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
Wyoming’s Luck With Wildfire Holds, So Far
Despite high temperatures and loads of dead fuel in its forests, Wyoming has so far avoided a nasty wildfire season -- but with post-summer outdoor activity ramping up, luck might not hold, officials said.
Mark HeinzSeptember 02, 2022
Record-Breaking Gun, Ammo Sales Windfall Helps Wyoming Conservation
Wyoming will get its share of the record-breaking $300 million-plus in excise tax funds posted by the gun and ammunition industry in the first quarter of 2022.
Mark HeinzSeptember 01, 2022
Airbnb Competition With Wyoming Motels Could “Gut” Hunting Season Lodging Business
One Pinedale motel owner said competition from Airbnb has gutted his business for hunting season. Guided vs. unguided hunters might make the difference, he said.
Mark HeinzAugust 31, 2022
Yes, Snipe Hunting Is A Real Thing; Wyoming Season Opens Thursday
Sending tenderfeet on a snipe hunt is a time-honored practical joke among outdoors enthusiasts. But snipe are a real wetland bird species that can be hunted in Wyoming and the season opens Thursday.
Mark HeinzAugust 31, 2022
Game Tracking Dogs Are Helping Wyoming Hunters Find Lost Kills
Using tracking dogs to track lost game animals is fairly new to Wyoming as it was just legalized in 2019, but is starting to catch on.
Mark HeinzAugust 30, 2022
National Elk Refuge Gets Gigantic Elk Incinerator To Burn Carcasses In Case Of Wasting Disease
The National Elk Refuge has added a gigantic diesel-powered mobile crematorium to its property so it can incinerate any elk that come down with Chronic Wasting Disease.
Mark HeinzAugust 30, 2022
Yellowstone Flood A 1,000-Year Flood? It Was Significant But Not Likely
Wyoming meteorologist Don Day scoffed at the Yellowstone flood being called a "1,000 year flood." He said there's not 1,000 years of precipitation records anywhere in the world and the phrase is a "statistical pretzel based on 80 years of rainfall data."
Mark HeinzAugust 29, 2022
With Fall/Winter Approaching In Wyoming, “307 Radio” Gives Search And Rescue Big Help
A 307 two-way radio frequency gives Wyoming search and rescue teams better odds of finding people stranded in the backcountry, a Sublette County rescue coordinator said.
Mark HeinzAugust 29, 2022
Wyoming Public Land Users Watch “Corner Crossing” Case With Interest
Two Wyomingites who frequently tread public lands a hunter and a scientific researcher said theyre taking a wait-and-see approach to the outcome of a pending lawsuit regarding a corner-crossing trespassing case.
Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2022
Wyoming Combat Veterans Offer to Dart Wild Mustangs with Birth Control
Having veterans shoot mustang mares with birth control darts could help solve the conundrum of wild horse management in the West, including Wyoming, a veterans advocate said.
Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2022
Mudslide Strands Tourists Outside Yellowstone; Florida Man Totals Car Trying To Drive Thru It
A mudslide near the east gate of Yellowstone stranded travelers for hours on Wednesday night. A Florida man was impatient and tried to drive through it but ended up totaling his car.
Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2022
Ducks, Not So Much, But Wyoming Goose Hunts Could Be Great
Time might start to drag in duck blinds this fall across the Cowboy State, but out in the fields among big spreads of honker decoys, things could get lively.
Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2022
Hunters Claim “Intimidation” Used In Elk Mountain Corner Crossing Case
Threats and intimidation were illegally used against four Missouri hunters charged with trespassing on the Iron Bar Ranch near Elk Mountain, according to documents filed in U.S. Civil Court by the hunters attorney.
Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2022
How Ranchers Actually Live: New Film Series Features Ranches Near Laramie, Lander, Lovell
A new film series will be unveiled next month about ranching life in Wyoming and will feature the Terry Creek ranch near Laramie, the Hellyer family ranch outside of Lander, and the E.O. Bischoff ranch near Lovell.
Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2022
Game And Fish Want Elk Blood From Hunters’ Kills To Track Outbreaks Of Brucellosis
Samples of elk blood taken from hunters kills are key to tracking outbreaks of Brucellosis, the Wyoming state veterinarian said. This disease can be transmitted from wildlife to cattle and threaten the livelihood of Wyomings ranchers.
Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2022
Wildlife On Highway 34: Driving Thru Sybille Canyon Is Like “Game Of Frogger”
Wildlife on Highway 34 through Sybille Canyon is particularly bad this time of year. The Game and Fish Dept is most concerned about a herd of Bighorn sheep which is hanging out near the highway in the canyon.
Mark HeinzAugust 23, 2022
Mule Deer Palooza Planned In Wyoming To Raise Money For Mule Deer Conservation Projects
The fundraisers for the Mule Deer Foundation used to be called "Gun-A-Palooza" but social media companies have outlawed anything to do with guns so they've renamed the fundraiser "Mule Deer Palooza."
Mark HeinzAugust 22, 2022
Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Mandatory In Four More Wyoming Deer Hunt Areas
Mandatory testing of hunters kills for chronic wasting disease has been implemented this year in four popular deer hunt areas in the Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming. It will also continue in two deer hunt areas in Fremont County.
Mark HeinzAugust 22, 2022
81-Year-Old Man Selling His Prairie Dog Vacuuming Business
An 81-year-old Colorado man who spent more than 30 years vacuuming up prairie dogs as part of his pest control business says hes ready to sell his equipment and pass along his knowledge, should the right person come along.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2022
Three Missing Cubs Not On Wyoming Grizzly Mortality List Probably Dead
A federal biologist told Cowboy State Daily that the total number of grizzly deaths in Wyoming is likely three more than the official tally of 28. That's because three missing grizzly cubs in Grand Teton National Park are likely dead.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2022
More Than 6,000 Vehicle-Wildlife Collisions Happen Every Year In Wyoming
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has initiated 240 separate projects to address the 6,000+ vehicle-wildlife collisions that happen every year in Wyoming.
Mark HeinzAugust 19, 2022