School in remote northern Albany County provides local public education to ranch families there.

New One-Room Schoolhouse Opens In Wyoming’s “Little Siberia”

It took six years of wrangling with the courts and lobbying the Wyoming Legislature, but finally a new one-room schoolhouse has opened in an area two hours north of Laramie so remote ranchers call it "Little Siberia."

Mark HeinzSeptember 28, 2024

Landon Clement says "the Lord was looking out for me" when he survived a grizzly attack while bowhunting in Wyoming on Sept. 26, 2024.

Hunter Who Survived Wyoming Grizzly Attack Says “It Felt Like A Freight Train”

An archery hunter from Georgia attacked by a Wyoming grizzly Thursday says “it felt like a freight train” had hit him. He told Cowboy State Daily he “saw nothing but her head and her white teeth coming right at me.”

Mark HeinzSeptember 27, 2024

Hunter Attacked, Severely Bitten By Grizzly In Western Wyoming

A 31-year-old archery hunter from Georgia was attacked by a grizzly early Thursday in Wyoming’s Upper Green River Valley. He suffered severe bite wounds to his thigh before shooting the bear dead with his handgun in self-defense.

Mark HeinzSeptember 26, 2024

In Anticipation Of Grizzly Delisting, Montana Tracks How Many Grizzles Died, And Why

As Montana looks forward to grizzlies possibly being delisted, the state is tracking how bears there die and why. With 2,000 bears, Montana has by far the most grizzlies in the Lower 48.

Mark HeinzSeptember 25, 2024

One of five wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Even After Pack Removed, Wolves Killing Colorado Cattle, More Coming From Canada

Even after removing a pack of wolves in northern Colorado, cattle are still getting killed by the predators. Meanwhile, that state’s controversial introduction program continues with more wolves coming from Canada.

Mark HeinzSeptember 24, 2024

Grizzly 399 and her cub Spirit caused some “bear jams” on the roads in Grand Teton National Park earlier this summer.

Grizzly 399 And Huge Cub Have Been “Elusive,” But Not Feared Dead Or Missing

Grizzly 399, Wyoming’s most beloved wildlife celebrity, and her huge cub Spirit have been “elusive” lately. But those who have closely followed her for years aren’t worried, at least not yet.

Mark HeinzSeptember 23, 2024

Karley and Craig Summit of Omaha, Nebraska, are the makers of the Squallet, a wallet made from a squirrel pelt, and other wildlife fur products. They have strong Wyoming connections and love hunting here.

The ‘Squallet’ Was Conceived In Wyoming; Its Makers Love Coming Back For Elk Hunts

The idea for 'squallets' — wallets made from dead squirrels — was conceived in Wyoming. Now it's a profitable business and the inventors, from Omaha, love coming back to the Cowboy State for elk hunts. They had their last successful hunt in Wyoming last weekend.

Mark HeinzSeptember 22, 2024

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