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
Bear Expert Believes Grizzly 399 Should Live Long Enough To Raise Her New Cub
At age 27, Grizzly 399 might be the oldest grizzly momma on record, and one bear expert is confident that she’ll live at least two more years, long enough to raise her new cub to independence.
Mark HeinzMay 18, 2023
Casper Mountaineer Abandons Everest Conquest Due To Mob Scene On Mountain, Many Deaths
Mount Everest was such a mob scene, and so many people had died already that Wyoming mountaineer Dr. Joe McGinley of Casper told Cowboy State Daily he decided to turn back a few thousand feet from the summit.
Mark HeinzMay 17, 2023
Grizzly 399 Lives! And She's Got A New Cub!
The world's most famous bear, Grizzly 399, emerged from hibernation Tuesday with one cub. At age 27, she’s now the oldest grizzly mama on record.
Mark HeinzMay 17, 2023
Wyoming’s Wolves Have Thrived Above Expectations For More Than Two Decades
Wyoming has maintained a wolf population above federal expectations for more than two decades, according to a recent report from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and other wildlife agencies.
Mark HeinzMay 16, 2023
‘Mistaken Identity’ Grizzly Killings By Black Bear Hunters Likely To Continue, Experts Say
A male grizzly that was allegedly shot between Yellowstone Park and Cody because a hunter mistook it for a black bear was the third such grizzly to be killed there in the last decade. It’s a problem that’s likely to persist, local bear experts say.
Mark HeinzMay 16, 2023
Wyoming Landscape A Big Game Graveyard In Places Where ‘All You Can Smell Is Death’
The vast stretches of big game winter range in the shadow of the Wyoming Range mountains near La Barge have become a graveyard for thousands of animals that died over the winter. Although in places locals say "all you can smell is death," the land is showing signs of renewal.
Mark HeinzMay 15, 2023
Wapiti Man Admits Shooting Grizzly Near Cody, Wyoming, Says He Thought It Was A Black Bear
A Wapiti man turned himself in the day after he shot a grizzly bear about 30 yards off the North Fork Highway near Cody. He said he thought it was a black bear, but realized it was a grizzly when examining the carcass up close.
Clair McFarland & Mark HeinzMay 15, 2023
Massive Wyoming Snowpack Could Hold Colorado River Crisis ‘Maybe For A Few Months’
Record-breaking snowpacks in Wyoming’s high country won’t be enough to break a “mega-drought” in the Colorado River Basin or make Wyoming’s fight for its share of water rights any less complicated, water experts say.
Mark HeinzMay 14, 2023
Mountain Lion In Colorado Chicken Coop Attacks Girl, Killed By Wildlife Agents
Colorado wildlife agents killed a young female mountain lion after it attacked a girl in a chicken coop near Buena Vista Wednesday. While there have been several mountain lion sightings recently in Wyoming communities, there haven’t been any attacks on people.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Wyoming’s Grizzly 399 Still A No-Show; Insiders Say She’ll Emerge ‘When She Is Ready’
Famed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen told Cowboy State Daily that when grizzly 610 and her cubs appear, Grizzly 399 generally isn’t far behind, although he is a bit concerned about the elder bear.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Officials Warn People Who Ignore ‘Do Not Enter’ Grizzly Study Area Signs Can Become Dinner For Bears
People who see bright yellow signs in northwest Wyoming warning “do not enter” because of grizzly trapping need to take them seriously, wildlife officials said Friday. A man was killed by such a grouchy tranquilized grizzly near Yellowstone Park in 2010.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Allowing Hunters To Shoot Bighorn Ewes Could Save Jackson Herd From Population Crash
Opening up Wyoming’s second-ever hunting season for bighorn sheep ewes might save the Jackson sheep herd from another population crash, Game and Fish says.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Wild Horse Advocates Sue BLM, Claim Red Desert Mustang Roundups Cruel, Costly To Taxpayers
Mustang roundups in Wyoming’s Red Desert are cruel, unnecessary and costly to taxpayers, horse advocates who are suing the Bureau of Land Management claim.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Wild Horse Advocates Sue BLM, Claim Red Desert Mustang Roundups Cruel, Costly To Taxpayers
Mustang roundups in Wyoming’s Red Desert are cruel, unnecessary and costly to taxpayers, horse advocates who are suing the Bureau of Land Management claim.
Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023
Wyoming Bear Hunter Who Accidentally Killed Grizzly Fined $10,000
A judge ordered a Cody hunter to pay $10,000 in restitution to Game and Fish for mistakenly instructing his teenage son to shoot a grizzly bear during a black bear hunt last spring.
Mark HeinzMay 11, 2023
1,500 Big Game Carcasses At Sublette County Landfill Could Be Just The Beginning Of Gruesome Winterkill Tally
The La Barge-Big Piney area is just one region of Wyoming that is finally seeing the full scope of this year’s big game winterkill. Roughly 1,500 carcasses were recently taken to the Sublette County landfill, and there's still many more to come
Mark HeinzMay 10, 2023
Wyoming Sheep Rancher Says Coyotes Guard His Flock, As Does Eagle-Stomping Ewe
A Riverton, Wyoming, sheep rancher said he stopped randomly shooting coyotes after some of them became “guard coyotes” for his sheep herd, which included an eagle-stomping ewe.
Mark HeinzMay 10, 2023
Wyoming Police Chief Sets Up Trail Cam To Catch Mountain Lion, Pulls Prank Instead
The Evansville police chief set up a trail camera in hopes of catching a glimpse of mountain lion he suspected was creeping round his town. Instead, he captured images of a lot of other critters, as well as a practical joke.
Mark HeinzMay 09, 2023
Wyoming's Zombie Lake Back From The Dead As Game And Fish Restocks Popular Saratoga Reservoir
After killing all the fish in Saratoga Lake last fall to rid it of invasive yellow perch, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is re-stocking the popular lake.
Mark HeinzMay 09, 2023
New Highway Underpasses Near La Barge Could Save Hundreds Of Wyoming Deer From Becoming Roadkill
The deadliest stretch of highway for Wyoming Range mule deer is between La Barge and Big Piney. It's hoped future wildlife underpasses that will be built there will cut down on the carnage.
Mark HeinzMay 08, 2023
Wyoming Hunters Say Don’t Punish Predators For Huge Big Game Winterkill
In the wake of a brutal winter killing tens of thousands of Wyoming big game animals, many hunters are saying they don’t want predators targeted too aggressively.
Mark HeinzMay 08, 2023