Outdoors
News

New Uniforms Make It Clear That Many National Park Rangers Are Real Cops
New uniforms make it clear that many National Park Service rangers are real cops — with “police federal officer” printed on their ballistic vests. Some say that makes it seem they’ve merged with other federal police, while others like the new branding.
Clair McFarlandSeptember 24, 2026

Yellowstone Visitors Worried About 'Spinning Bison' As Bull Circles Endlessly In Pond
Visitors in Yellowstone are worried about what’s wrong with “the spinning bison” which is circling endlessly in a pond. A wildlife photographer said the bull has "either injuries from a fight, near total blindness, neurological damage, or all the above."
Andrew RossiSeptember 24, 2026

Sheridan Man's Elk Hunt Ruined When Helicopter Dumps Water On Top Of Him
A Sheridan man says his elk hunt was ruined when a helicopter appeared above him in the Bighorn Mountains and dumped huge plumes of water on top of him. The Forest Service said it was a training flight and the crew probably didn't know he was there.
Mark HeinzSeptember 24, 2026

Ex-Gillette Coach Charged With Lying About Montana Residency For Hunting Tags
A former Gillette baseball coach is charged with lying about his residency to get hunting tags in Montana and killing a black bear, mountain lion, and white-tailed deer buck. If convicted, he could lose hunting privileges in all 50 states for life.
Mark HeinzSeptember 23, 2026

Mutilated Bear Found On Northern Cheyenne Reservation Missing Paws and Head
A Northern Cheyenne woman feared she had found a missing man. Instead, it was a dead black bear missing its paws and head. With few officers on the reservation about 50 miles north of Wyoming, she says she has little hope of an investigation.
Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 23, 2026

Trump Order Could Finally Settle Heated Corner-Crossing Debate In Hunters’ Favor
President Trump has moved to settle the corner-crossing issue with an executive order that appears to favor hunters, supporters say. A fact sheet released by the White House says it will include efforts to “unlock checkerboarded and landlocked parcels.”
Mark HeinzSeptember 23, 2026

Cody Bowhunter Says He Did Nothing Wrong By Leaving Elk Partly Devoured By Grizzly
A Cody bowhunter said he did nothing wrong by leaving an elk that was partly devoured by a grizzly. Although he was charged by Game and Fish, he said skinning and quartering an elk with likely-tainted meat wasn't worth the risk of a grizzly confrontation.
Mark HeinzSeptember 22, 2026

Pinedale Search And Rescue Pulls Bucked Horseback Rider Out Of Tight Crevice
Pinedale’s Tip Top Search and Rescue rescued an injured horseback rider out of a tight crevice recently using sophisticated short-haul helicopter rescue training. The man became wedged after his horse bucked him near Mount Darby in Sublette County.
Andrew RossiSeptember 22, 2026

Game And Fish Confirms No Mollie's Pack Wolves Killed As Hunt Quota Reached
It took five days for hunters to reach the four-wolf quota in the Shoshone National Forest hunt areas where the famous Mollie’s Pack denned over the summer. Wyoming Game and Fish confirms that no wolves from Yellowstone's oldest pack were killed.
Mark HeinzSeptember 22, 2026

Wyoming’s One-Shot Antelope Hunt Is All About Dropping A Buck With One Bullet
The One Shot Antelope Hunt, a central Wyoming staple since 1940, is a test of skill for hunters — drop a buck pronghorn with a single shot. As hunters discovered near Jeffrey City on Saturday, it isn’t easy.
Mark HeinzSeptember 21, 2026

Morrison Jeep Trail Blasted To Open Its 27 Rugged Switchbacks After 4 Years Closed
The rugged Morrison Jeep Trail, which rises 6,500 feet to the Beartooth Plateau northwest of Cody, Wyoming, has been blasted with explosives to open it for the first time in four years. Hardore off-roaders seek the trail out for its 27 steep switchbacks.
Andrew RossiSeptember 20, 2026

Wyoming Bowhunter Walks Behind Moose Decoy To Fool Huge Bulls In Alfalfa Field
Bowhunter Zack Key of La Barge was struggling with how to get within range of two huge Shiras bull moose hanging out in an alfalfa field in southwest Wyoming. Then he decided to try holding a cow moose decoy in front of him and just walk in. It worked.
Mark HeinzSeptember 20, 2026

