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Jonathan Bailey is greeted with a hug at airport in Pinedale on Friday after being rescued after wandering for a week in the Wind River Range.

Rescued! Hiker And Dog Missing For Week In Wind River Range Reunited With Family

An Idaho hiker and his dog were reunited with family Friday afternoon after being missing in the Wind River Range for a week. Jonathan Bailey and his yellow Labrador retriever Wrigley had been separated from their group in the Bridger Wilderness.

Jen KocherSeptember 11, 2026

Cam Sholly, pictured here in front of Elk Peak in Yellowstone National Park, is ending his nearly 8-year run as the park’s superintendent.

Cam Sholly Leaving As Yellowstone National Park Superintendent After 8-Year Run

Cam Sholly is stepping down as Yellowstone National Park superintendent after eight years that included dealing with COVID-19, massive flooding and record crowds. He said his departure has nothing to do with a rumored conflict with the administration.

Mark HeinzSeptember 11, 2026

Smoke rises southwest of Wheatland, Wyoming, as the Moonshine Fire burns in rugged and remote terrain in northern Albany County.

‘All We Can Do Is Pray And Hope’ Say Ranchers In Path Of Fast-Growing 'Moonshine Fire'

Ranchers in the path of the fast-growing "Moonshine Fire" that, as of Friday afternoon, has churned through more than 5,600 acres of land about southwest of Wheatland are more than worried. ‘All we can do is pray and hope,’ said one lifetime area rancher.

Greg JohnsonSeptember 11, 2026

Legislators and Wyoming Game and Fish Department top brass said Thursday that meetings to discuss the agency's funding weren't the place to bring up Angi Bruce's departure as director. Some cited "personnel matters" for not talking publicly about Bruce.

Lawmakers: Game And Fish Commission Meeting Not Place To Ask About Departed Director

Legislators and Wyoming Game and Fish Department top brass said Thursday that meetings to discuss the agency's funding weren't the place to bring up Angi Bruce's departure as director. Some cited "personnel matters" for not talking publicly about Bruce.

Mark HeinzSeptember 11, 2026

Page and Keith Mamot found this 2-year-old black bear in their second home near Driggs, Idaho. The bear was shot and killed soon after by sheriff’s deputies under a zero-tolerance policy related to occupied structures.

Casper Couple Saddened By Bear Killed For Entering Their Second Home In Idaho

A Casper couple said they’re saddened because a black bear that broke into their second home near Driggs, Idaho, was killed under a zero-tolerance policy for bears that enter occupied structures. “He wasn’t mean or aggressive,” Page Mamot said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

Angler trout fishing in the Snake River

Wildlife Groups Applaud Trust Fund As Way To Save Game and Fish From Budget Crisis

With Wyoming Game and Fish facing what its interim director calls a “dire” looming budget shortfall, wildlife groups say a trust fund proposed by a legislative committee has a "juggernaut of support." "God, I hope we dream big," one advocate said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

A group poses next to a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Grizzly 399 at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson on Wednesday evening.

Huge Crowd At Dedication For Gigantic Grizzly 399 Sculpture At Jackson Museum

A huge crowd of Grizzly 399 fans gathered Wednesday for the dedication of a gigantic sculpture of the world’s most famous bear at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. "Against All Odds: Grizzly 399” also features the four cubs she had in 2020.

Andrew RossiSeptember 10, 2026

Wyoming Game and Fish Game and Fish Interim Director Eric Wiltanger, Game and Fish CFO Meredith Wood, and Game and Fish Commissioner Rusty Bell speak with legislators Wednesday in Jackson.

Game And Fish Facing ‘Dire’ Financial Trouble, Interim Director Tells Lawmakers

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department budget could hit crisis level within the next few years due to inflation and a decline in deer tags, the agency’s interim director told lawmakers Wednesday. “We’re not dire right now, but we’re going to be,” he said.

