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
Story, Wyoming: Where The Whitetail Deer Nearly Outnumber People
Whitetail deer thrive and flourish in tiny unincorporated town of Story in Sheridan County. And despite them sometimes raiding flower beds, locals consider the deer part of the community.
Mark HeinzDecember 01, 2023
Good Samaritans Save Young Mule Deer Caught In Electric Fence
Two Wyoming men were driving between Dubois and Riverton on Saturday when they saw a young mule deer entangled in an electric fence. They quickly jumped out of their vehicle and saved its life.
Mark HeinzNovember 30, 2023
Wyoming Shooters Say Government Doesn’t Need To Meddle With Lead Ammo
Wyoming hunters and shooters are already choosing to switch to lead-free ammunition themselves, and say they don’t need it forced on them by government regulation.
Mark HeinzNovember 29, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Platte County Has It All, But Access Can Be Difficult
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting around Wyoming. In Platte County, there's an outstanding variety of big game and bird hunting, but getting access can be a challenge.
Mark HeinzNovember 29, 2023
Logging Expected To Close More Snowy Range Snowmobile Trails This Winter
Logging is expected to shut down more trails in the Snowy Range this winter, which a local cabin owner says isn’t fair to other forest users.
Mark HeinzNovember 28, 2023
Pinedale Woman Says She Was There When Record 11-Pound Wyoming Golden Trout Was Caught
Although there has been speculation that Wyoming's 11-pound, 4-ounce golden trout record is suspect, a Pinedale woman says it's legitimate as she was there when the fish was caught in 1948 by a client of her father, who was a fishing guide.
Mark HeinzNovember 26, 2023
Why The Pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 Is Still ‘The Rifleman’s Rifle’
The Winchester Model 70 remains one of America’s most popular rifles, but pre-1964 models are particularly coveted by serious shooters and collectors. The rifle is so good it's called "The rifleman's rifle."
Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2023
Chief Washakie's 1876 Peace Medal From President Grant Bought Off eBay By Lander Native
A Lander native may have stumbled across a significant piece of Wyoming history for sale on eBay – a peace medal given to Chief Washakie by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1876. Washakie's great-grandson believes it's authentic.
Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2023
‘Mercy Killing’ Wyoming Big Game Is Illegal — Unless You Have A Hunting Tag
If you come across an injured or wounded big game animal in Wyoming, and you don’t have a valid tag for that sex and species – legally, you have to let it suffer until a game warden or law enforcement officer can come shoot it.
Mark HeinzNovember 24, 2023
Rail Conductor Says There Are Too Many Drunk Grizzlies On Train Tracks
A train conductor said grizzlies' own stubbornness works against them, as they don’t move off the tracks despite warning horns from trains. It's a game of chicken between the drunk grizzlies and trains, and the bears lose every time.
Mark HeinzNovember 23, 2023
Californian Moves To Wyoming, Embraces Wyoming, Loves Wyoming
Although born and raised in California, Tessa Fowler of Cody said she "never fit in" and couldn't wait to move to Wyoming. She worked on a ranch, guided mountain lion hunts, worked on trucks, and raised three boys. She now works as a wildlife photographer.
Mark HeinzNovember 23, 2023
Biden’s War On Lead Ammo, Hunting Could Limit Uses Of Wyoming’s Vast Spaces
Proposed bans on lead ammunition and rules governing hunting access on federal lands could resonate in Wyoming, including 3.6 million acres included in a controversial BLM management plan.
Mark HeinzNovember 21, 2023
Wyoming Task Force Digs Into Controversial BLM Rock Springs Plan
Gov. Mark Gordon plans to deliver the Bureau of Land Management a message from Wyoming about the agency’s controversial Rock Springs area plan. He’s appointed a task force to help outline what that message will be.
Mark HeinzNovember 21, 2023
Why Buy A Thanksgiving Turkey In Wyoming When You Can Go Shoot One?
Want to get your own turkey for Thanksgiving? Consider hunting a wild Wyoming turkey, but bear in mind that they’re a clever animal and much tougher birds than store-bought gobblers.
Mark HeinzNovember 20, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Big Horn County Has Whitetails Down Low, Elk Up High
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting in all 23 counties in Wyoming. In Big Horn County, there's a good mixture of lowland habitat for upland game birds, waterfowl and whitetail deer, while mountain slopes are teeming with elk.
Mark HeinzNovember 20, 2023
Big Fish Story? Why Wyoming’s Golden Trout Record Seems Sketchy
The fish that holds Wyoming’s golden trout record is more than twice the size that species normally grows to and didn’t come with photos or written documentation. As of now, the 75-year-old record rests only on the word of a dead man.
Mark HeinzNovember 19, 2023
Cody Gun Range Purchases World War II .30-Caliber Browning 1919A4 Machine Gun
Those who’ve ever wanted to fire an actual machine gun now have their chance as the Cody Firearms Experience gun range just purchased a genuine, fully operational 1943 Word War II .30-caliber Browning 1919A4 machine gun.
Mark HeinzNovember 19, 2023
Just How Far Will Grizzlies Roam? As Far As People Will Tolerate
With grizzlies moving south in Wyoming and east in Montana, just how far they go will hinge on whether people think it’s happening naturally, or if the bears are being forced on them and not managed at the state level.
Mark HeinzNovember 19, 2023
Would Your Dog Stay Near If You Died In The Wilderness? If You Were A Good Owner, Yes
When they’re treated well by their humans, most dogs have the potential for absolute devotion — the type of unflinching dedication that made a Jack Russell terrier stay next to her owner’s body for 10 weeks after he died in the wilderness.
Mark HeinzNovember 17, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Niobrara County Has Fewest People But Plentiful Big Game Herds
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting in all 23 counties in Wyoming. In Niobrara, the human population is the lowest in Wyoming, but elk, deer and antelope are plentiful.
Mark HeinzNovember 17, 2023
Grizzlies Moving Eastward To North Dakota
If prairie grizzlies keep pushing eastward, North Dakota will have grizzlies for the first time since the late 1800s. Wildlife officials say it’s good habitat for them.
Mark HeinzNovember 16, 2023