Outdoors

A group of grizzly bears take a walk through Yellowstone National Park near Old Faithful in this file photo from a National Park Service webcam.

Grizzly Killed After Tipping Over 800-Pound Dumpsters Near Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park confirmed an 11-year-old male grizzly was captured and killed Wednesday after repeatedly knocking over bear-resistant dumpsters. Officials say the grizzly had repeatedly sought out human food.

Andrew RossiMay 15, 2025

File Photos: Witnesses in Montana claim they saw a National Guard chopper illegally land on private property, and the crew grabbing shed elk antlers. If true, the guardsmen responsible will be punished, a general said.

Montana National Guard Accused Of Illegally Using Black Hawk To Snag Elk Antlers

Witnesses in Montana claim they saw a National Guard chopper illegally land on private property, and the crew grabbing shed elk antlers. If true, the guardsmen responsible will be punished, a general said.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2025

Wildlife photographer Jeff Plumb observed and photographed Grizzly 1063 with her three yearling cubs less than a week before two of the cubs were found dead, aparantly victims of a boar grizzly.

Male Bear Kills, Cannibalizes 2 Of Grizzly 1063’s 3 Yearling Cubs In Grand Teton

Fans of a prominent female grizzly in Grand Teton National Park were saddened to learn Wednesday that two of her three yearling cubs were apparently killed and cannibalized by a male bear. While brutal, it’s what male bears do.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2025

Spring turkey hunting in Wyoming has been excellent this year. The state’s wild turkey population is thriving, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Population Boom Means There Are Tons Of Turkeys For Wyoming Hunters

There’s never been a better time to take up turkey hunting in Wyoming. A population boom means there are tons of wild turkeys around for the spring season.

Mark HeinzMay 13, 2025

Short $16M In Federal Money In Limbo, Wildlife Crossing Near Dubois On Hold

Roughly $16 million in federal funding is on hold for a $28 million wildlife crossing along U.S. Highway 26 near Dubois. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and others are determined to push the project forward anyway.

Mark HeinzMay 13, 2025

ARCHIVE PHOTO: The freeze/thaw of early spring is one of the major causes of rock falls in the Wind River Canyon.

Motorists Play Frogger With Falling Rocks In Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon In Spring

Spring means Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway is at its most spectacular. It’s also the peak time for rockslides, meaning motorists on U.S. 20 play Frogger with falling rocks and mud.

Jackie DorothyMay 13, 2025

A visitor to Yellowstone National Park gets up close and personal to a bison to get a selfie with it in May 2023.

Ornery Bison Don't Just Gore People, They Break Bones And Crush Organs

Most bison “goring” attacks involve massive blunt force trauma, not people getting skewered by horns in the torso. An emergency room doctor says people who get too close can suffer broken bones, crushed organs and also can take a horn to the butt.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2025

Cowboy State Daily reporter Leo Wolfson straddles two walls inside Spirit Mountain Cave.

Explore Wyoming: Deep Into Spirit Mountain Cave Above Cody

Not only is Spirit Mountain Cave above Cody full of history, it’s a passageway into a mysterious and dark underworld where even night goggles won't work. Only a few hundred people explore these caves every year.

Leo WolfsonMay 11, 2025

Drones have been used to chase wolves away from cattle in Oregon. There’s hope the tactic might work in Wyoming and Colorado.

Latest Tactic To Keep Wolves Away From Livestock: Dive-Bomb Them With Drones

Dive-bombing wolves with drones equipped with lights and speakers have scared them away from cattle in Oregon and a wolf conservation advocate hopes to work with ranchers in Colorado and Wyoming to see if drones have a similar effect here.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2025

Smoking pot may be legal in some states, but it’s not in Yellowstone National Park. When asked by customers the best way to spark up in the park, a West Yellowstone cannabis seller advises don’t — getting stoned in Yellowstone invites a federal charge.

Cannabis Sellers Warn Against Taking Marijuana Into Yellowstone

Smoking pot is legal in some states, but it’s not in Yellowstone. That's why West Yellowstone cannabis sellers warn against taking marijuana into the park as it becomes a federal crime -- and the charges can be harsh.

David MadisonMay 11, 2025

The cyclists ride through the Red Desert as the Boar's Tusk can be seen in the distance.

Bikepackers Explore Wyoming’s Famous Red Desert In New Documentary

People driving on WYO 28 outside of Lander are awed by the views of Red Canyon, but few have taken the time to explore it. Four bikepackers decided to do just that and their journey can be seen in a new documentary now on Wyoming PBS.

Amber SteinmetzMay 10, 2025

It’s hoped that a program called Access Granted can provide hunters more access to prime areas, while also respecting landowners’ rights.

Casper-Based Company Wants To End Feuding Between Hunters, Landowners

Tensions between landowners and hunters seeking access to game herds are nothing new, even leading to national attention for Wyoming’s high-profile “corner-crossing” case. A Casper-based company thinks it’s found the solution.

