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

Cody resident David Ball was hunting in Namibia, Africa last week, when a deadly black mamba snake appeared in camp. He shot and killed the snake, which measured out to 7 feet, 4 inches long.

Wyoming Hunters Faced Killer Black Mambas While On Safari Last Week In Africa

Wyoming hunters know bears are some of the most feared and deadly predators you can run into. Dealing with black mambas can be just as deadly, if not more so. Two hunters from Cody dealt with them last week while on a safari in Africa.

Mark HeinzSeptember 06, 2024

Dave Ratzlaff, owner of a 1969 Chevrolet Camero, talks about his car with WyoTech student David Solis at the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association car show on the WyoTech campus in Laramie on Thursday.

Custom Car Nuts Show WyoTech Students Hot-Rodding Isn’t Just An ‘Old Man Hobby’

WyoTech students got to ogle custom-built rides during an exclusive car show Thursday. It was an effective pitch that building hotrods isn’t just an “old man hobby.”

Mark HeinzSeptember 05, 2024

People who showed up to the Treatment of Predators Working Group meeting at the Wyoming Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, found that the group was meeting via Zoom and they couldn't comment.

Proposed Law Says Running Over Wolf With Snowmobile OK But Only If You Kill It

A new proposed law would allow people to be charged with animal cruelty if they run animals down with snowmobiles and don't kill them immediately. A state predator working group on Wednesday voted to advance the bill to a legislative committee.

Mark HeinzSeptember 04, 2024

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik plans to retire on Sept. 11. He’s worked for the agency since 1995 in a variety of roles, including as a game warden, regional wildlife supervisor and chief game warden.

Brian Nesvik Led Game And Fish Career Through COVID, Daniel Wolf Controversy

Over nearly 30 years, Brian Nesvik worked his way up through the ranks of Wyoming Game and Fish from applying for a temp job to agency director. The last years of that have been trying times with COVID and the Daniel wolf controversy.

Mark HeinzSeptember 04, 2024

The antlers on this bull moose in the Bighorn Mountains still have some growing to do, but his body is already super-sized.

Absolute Tank Of A Moose Turning Heads In Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains

Sheridan outdoorswoman Danielle Laumann’s photos of an absolute tank of a young bull moose is turning heads. She said the freakishly huge moose has been hanging out with a couple of other moose.

Mark HeinzSeptember 03, 2024

Idaho Archery Hunters Kill Attacking Grizzly Near Yellowstone

A grizzly attacked two archery hunters In Idaho near Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. One of the men was hurt before they killed the bear with their handguns.

Mark HeinzSeptember 03, 2024

Pack Of Rogue Coyotes Stalks Rural Neighborhood Near Douglas

The bizarre behavior of a marauding quartet of coyotes has prompted a rural Douglas-area resident to put out a warning to her neighbors, and a call for hunters or trappers to come deal with the bothersome beasts.

Mark HeinzSeptember 02, 2024

A pair of Washington state game wardens wear body cameras, which all of the state's game wardens will be required to wear starting next month.

Washington State Game Wardens Will Wear Mandatory Body Cams

Starting next month, game wardens in Washington state must wear body cameras. Some retired game wardens in Wyoming said they understand why, but aren’t fans of the mandate. The Wyoming Game and Fish department wouldn't say if they are considering it.

Mark HeinzSeptember 01, 2024

This old caboose was a beloved landmark and poplar meeting spot at the Lake Owen trailhead in the Snowy Range Mountains. It was gutted during the Mullen Fire in 2020, and finally demolished last week.

After 25 Years, Iconic Caboose At Lake Owen In Snowy Range Is Gone

For 25 years, a near-mint condition caboose was a familiar landmark at the Owen Lake trailhead east of Laramie, Wyoming. But the Mullen Fire gutted it and the body was too warped to save. It was demolished last week.

Mark HeinzSeptember 01, 2024

Still frames from a video showing a pair of men, identified as Nevada residents, vandalizing a 140 million-year-old rock formation at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Men Charged With Destroying Ancient Rock Formation Will Likely Get Slap On The Wrist

Although two Nevada men face up to 10 years in prison for allegedly pushing gigantic 140 million-year-old rocks over a cliff at Lake Mead, law enforcement experts say they won’t do any time. They’ll likely get a slap on the wrist, they say.

