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
Bill To Promote Wyoming’s ‘Other’ Outdoor Rec Options Sails Through
Bill to help Wyoming could become hot destinations for outdoor recreation outside major draws sails through Senate committee Tuesday.
Mark HeinzFebruary 27, 2024
Bill To Stop Credit Card Tracking Of Gun Sales In Wyoming Advances
A bill to ban credit card companies from tracking firearms purchases in Wyoming was passed by the state Senate on Friday. It could prevent what amounts to a federal gun registry, supporters say.
Mark HeinzFebruary 26, 2024
Ask Cowboy State Daily: Can I Eat A Wolf? Wyoming Chefs Respond
It’s legal to shoot wolves on sight in most of Wyoming, which raised the question with a Cowboy State Daily reader: "What if I shoot a wolf and want to eat it?" We talked to some Wyoming chefs about it.
Mark HeinzFebruary 26, 2024
Rare ‘Frankendeer’ Crossbreeding No Threat To Wyoming Mule Deer
Mule deer-whitetail “frankendeer” hybrids are extremely rare, but not unheard of in Wyoming. They generally aren’t good survivors, and crossbreeding isn’t an imminent threat to prized mule deer populations.
Mark HeinzFebruary 24, 2024
Bills Managing Wyoming Bighorn Sheep, Elk And Whitetails Gain Traction
Two weeks into the legislative session, bills that would split mule deer and whitetail hunting seasons, compensate ranchers hungry elk gobble and reintroduce bighorn sheep to remote central Wyoming gain traction.
Mark HeinzFebruary 24, 2024
Wyoming Dealers Say Gila Monsters Not Good Pets After Bite Kills Colorado Man
A Colorado man died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster -- which have been known to deliver a fatal amount of venom. That's why Wyoming exotic pet dealers say that Gila monsters are usually best left in the wild.
Mark HeinzFebruary 23, 2024
Senate Committee Passes Bill To Let Wyoming Create Its Own State Guard
A bill allowing Wyoming to organize its own state militia or guard that passed through to the Senate floor Tuesday would be organized with a chain of command, not just a bunch of guys with guns.
Mark HeinzFebruary 23, 2024
Retired Forest Service Cop Gets Fine, House Arrest For Stealing Horses
A Wyoming man was sentenced to house arrest and to pay $15,000 on Wednesday for illegally keeping government horses — and trying to switch them out with his own — when he retired as a Forest Service law enforcement officer.
Mark HeinzFebruary 22, 2024
‘Queen Of The Tetons’: New Documentary Of Grizzly 399 Released
The world's most famous bear, Grizzly 399, is now a movie star. A new documentary, “399: Queen of the Tetons,” just debuted and will make a run on the national wildlife film festival circuit before being released on a streaming service.
Mark HeinzFebruary 22, 2024
Wyoming Whitetail Deer: Are They A ‘Noxious Weed,’ Or Do They Belong?
Wyoming Senate President Ogden Driskill said whitetail deer are essentially an invasive species — a “noxious weed” — but others argue they’re every bit as native to Wyoming as mule deer.
Mark HeinzFebruary 21, 2024
Explosive Testimony: Aggressive ATF Agents Raided Wyoming Man's Home For Firearms
Last November, ATF agents dragged a Wyoming man from his house in his underwear even as he was screaming that he had a certificate authorizing him to possess firearms, a gun rights advocate told legislators on Tuesday.
Mark HeinzFebruary 20, 2024
Rancher Says Bringing Bighorn Sheep Back To Remote Wyoming A Bad Idea
Cattle rancher Troy Corbett says he and other ranchers worry that bringing bighorn sheep back to the remote Sweetwater Rocks area in central Wyoming will give federal agencies leverage to push cattle and sheep off grazing leases.
Mark HeinzFebruary 20, 2024
Critics Say Paying Wyoming Ranchers For Grass-Gobbling Elk Could Break Budget
Critics worry that a bill that proposes to pay ranchers for forage that elk herds eat will break the budget of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Others say ranchers can't keep taking losses and deserve compensation.
Mark HeinzFebruary 19, 2024
Are Wyoming's Wild Horses As ‘Invasive’ As Cocaine Hippos And Australia’s Camels?
Wild horses in Wyoming, hippos in Colombia and camels in Australia are seen as invasive feral species by many. A group of scientists, however, are arguing that invasive species can be beneficial to the ecosystem.
Mark HeinzFebruary 18, 2024
Managing Wildlife Tricky When They’re Worldwide Celebrities, Like Grizzly 399
Some of Wyoming’s wild animals — like Grizzly 399 and Limpy the Coyote — are more famous than many human celebrities. Biologists say wildlife celebrities create a false image of the species and the ecosystem. “As with human beings, celebrities aren’t the best role models for how to live one’s life,” one biologist said.
Mark HeinzFebruary 18, 2024
Wyoming Woman Wants Trapping Reform After Her Dog Dies In Beaver Trap
What started out as a routine outing with her English bull terriers ended with Afton's Becky Barber emotionally shattered and dragging the lifeless body of one of her dogs back down the road still caught in the beaver trap that killed him.
Mark HeinzFebruary 17, 2024
When Hornets Battle Bees, Expect Decapitations And Roastings
A global war is raging between giant hornets and bees, with hornets ripping bees’ heads off and bees responding by roasting the hornets alive. Nationally renowned beekeeper Michael Jordan, who lives in Cheyenne, said the insect-on-insect violence in Wyoming is less gruesome.
Mark HeinzFebruary 17, 2024
Bill To Empower Governor To Challenge BLM Rock Springs Plan Passes Committee
The Wyoming House Judiciary Committee voted Friday to advance a bill that would allow the governor to refuse to provide any resources to help enforce any federal land policy deemed to be against Wyoming’s best interests.
Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2024
Driskill Sponsors Bill To Create Separate Whitetail, Mule Deer Hunting Seasons In Wyoming
Senate President Ogden Driskill is the primary sponsor of a bill that would create separate hunting seasons for whitetail deer and mule deer. Advocates argue separating the seasons would be an important step toward helping Wyoming’s struggling mule deer herds.
Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2024
Bills Repealing Gun-Free Zones & Lowering Age Of Concealed Carry In Wyoming Reignite Familiar Debate
Wyoming legislators and advocates on both sides of the gun policy debate will cover familiar ground this legislative session with pending bills calling for the repeal of “gun-free zones” and lowering the legal age for concealed carry to 18.
Mark HeinzFebruary 15, 2024
Bill Could Break Deadlock On Returning Bighorns To Prime Wyoming Habitat
A bill before the Wyoming Senate could break a deadlock over whether bighorn sheep should return to prime habitat in Central Wyoming.
Mark HeinzFebruary 15, 2024