Mark HeinzSeptember 10, 2026

Fresh off her U.S. House primary loss, Jillian Balow trekked her 5-foot-1-inch frame over fallen trees and into a lodgepole pine basin, rested her compound bow against a tree and waited. There, she had to really learn "what stillness is."

For Post-Election Therapy, Jillian Balow Went Bow Hunting And Bagged An Elk

Fresh off her U.S. House primary loss, Jillian Balow trekked her 5-foot-1-inch frame over fallen trees and into a lodgepole pine basin, rested her compound bow against a tree and waited. There, she had to really learn "what stillness is."

Clair McFarlandSeptember 09, 2026

Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day, and his dog Winston (pictured) were enjoying a late summer weekend in the Snowy Range when he noticed the first signs of fall. Trees and shrubs in the mountains are already changing colors.

First Colors in Parched Snowy Range Could Signal An Earlier And Faster Fall

Tree and shrubs in the Snowy Range are already showing their fall colors due to an unseasonably dry year. Meteorologist Don Day (and his dog Winston) say to see the fall color while it’s good, you might have to change your plans and get out earlier.

Andrew RossiSeptember 09, 2026

Searchers continue to scour Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains for Jonathan Bailey and his yellow Lab Wrigley, missing since Saturday when they didn’t come back from a hike in the 1,000 Island Lake area.

Search On For Missing Hiker And Dog In Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains

Searchers continue to scour Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains for Jonathan Bailey and his yellow Lab Wrigley, missing since Saturday when they didn’t come back from a hike. “Anyone can get turned around out there,” said a former Sublette County sheriff.

Jen KocherSeptember 08, 2026

A tranquilized female black bear, about 19 to 20 months old, is carried by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers Stephanie Taylor and Ty Smith after being captured in Durango on Tuesday.

Colorado Has Killed Nearly 300 Black Bears This Year, Quadruple Last Year's Amount

Colorado wildlife officials have killed nearly 300 black bears this year, almost four times as many as a year ago. “I think what people aren’t realizing is that trash is the primary reason for bears being in towns,” said one official.

Mark HeinzSeptember 08, 2026

If you take a snowmobile or snowcoach to Yellowstone Lake in winter, you might just be fortunate enough to hear an eerie symphony emanating from its icy waters. Lifelong Yellowstone employee Jeff Henry describes it as "mysterious, magical and moving."

Goodbye Summer: When Yellowstone Lake Freezes, You Can Hear A Symphony

Yellowstone National Park is a magical place in the winter. Once Yellowstone Lake freezes, you might be fortunate enough to hear an eerie symphony coming from its icy waters. A lifelong Yellowstone employee describes it as "mysterious, magical and moving."

Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2026

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Morning Glory Pool Was Brilliant Blue Until Tourists Threw "Immense Amounts Of Trash" In It

Morning Glory Pool near Old Faithful was once one of the most beautiful thermal pools in Yellowstone. It was a brilliant clear blue, but lost its color after decades of tourists throwing thousands of coins and "an immense amount of trash" in it.

Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2026

Warm Spring Geyser is a pool of brilliantly blue thermal water hidden in a cavern near Dubois, described by a frequent visitor as "like something you find down in the Caribbean.” The trick is getting there and whether to risk descending into it.

Warm Spring Geyser, A Brilliantly Blue Thermal Pool Hidden In A Cavern Near Dubois

Warm Spring Geyser is a pool of brilliantly blue thermal water hidden in a cavern near Dubois, described by a frequent visitor as "like something you find down in the Caribbean.” The trick is getting there and whether to risk descending down into it.

Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2026

Nic Buxman of Afton had set up his blind for pronghorn hunting next to a water hole in Natrona County. When he returned from scouting, it was gone.

Wyoming Outdoorsman Baffled By Theft Of Blind While He Was Pronghorn Hunting

An Afton hunter was surprised to return to the spot where he set up a pronghorn blind only to find someone had stolen it. He said the incident shook him because it's such an egregious violation of the time-honored unwritten hunters’ code of conduct.