Mark HeinzAugust 31, 2024

This photo of a big cat in Rock Springs was shared by Lynell Williams in the Sweetwater County Rants and Raves Facebook group in July. She says the photos were taken from about 150 yards away and that "it's not a bobcat."

Fans of Mysterious Rock Springs Wildcat Don’t Want It Captured

Rock Springs citizens say there's a large wildcat — a bobcat or mountain lion — living in their community. But they don’t want it caught or relocated. Just let it roam, they say.

Mark HeinzAugust 31, 2024

Huge Wyoming wildfires have devastated large areas of forage for wildlife and lifestock.

Massive Wyoming Wildfires Could Leave Game Herds Facing Disease, Starvation

Most of northern Wyoming’s wildlife seems to have escaped being burned in massive wildfires. But there’s concern about the lingering threats of disease and starvation for elk, deer and antelope.

Mark HeinzAugust 29, 2024

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

Colorado Trapping And Moving Wolf Pack That Keeps Killing Livestock

Eight months after wolves were reintroduced to Colorado, a pack is being trapped and relocated. It’s killed so many sheep and cattle, state wildlife officials are removing them.

Mark HeinzAugust 28, 2024

A lone wolf in Yellowstone National Parks makes a bold, but futile attempt to chase down a cow elk, before other elk join in and send the wolf scrambling.

Yellowstone Wolf Learns That Going After Elk Alone Usually Leads To A Stomping

A lone wolf that tried taking on some elk in Yellowstone National Park was lucky it didn’t get stomped to death. Biologists say such solo hunts rarely work out for wolves.

Mark HeinzAugust 28, 2024

Three wolf pups are seen playing in this screenshot from video, taken in August 2024 in the Colorado mountains. At one point, the video pans to show two Jack Russel terries that seem alert, but not afraid, as they watch from the cab of a pickup.

Colorado Has At Least Three Wolf Pups Now, And They’re Growing Fast

A video by a Colorado outdoorsman confirms that state’s new wolf pack has at least three new pups. But people there continue to be divided on reintroducing the predators to the Centennial State.

Mark HeinzAugust 27, 2024

County music superstar Lainey Wilson shot scenes for the music video for her new song “Whirlwind” on the Oxford Ranch south of Laramie in July.

Country Superstar Lainey Wilson’s New Video Features Wyoming Ranch, Deputies

Country music superstar Lainey Wilson shot the music video for her new single "Whirlwind" on a ranch in Albany County. It also features locations around Laramie and three local deputies.

Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2024

A pair of pronghorn in an area recovering from a wildfire in this file photo.

Grim Wildlife Death Count Expected As Wildfires Rip Through Northern Wyoming

State Game and Fish agents are preparing for the grim task of counting wildlife carcasses killed by raging wildfires in northern Wyoming that have burned more than 430,000 acres so far.

Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2024

Even in blazing heat, it’s possible to have a successful archery hunt, said prominent Wyoming Outdoorsman Guy Eastman. He bagged this Wyoming antelope in 90-degree heat.

Wyoming Hunting: Triple-Digit Heat, Wildfires For Start Of Bowhunting Season

A week into some of Wyoming’s archery hunting seasons, it’s still sweltering hot. But even triple-digit temperatures can't keep committed bowhunters from pursuing their tags.

Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2024

This pair of Canada geese has been arriving each spring in Shery Jespersen’s barnyard near Upton for 24 years.

After Rescuing Eggs, Wild Goose Returns To Wyoming Ranch For 24 Years

A Wyoming rancher rescued some Canada goose eggs that her chickens incubated. One of the geese that hatched has returned to her ranch every spring for 24 years.

Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2024

A locked gate blocks access to the west end of the Boswell Road, off Highway 230 in southern Albany County.

Popular Snowy Range Road Still Closed, But People Are Using It Anyway

Boswell Road, a popular access to Wyoming’s Snowy Ranch, remains closed as campers and bowhunters look for access. The legal status of the road remains in limbo, but closed or not, people are using it anyway.

Mark HeinzAugust 23, 2024

Bears that come too close to humans are usually captured and release — as shown in this Wyoming Game and Fish file photo — rather than killing them, which is a last resort.

Brief: Game And Fish Relocates Grizzlies That Killed Calves In Northwest Wyoming

Two adult grizzlies – a male and a female – were trapped and relocated after killing ranchers’ calves in separate incidents in northwest Wyoming.

Mark HeinzAugust 23, 2024

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