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
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
Montana Prairie Grizzlies Keep Pushing East, Now In Missouri Breaks Region
Montana’s prairie grizzlies continue to press eastward as a trail camera captured a grizzly in the game-rich Missouri Breaks region of north central Montana.
Mark HeinzNovember 16, 2023
Deadly Wildlife Disease Confirmed In Yellowstone Deer For First Time
The first-ever documented case of chronic wasting disease was confirmed in Yellowstone National Park, in the carcass of a Wyoming mule deer. Once it shows up in a new area, CWD will likely spread to other animals.
Mark HeinzNovember 15, 2023
In Wake Of Last Year's Massive Winterkill, Game And Fish Stands By Not Feeding Deer Herds
In the wake of last year’s massive winterkill among some prime mule deer herds, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department says the decision to not feed those animals was tough, but correct. And they won't feed them again this year.
Mark HeinzNovember 14, 2023
Investigative Fish Podcaster From Florida Verifies 75-Year-Old Idaho Largemouth Bass Record
Thanks to the work of an investigative fish podcaster from Florida, a 75-year-old unofficial largemouth bass record in Idaho has finally been verified. The champion fish, which was caught by 63-year-old Mary Taylor back in 1948, is now officially the champ.
Mark HeinzNovember 14, 2023
Dam Engineer Worried About LaPrele Dam, Which Is More Than 60 Years Past Its Prime
At 114 years old, the LaPrele Dam is the nation’s oldest open-front dam. Built in 1909, its service life was only 50 years, which worries dam engineer Nathan Graves. Until it can be replaced, the water has been lowered significantly.
Mark HeinzNovember 12, 2023
Hunting Wyoming: Park County Retains Great Big Game, As Well As Bird Hunting
Outdoors writer Mark Heinz is doing a series on hunting in all 23 counties in Wyoming. For Park County, the legendary elk herds still rule, and mule deer have done well too.
Mark HeinzNovember 10, 2023
Hunter Shoots Oregon Wolf In ‘Very, Very Rare’ Human Attack
An elk hunter in Oregon recently shot and killed a wolf that he claimed was coming right for him. Officials deemed the shooting a rare legitimate case of self-defense and the hunter wasn’t penalized despite it being a protected species.
Mark HeinzNovember 10, 2023
Despite What Popular Atlas Says, There’s No ‘Shemale’ Ranch In Wyoming
An apparent typo in some earlier editions of a popular atlas lists a historic Albany County property as the “Shemale Bros. Ranch.” It's been corrected in later editions to “Schmale Bros. Ranch.”
Mark HeinzNovember 09, 2023
Replacing Crumbling 114-Year-Old LaPrele Dam An Urgent Priority
The clock continues to tick on the 114-year-old LaPrele Dam in Converse County, which was supposed to have a 50-year lifespan and is starting to crumble. The design phase of a years-long project to replace the dam is almost 30% finished.
Mark HeinzNovember 09, 2023
Railroad Doesn’t Want Grizzlies Getting Drunk And Blasted By Trains
Responding to a Cowboy State Daily story, BNSF Railway said it does what it can to keep Montana grizzly bears from becoming drunk on fermented grains that spill along tracks and then getting annihilated by trains.
Mark HeinzNovember 08, 2023