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
Governor's Task Force Says BLM May Listen To Wyoming About Rock Springs Plan
A Governor’s Task Force charged with representing Wyoming interests on the controversial BLM Rock Springs Resource Management Plan finished its work last week and says it’s optimistic the BLM may be willing to change direction.
Mark Heinz & Leo WolfsonJanuary 17, 2024
Hunters Worried As Huge Die-Off, Disease Decimate Wyoming Mule Deer Herds
Wyoming’s mule deer population plunged from an estimated 409,000 in 2017 to 243,000 in 2022, and last winter’s huge die-off and disease have further decimated herds, which has left many hunters worried.
Mark HeinzJanuary 16, 2024
Where Do Montana's Prairie Grizzlies Hibernate?
As Wyoming’s grizzlies do, many of Montana’s prairie grizzlies climb high into the mountains to den up and hibernate for the winter. But some prairie grizzlies stay in the lowlands, where they dig dens into steep riverbanks or hillsides in the badlands.
Mark HeinzJanuary 14, 2024
‘Assault Rifle’ Is A Real Term, But Misused To Spark Fear In Gun Control Debates
George Moscary, professor of law at the University of Wyoming and director of UW’s Firearms Research Center, said the term “assault rifle” has real meaning in the military sense, but in gun control debates is misapplied and used to evoke fear.
Mark HeinzJanuary 14, 2024
Colorado Range Scientist Says Wolf Reintroduction Will Be Good For Ranchers & Hunters
A range scientist in Colorado is claiming that wolf reintroduction will actually be good for ranchers and make things better for elk hunters. Further, he said Wyoming's hardline approach to wolves in some parts of the state is detrimental to overall delisting.
Mark HeinzJanuary 13, 2024
Wyoming’s Famous Grizzly 399 Still Healthy As She Hits Ripe Old Age Of 28
Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, reached a significant milestone this month when she hit age 28, but she’ll have to last at least another six years to match the longest known lifespan of a grizzly in the Northern Rockies region.
Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2024
Japan’s Bears Are Much Like Wyoming’s — But They’re Meaner And Attack More People
Japan has just recorded its worst year ever for bear attacks on people. Scientists say the bear in Japan are meaner and more likely to attack humans than they are in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2024
Finally Fed Up, Wyoming Barn Cat Takes On Raccoon Raider Twice Its Size
Raccoons have been raiding the food and shelter of a group of Wyoming barn cats on a rural property near Casper – but one brave little kitty finally had enough and put the smackdown on a raccoon raider twice his size.
Mark HeinzJanuary 10, 2024
Yellowstone Coyote Named ‘Limpy’ Tries To Sucker Tourists For Snacks
A coyote in Yellowstone known as Limpy or Tripod has gained a fanbase because of his sly panhandling routine. He shows up along the road and exaggerates a leg injury in hopes of scoring sympathy snacks.
Mark HeinzJanuary 09, 2024
Florida Alligator Hunter Wants To Teach Wyomingites How To Hunt Half-Ton Gators
Florida alligator hunter Matthew Burke is working to set up a mentorship program between Wyoming and Florida where Floridians would teach Wyomingites how to hunt alligator and in return, Wyomingites would teach Floridians how to hunt elk.
Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2024
Nevada Man Goes After 500-Pound Black Bear In Crawlspace With Paintball Gun
Wyoming bear experts aren’t impressed with a Nevada man who’s being hailed as having “balls of steel” for crawling under his porch after a 500-pound black bear with a paintball gun. Instead, they say he has “brains of pudding.”
Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2024
Wyoming Elk ‘Behind Schedule’ Filling Up National Elk Refuge
Warm weather and light snow have put the migration into the National Elk Refuge near Jackson behind schedule, but plunging temperatures and snowstorms should change that soon.
Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2024
Hiker Gets Rare Video of Wyoming Mink At Curt Gowdy State Park
A Cheyenne man is glad he decided to go hiking instead of mountain biking in Curt Gowdy State Park this week, otherwise he might have missed a rare encounter with a mink dragging a rabbit carcass.
Mark HeinzJanuary 04, 2024
It’s So Warm, Birds Are Staying Up North And Out Of Reach For Wyoming Hunters
An unusually warm fall and early winter has made for lackluster waterfowl hunting in Wyoming as birds are staying north in Canada and Montana, but there’s some hope that things will pick up as seasons wind down.
Mark HeinzJanuary 04, 2024
This Winter Looking Less Deadly Than Last For Wyoming Mule Deer
Despite devastating winterkill losses in parts of Wyoming last year, mule deer are going into this winter with a lot in their favor.
Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2024
Crook County Dog ‘Odin’ Loses Eye In Wyoming Mountain Lion Attack
True to being named after the one-eyed Norse god “Odin,” a 15-pound Cairn Terrier from Crook County survived an October mountain lion attack that cost him his left eye.
Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2024
Rural Wyoming Trail Cam Catches Rare Video Of Mountain Lion With Kittens
Wyoming resident Donald Harris got a rare treat on one of his trail cameras Saturday — a momma mountain lion with three kittens in tow.
Mark HeinzJanuary 02, 2024
Bear Rescue Gives Wyoming Bruins ‘A Second Chance At Freedom’
When Amy Kidwell started donating food to Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation, she had no idea that she’d eventually take over the operation, which has rescued a number of black bears from Wyoming and around the region.
Mark HeinzJanuary 02, 2024
Wyoming People: ‘Iron Mike’ Shares Devils Tower Retirement With Lots Of Mountain Lions
After traveling the world for an industrial explosives company, Mike Romano retired and finally has time to pursue his new passion — learning all he can about all the Wyoming mountain lions on his land near Devils Tower.
Mark HeinzDecember 30, 2023
Famed ‘Ramland Wyoming’ Bighorn Herd Can’t Shake Pneumonia Breakout
There's no better place to view bighorn sheep in the state than "Ramland Wyoming," near Dubois. However, the animals are suffering from a lingering pneumonia outbreak that has taken the herd of 2,500 down to about 750.
Mark HeinzDecember 29, 2023
Glock Inventor Dies, And Wyoming Gun Owners Tell Why They Love Their Glocks
Gaston Glock, the reclusive billionaire Austrian who invented the Glock pistol, died Wednesday half a world away, but leaves a legacy in Wyoming, where his firearms remain among the best-selling sidearms in the Cowboy State.
Mark HeinzDecember 29, 2023