Outdoors Reporter

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.

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Latest from Mark Heinz

Jeff Royce of Bozeman, Montana applies medicine to bite wounds that his wife, Jen suffered earlier this month during an otter attack on the Jefferson River.

Montana Woman Says She Feared For Her Life During Otter Attack

A Bozeman, Montana, woman who survived a vicious attack by an otter while float tubing on the Jefferson River says she had a “this is how I’m going to die” moment.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2023

Stands of dead timber like this one in Yellowstone National Park are a common sight along Wyoming roads in the wake of a massive pine beetle epidemic. Efforts continue to remove hazardous trees before they fall into the road.

The Standing Dead — Wyoming’s Roadside Ghosts Forests Are Here To Stay

A pine beetle epidemic that ripped through Wyoming during the 2000s and 2010s have created roadside ghost forests in Yellowstone and just about anywhere else the Cowboy State’s roads wind through mountains with forested slopes.

Mark HeinzAugust 10, 2023

Man Holding Infant Walks Right Up To Yellowstone Bison

Despite recent bison gorings, a man holding a small child on Tuesday got dangerously close to a massive bison near Old Faithful.

Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2023

Ghost Guns Not A Real Problem, Says Wyoming Gun Law Expert

A national dust-up over so-called “ghost guns” is more about emotional reactions than a real crime problem, a Wyoming firearms law expert said.

Mark HeinzAugust 09, 2023

‘No Different Than Friggin’ Grizzly Bears’: Rancher Wants To Trap Wyoming Otters

Following a vicious attack by otters in Montana that left a woman hospitalized, it’s time to start trapping otters in Wyoming, a rancher said. But the Game and Fish Department isn’t ready for an otter season.

Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2023

A man suffered wounds to his upper right arm when a bear bit him as he was relaxing in a hammock in a Colorado campground late Saturday.

Colorado Wildlife Agents Intend To Kill Bear That Bit Man’s Arm

Colorado wildlife agents on Tuesday are tracking and want to kill a black bear that bit a man’s arm while he was relaxing in a hammock over the weekend.

Mark HeinzAugust 08, 2023

It's unusual, but not unheard of, for bears to break into homes while looking for food, as in this file photo from a video of a bear break-in a few years ago.

Man Shoots Bear In His Living Room Near Wyoming

A Montana couple got up close and personal with a black bear that broke into their house last week. It ended up in their living room, where the homeowner shot it with a handgun.

Mark HeinzAugust 07, 2023

‘Surprise’ Grizzly Mauling Near Dubois Leaves Man Hospitalized

A “surprise encounter” grizzly mauling near Dubois early Saturday left a man hospitalized, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Mark HeinzAugust 07, 2023

Wyoming Scientists Skeptical Of Latest Hype Over UFOs, Alien Life

University of Wyoming astronomers said there is likely other intelligent life in the universe but the recent Congressional hearings don't offer much proof that there are space aliens on Earth.

Mark HeinzAugust 06, 2023

Jenna Bourgeois of Big Timber, Montana breeds Karelian Bear Dogs. He likes to camp at Vedauwoo in Wyoming, where there’s plenty of space for the energetic dogs.

Karelian Bear Dogs Can Fend Off Grizzlies, But Are Also Friendly

Karelian bear dogs are trained to protect their owners from grizzly bears, but are also friendly enough to make good family dogs.

Mark HeinzAugust 05, 2023

Otter Attacks Women Tubing On Montana River, Sending One To Hospital

A vicious otter attack on a Montana river that left a woman gravely injured mirrors an otter attack near La Barge, Wyoming, several years ago.

Mark HeinzAugust 04, 2023

A wolf in Wyoming gets a drink in this file photo.

Vedauwoo Wolf Sighting Report Likely Legitimate, Biologist Says

A retired wildlife biologist said the reporting of two wolves in the Vedauwoo area between Cheyenne and Laramie is likely legitimate. He said the wolves are probably from Yellowstone or Colorado.

Mark HeinzAugust 03, 2023

Other Authors

The Spirit Halloween store in Cheyenne opened late Thursday morning, and immediately started early fans of the spooky season.

Halloween In August: Cheyenne Fans Of The Spooky Season Get Early Start

For fans of Halloween, it’s never too early to start preparing for the spooky season, which began Thursday in Cheyenne with the annual opening of Spirit Halloween.

Mark HeinzAugust 03, 2023

The Cheyenne East High School clay target team practices at a local range in this file photo.

Wyoming Rebuffs Feds That Hunter Education Is ‘Dangerous Weapon Training’

Potential cuts to teaching hunter education in public schools because they provide “dangerous weapon training” are wrong, misguided and would deprive Wyoming kids of valuable “life skills,” local officials say.

Mark HeinzAugust 02, 2023

Black Bear, Cub Killed After Attack Near Wyoming State Line

Game agents tracked down and killed a female black bear and her cub, after the female attacked a homeowner near Victor, Idaho, near the Wyoming state line. The incident mirrors dust-ups with black bears this year in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzAugust 02, 2023

Female hikers in Wyoming are alert after reports from nearby Colorado where a pervert has accosted women on trails.

Colorado Trail Pervert Has Wyoming Outdoorswomen Being Extra Vigilant

Wyoming hikers and trail runners are being extra vigilant after a hit-and-run sexual predator targeting women on some popular Colorado hiking trails remains unidentified.

Mark HeinzAugust 01, 2023

Yellowstone cutthroat trout have struggled in their native waters. The Forest Service is considering killing all the rainbow trout in a popular wilderness creek to give the cutthroats and edge.

Feds Want To Kill Rainbow Trout In Popular Yellowstone Wilderness Drainage

The Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife plan to kill all the rainbow trout in the Buffalo Creek drainage just north of Yellowstone Park and replace them with native cutthroats.

Mark HeinzJuly 31, 2023

Members of the Cheyenne East High School trap shooting team take aim, waiting for a clay target.

Wyoming Coach Criticizes Biden Plan To Cut Money For Shooting Programs

A Biden administration plan to cut federal money for school-sponsored shooting and hunting programs is part of the “wokeism” that’s “ruining America,” says Cheyenne East High trap shooting coach.

Mark HeinzJuly 31, 2023

This notch is the only way through “The Great Wall” — one of the highlights of Wyoming’s “Big Balls” backcountry hiking trail.

Explore Wyoming: "Big Balls" Trail Is A Hidden Wilderness Gem

The “Big Balls of Cowtown Trail” — or as it’s more commonly called “Big Balls" — isn’t officially designated on any maps. But for those willing to go the extra miles to find it in the Gros Ventre wilderness, it’s a great hike.

Mark HeinzJuly 30, 2023

Brooklyn, New York, residents Tom Moran, a firefighter, and Josie Moran, a teacher, talk about their favorite parts of visiting Wyoming for the first time, including people’s reaction to Tom’s thick Brooklyn accent.

Were These New Yorkers Impressed At Their First Cheyenne Frontier Days? Fuhgeddaboudit

Cowboys, pro rodeo and trucks — lots of trucks — made impressions on a couple from Brooklyn during their first trip to Wyoming and Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Mark HeinzJuly 30, 2023

Deer Haven Lodge Near Ten Sleep Isn’t Being Torn Down, It Has New Owners

Contrary to rumors it's being torn down, one of Wyoming’s favorite getaways, the Deer Haven Lodge near Ten Sleep hasn’t met its demise. It has new owners.

Mark HeinzJuly 30, 2023

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