Mark HeinzSeptember 06, 2026

Ryan Hansen got this mule deer buck during a 2025 hunt in southwest Wyoming. Hunters might have to work hard for bucks this year, according to Game and Fish.

Hunting Wyoming: With Lower Mule Deer Populations, Monster Bucks Still Out There

Mule deer populations are “languishing” in parts of Wyoming, but with archery season underway, hunters say record trophy bucks are still out there. After an unusually mild 2025-2026 winter, many deer stayed fat and growing larger antler racks.

Mark HeinzSeptember 05, 2026

The "American cheetah" chased after pronghorn at the end of the Ice Age in what would become Wyoming, but disappeared thousands of years ago. The best specimens of this big cat have been found 85 feet down in Wyoming’s Natural Trap Cave. Pictured is a contemporary African cheetah, along with fossilized specimens of American cheetahs found in Wyoming.

New Study: DNA From Wyoming's Prehistoric Cat Could Save Cheetahs, Lions, Tigers

In a new study released Friday, scientists say DNA extracted from the bones of a prehistoric "American cheetah" found in Wyoming's Natural Trap Cave could help save struggling lion and tiger populations. “We were shocked with the results,” said one biologist.

Andrew RossiSeptember 05, 2026

409 wreckage tail American Heritage Center inset 9 5 26

Woman Vows To Replace Missing Flag At Site Of 1955 Airline Crash That Killed 66

Sometime in the past year, an American flag vanished at the site of the 1955 United Air Lines crash that killed 66 people on Medicine Bow Peak. A hiker from Kansas noticed and plans to replace it when she comes back next year if nobody beats her to it.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 05, 2026

Bison graze on federal land near Grand Teton in northwest Wyoming.

Judge Halts BLM Directive To Removal Bison From Federal Grazing Allotments

A federal judge on Friday blocked a BLM directive to remove bison from Montana federal grazing allotments because they're being managed as wildlife, not livestock, in a move that a Wyoming bison rancher said is good news across the West.

Mark HeinzSeptember 04, 2026

This mule deer buck, reported to be somewhere in Bondurant, could set the new record for Wyoming’s biggest buck ever.

Monster Mule Deer Could Obliterate Record For Wyoming’s Biggest Buck Ever

Wyoming hunters are buzzing over photos and videos of a monster mule deer buck, thought to be near Bondurant. Outdoorsman say it could shatter the record for Wyoming’s biggest buck. “He’s knocking on the door of 300 inches,” one hunter said of its rack.

Mark HeinzSeptember 04, 2026

A white-collared adult grizzly has been spotted in the South Fork area near Cody recently.

Rare Adult White-Collar Grizzly Bear Seen Roaming In The South Fork Near Cody

A large adult grizzly bear with a white collar "tuxedo" was spotted on a ranch in the South Fork area outside of Cody. Cubs commonly have white fur around the neck and upper chest, but the marking is exceedingly rare in adult grizzlies.

Mark HeinzSeptember 04, 2026

A thief stole a suitcase and coffee from the back of Cameron Hersberger’s pickup in the wee hours Tuesday in the parking lot of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial on Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne. Hershberger, left, and Kelcy Deeds came to Wyoming to hunt bears.

As Hunters Dozed On I-80, Thief Swiped Suitcase And Coffee — But Left Pricey Gear

While two hunters snoozed in the cab of their pickup in the wee hours Tuesday along I-80, a thief swiped a suitcase and hand-roasted coffee from Belize from the bed — but left expensive hunting gear, a chainsaw, and camera inside a backpack.

Mark HeinzSeptember 03, 2026

Hikers got into an aggressive confrontation in Glacier National Park over an encounter with mountain goats.

Hikers Come To Blows Over Mountain Goats In Glacier: "You Want To Die?"

A group of hikers nearly threw punches and rocks at each other in Glacier National Park because one hiker was upset that two tourists (one wearing a Hawaiian shirt and the other wearing flip-flops) left a trail to get a better view of some mountain goats.

Andrew RossiSeptember 03, 2026

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