To Protect Harem, Yellowstone's ‘King Of Mammoth’ Elk Will Fight Anything — Even Cars
Yellowstone’s huge Elk 24 — aka the “King of Mammoth” — will fight anything during the rut to protect his harem, even cars. Because other bull elk seem to avoid Mammoth, Elk 24 is usually ready to pick fights with anything and anybody in the area.
Andrew RossiSeptember 20, 2026

Feds Fed Up With Whoever Trashed Bridger-Teton Campsite With 500 Pounds Of Garbage
After hauling another 500-plus pounds of garbage out of a public campsite, Bridger-Teton National Forest officials are fed up with whoever keeps trashing the spot. It’s happened at least five times and is now the focus of a federal investigation.
Kolby FedoreSeptember 20, 2026

Slowly But Surely, Wyoming's Once-Stunning Aspen Alley Making A Comeback
After years in decline and die-off, the once-stunning Aspen Alley corridor in southern Wyoming’s Sierra Madre Mountains is making a comeback. Withing five years, “We'll have aspen so thick it'll be hard to walk through there,” says an area rancher.
Andrew RossiSeptember 19, 2026

Non-Residents Willing To Shell Out Up To $30,000 For A Wyoming Elk Hunt
Nonresidents wanting to fulfill their dreams of a Wyoming elk hunt should be willing to shell out a median of $8,000 for a guided hunt, while high-end adventures can hit $30,000. Wyoming is the sweet-spot for big-game hunters, says Guy Eastman.
Mark HeinzSeptember 19, 2026

Nobody Knows Who Dug Out Illegal ‘Hobbit Hole’ Discovered Near Yellowstone Trail
A visitor walking her dog on a trail near Grant Village in Yellowstone discovered a sizable — and illegal — "Hobbit hole" dug into a sandy hill. "It was definitely manmade, not Bigfoot with a chainsaw," she said.
Andrew RossiSeptember 19, 2026

19 Grizzlies Having A Feeding Frenzy On A Carcass Wows Yellowstone Visitors
Tourists experienced a rare sight this past weekend when up to 19 grizzlies had a feeding frenzy on a carcass north of Yellowstone National Park. While usually solitary, bears can be semi-social when the right feeding opportunities arise.
Mark HeinzSeptember 19, 2026

Spooked By Grizzly, Smokey The Llama Has Gone Missing In Absaroka Range Near Cody
Smokey, a 6-year-old experienced backcountry llama, has been lost in the Absaroka Range along the South Fork of the Shoshone River near Cody since Sept. 2. He was spooked by a grizzly, and has been seen hanging out with an elk herd.
Andrew RossiSeptember 18, 2026

Fish & Wildlife Chief Nesvik Wants To Ease Laws For 'Taking' Endangered Species
Former Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik, now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chief, wants to redefine what it means to “take” animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. Critics say that would get more grizzlies killed in Wyoming.
Mark HeinzSeptember 18, 2026

Grizzlies Killing Livestock Cost Wyoming Nearly $1M, Blows Budget Out Of Water
Wyoming Game and Fish shelled out nearly $1 million to compensate ranchers for livestock killed by grizzly bears in 2025. That’s nearly double the agency’s animal-damage budget. Whether delisting grizzlies would help is up for debate.
Mark HeinzSeptember 17, 2026

Estes Park Bull Elk Struts Around Town With Rival Elk’s Antler Stuck In His Neck
A bull elk in Estes Park, Colorado, has been strutting around town with an antler stuck in its neck after a fight during rutting season. Elk sometimes get their antler racks entangled in a fight, but one ecologist said he's "never seen anything like that."
Mark HeinzSeptember 17, 2026

Missing 13-Year-Old Montana Boy's Body Found In Clarks Fork River
Searchers found the body of a 13-year-old Montana boy named Ephraim who fell into the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River just north of the Wyoming border on Wednesday afternoon. Crews from nearly a dozen agencies searched for him Thursday.
Emma Jane JacksonSeptember 17, 2026

Bear Hit And Killed In Wind River Canyon Has Residents Afraid For Other Local Bears
Residents in the Wind River Canyon between Shoshoni and Thermopolis were saddened that a young black bear was hit and killed on the highway earlier this week. They say it makes them afraid for at least two other black bears in the area.
Mark HeinzSeptember 17, 2026