Mark HeinzMay 09, 2025

A helicopter drops old Christmas trees into Canyon Ferry Lake, a reservoir on the Missouri River near Helena, Montana. The trees provide spawning habitat for yellow perch and shelter for their hatchlings.

Helicopter Drops Christmas Trees Into Popular Montana Lake To Save Yellow Perch

Walleyes were gobbling up too many yellow perch in Montana’s Canyon Ferry Lake. So, state officials started dropping old Christmas trees into water to provide spawning habitat and shelter for perch hatchlings.

Mark HeinzMay 08, 2025

Yellowstone Bison Goring The Latest In A Bad Week For Floridians Vs. Wildlife

A Florida man who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone on Wednesday was lucky. Another Floridian was killed by a bear this week, and yet another by an alligator.

Mark HeinzMay 08, 2025

One of 10 wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Wandering Colorado Wolf Transplanted From Canada Logs 1,230 Miles Around State

Colorado’s reintroduced wolves have been making tracks all over the state, including one female that’s logged more than 1,200 miles. At least two are also known to have ranged into Wyoming.

Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025

A 47-year-old man from Florida was gored when he approached too close to a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. The National Park Service reported the goring Wednesday, confirming it’s the first of the season after two gorings in 2024.

Florida Man Is First Bison Goring Of The Season At Yellowstone National Park

A 47-year-old man from Florida was gored when he got too close to a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Sunday. The National Park Service reported the goring Wednesday, confirming it’s the first of the season after two gorings in 2024.

Clair McFarland & Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025

Grizzly 399 Offspring Hit And Killed By Car In Grand Teton

Grizzly 1058, a male from Grizzly 399’s famed 2020 litter of quadruplets, was confirmed dead on Tuesday, after apparently being hit by a vehicle in Grand Teton National Park.

Mark HeinzMay 07, 2025

Vandals Break Into South Dakota BLM Area, Drive Heavy Equipment Into Ditch

Vandals broke into a South Dakota public recreation area near the Wyoming border over the weekend and drove several construction vehicles into a ditch. It’s another instance of vandalism on public lands that has Wyoming contractors watching.

Andrew RossiMay 06, 2025

A screenshot from a compilation of video from SeeJH.com webcams showing the once-in-a-decade fireball.

Huge "Once-In-A-Decade" Fireball Seen Over Wyoming, Other Western States

Hundreds of people reported seeing a huge purple-green fireball streak over several Western states Saturday night. The “once-in-a-decade” event displayed a spectacular spectrum of colors as it burned across the sky.

Andrew RossiMay 05, 2025

Despite recent federal layoffs and budget cuts, Wyoming’s national parks are in “fantastic shape” and expect and “outstanding” tourist season. If the trend of visitor growth holds, Yellowstone and Grand Teton can expect more than 8.4 million visitors.

History Says Yellowstone, Grand Teton Parks Can Expect More Than 8.4M Visitors

The superintendents of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are predicting an “outstanding” summer despite staff cuts to the federal parks system that have worried many outdoor enthusiasts.

Andrew RossiMay 05, 2025

This adorable little critter photographed Sunday near Baggs is a ringtail. A distant relative of raccoons, ringtails are usually associated with the desert Southwest and are a rare sight in Wyoming.

Ringtail, Rare In Wyoming, Spotted Near Baggs — And Game And Fish Wants It

Ringtails, a distant cousin of raccoons, are a rare sight in Wyoming. A Baggs-area family spotted and photographed one, and Game and Fish hope to trap and release it somewhere safe from dogs.

Mark HeinzMay 05, 2025

The Milky Way galaxy shines through the clear night sky over Teton County, Wyoming, near the Grand Tetons.

Wyoming’s Teton County Is World's First DarkSky-Certified County

The town of Jackson and Teton County became official International DarkSky Communities for efforts to reduce light pollution. While many towns have the DarkSky certification, this is the first time for an entire county.

Andrew RossiMay 04, 2025

Expect More E-Bikes Than Ever On Wyoming Trails This Summer

From a new trail system in the Bighorns to a revised e-bike policy for U.S. Forest Service trails around Jackson, summer in Wyoming appears poised to bring out more e-bikers than ever.

David MadisonMay 04, 2025

Yellowstone National Park is using a 53,000-pound vibrator truck to create custom-made earthquakes to study the supervolcano the park sits on. It’s so far revealed that the magma chamber underneath the volcano is mostly solid.

Yellowstone Makes Earthquakes With 53,000-Pound Vibrator Truck To Study Volcano

Yellowstone is using a 53,000-pound vibrator truck to create custom-made earthquakes to study the supervolcano the park sits on. It’s a sophisticated machine that reveals what’s hidden miles underground.