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
Wildlife Mating Season In Wyoming: Tourists Warned Not To Approach, Pet, Saddle Animals
It's mating season for Wyoming wildlife which means it's time for seasonal warnings from wildlife agencies reminding people not to approach, pet, or try to saddle bear, moose, elk, and other wild animals.
Mark HeinzSeptember 08, 2022
Yellowstone’s Steamboat Geyser, World’s Highest-Erupting Geyser, Is Going Dormant
Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone Park appears to be going quiet. The geyser was highly active from 2018 until June of this year but now it's dormant.
Mark HeinzSeptember 08, 2022
Corner Crossing Lawsuit Trial Court Date Set For Next Summer
The opposing sides in a corner crossing civil case won't get their day in court until June 26, 2023.
Mark HeinzSeptember 07, 2022
Wyoming’s Wildfire Haze To Lift, Better Hunting Weather On The Way
Wildfire smoke and mediocre elk hunting in extreme heat persisted in much of Wyoming on Wednesday, but cooler, clear weather should be on the way.
Mark HeinzSeptember 07, 2022
Gun, Ammo Excise Taxes Net $19.5 Million For Wyoming Conservation
Wyomings share of this years federal excise tax funds from firearms and ammunition sales was nearly $19.5 million several million more than any of the previous four years, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Mark HeinzSeptember 07, 2022
Record Temperatures Makes Wyoming Elk Hunt Opening Day A Challenge, But Doesn’t Ruin It
Blazing weather during the opening week of many of Wyoming big game bow hunting seasons might make it difficult, though not impossible, to find elk, some hunters said.
Mark HeinzSeptember 06, 2022
Wyoming AR-15 Fans Say It’s A Great Hunting Rifle
The ArmaLite, or AR-15 rifle remains popular among Wyoming hunters and sport shooters, Wyoming hunters and gun shop owners say.
Mark HeinzSeptember 02, 2022
Potential For Conflicts With Grizzlies Rise As Wyoming Hunters Take To Backcountry
Wyoming hunters are taking to the field just as grizzly bears are trying to fatten up for hibernation; a recipe for conflict.
Mark HeinzSeptember 02, 2022
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