Outdoors

Sweetwater County Clings To Hope Congress Will Kill Controversial BLM Plan

Sweetwater County officials say they feel in limbo at the center of a controversial BLM plan to manage 3.6 million acres of federal land in Wyoming. Their best hope to kill the plan now sit with Congress.

Mark HeinzDecember 23, 2024

Stallions Bubba and Scarface have curly manes, a rare characteristic found among the Salt Wells Creek mustang herd near Rock Springs.

BLM Plans To Round Up Extremely Rare Wyoming Curly-Haired Mustangs

Vast stretches of harsh desert near Rock Springs are among the few places in the world where mustangs with curly coats can be found, but the Bureau of Land Management plans to round them up, which has horse advocates upset.

Mark HeinzDecember 22, 2024

Yes, Bears Falling Out Of Trees And Killing People Is A Real Thing

A Virginia man was killed when a bear another hunter shot tumbled out of a tree and landed on him. A veteran Wyoming predator hunter said the danger posed by large animals falling out of trees is a real thing.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2024

What3Words Claims To Be The Best Rescue App Ever, But Misses In Wyoming

A new app maps out the entire world into 3-yard squares and assigns three words to identify each square. It’s wildly popular with some emergency responders and is growing a base, but Wyoming rescue pros aren’t sold.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2024

Story Of Birdshot Dropping Charging Grizzly Seems Unbelievable, Wyoming Hunters Say

A Montana man once stopped a charging grizzly bear with a load of birdshot from a .410 shotgun. That seems unbelievable to Wyoming hunters because of the gun’s relatively weak stopping power.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2024

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Shooting Drones Is Illegal, But A Shotgun Would Work Best If You Must

We're not recommending anyone shoot down a drone. That's illegal in Wyoming. But if someone needed to, a shotgun would be the right weapon, gun experts say.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

Bryan Bedrosian, the conservation director for the Teton Raptor Center, wants to do all he can to help Wyoming’s golden eagle population.

Man-Made Nests Could Protect Eagles From Getting Slaughtered By Wind Turbines

With too many golden eagles getting slaughtered by wind turbines in central and southeast Wyoming, it’s hoped man-made nests can help. They create a safe haven for the raptors away from wind farms.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

A shooter wears ear protection as he demonstrates a pistol equipped with a "loudener," in this case a funnel-like device attached to the end of the gun to amplify its sound.

Forget About Silencers, People Are Putting ‘Loudeners’ On Their Guns

“Loudeners," or devices that increase a gun's noise and concussion, have a fan base. But some Wyoming shooters say there's no reason for them and loundeners are just stupid.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2024

Noted Wyoming Outdoorsman Paul Ulrich, a fishing guide for Two Rivers Fishing Company of Pinedale, worries about Wyoming’s waters getting too crowded.

As Out-Of-Staters Mob Wyoming’s Prime Fishing Spots, Some Want To Regulate Guides

Out-of-staters are taking advantage of Wyoming’s loose regulations for fishing guides and crowding the state’s prime waters, say backers of a bill that would change that.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

Colorado will use range riders to help ranchers protect their livestock from that state's reintrocuded wolves.

Ranchers Skeptical Range Riders Will Save Colorado Livestock From Wolves

As Colorado prepares to release more wolves, the state will use range riders to help protect livestock. Unless they’re allowed to kill interloping wolves, ranchers are skeptical range riders could make a difference.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

This bronze cannon recently unearthed in Arizona is the oldest firearm ever found in the continental United States. It was used during a Spanish expedition in the 1540s.

1540s Bronze Cannon Dug Up In Arizona Is The Oldest Gun Ever Found In The U.S.

A nearly 500-year-old bronze cannon used by Spanish conquistadors was recently unearthed in Arizona, making it the oldest firearm ever found in the continental U.S. It’s also more than 200 years older than the first guns in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

Some Eagles' Nests Weigh More Than 1,000 Pounds & Can Fit Several People

Eagles’ nests are huge, sometimes weighing more 1,000 pounds, and it takes generations of the raptors to build them. The most colossal ones can be big enough to seat several people inside.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

Top Bear Biologist Argues For More Grizzlies; Wants Them To Roam Freely All Over The West

A top bear biologist is arguing against delisting grizzlies from federal protection and hunting them. Instead, he says there should be more — a “meta-population” of grizzlies from Canada to the southern end of Yellowstone National Park.

Mark HeinzDecember 11, 2024

A grizzly sow and her cubs in Yellowstone.

Feds Under Deadline To Decide On Delisting Grizzlies By Jan. 20

A judge’s order has ratcheted up the pressure on federal officials to decide whether Wyoming’s grizzlies should be delisted. Montana and Idaho are clamoring for delisting as well, with a Jan. 20 deadline looming.

Mark HeinzDecember 11, 2024

A grizzly bear named Ethyl wandered 5,000 miles across Montana and Idaho. Biologists think it might have been because she couldn’t find her way back home.

Ethyl, The Grizzly That Wandered 5,000 Miles, Was Likely Trying To Get Back Home

Grizzlies are known to wander, but one named Ethyl took it to the next level, logging 5,000 miles wandering across Montana and Idaho.

Mark HeinzDecember 10, 2024

A 190-acre parcel of land near Lewistown, Montana, could become the 56th state park.

Area Where Lewis And Clark Once Camped Could Be Montana’s Next State Park

A 109-acre piece of land north of Lewistown could become Montana’s next state park. It holds historic significance as a spot where Lewis and Clark once camped in 1805.

Anna-Louise Jackson for Cowboy State DailyDecember 09, 2024

A Sweetwater County animal control officer holds George, a pesky opossum that was living under a local resident's home in summer 2022.

Despite What Wildlife Experts Say, Wyoming Has Plenty Of Opossums -- And They Reek

Cowboy State Daily readers reached out to us -- en masse -- to tell us although there may not be an "official" opossum population in Wyoming, they're here and there are a lot of them. And, as a bonus, they really stink.

Mark HeinzDecember 08, 2024

A scout rifle is a short-barreled, all-purpose rifle with a low-powered scope for quick target acquisition. The design was conceived by Marine Corps veteran and legendary small arms expert Jeff Cooper. Van Dorsten Custom Firearms in Sheridan specializes in scout rifles.

Made In Wyoming: Gunsmith Gets Back To Basics Making Custom “Scout Rifles”

With the hunting rifle world increasingly dominated by magnum-caliber, extreme-range rifles, semiautomatics and super-powered scopes, a Sheridan gunmaker hopes to carve out his niche with compact, handy “scout rifles.”

Mark HeinzDecember 08, 2024

Randy Haas, an assistant professor in the University of Wyoming department of anthropology practices using an ancient weapon called an atlatl. He did it with his son, Hank, on his back to see if it was possible for ancient people to hunt huge beasts like mammoths while packing their kids.

Stone Age People Could Easily Hunt Packing A Baby, Wyoming Anthropologist Finds

Taking your toddler hunting is nothing new in Wyoming, or in human history for that matter. A University of Wyoming anthropologist says there's evidence that stone-age hunters took their kids hunting with them.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Wyoming State Parks maintains small herds of semi-wild bison that roam freely across Hot Springs and Bear River state parks. To keep the herd at optimal size, the state is selling 15 to the highest bidders.

Want To Buy A Wild Bison? Wyoming State Parks Is Selling 15

For the person who has everything, Wyoming State Parks is selling 15 wild bison. They’re huge, healthy and as close to genetically pure wild bison as is possible. They’re also available to the highest bidders.

Jackie DorothyDecember 07, 2024

Parc Omega is a wildlife preserve in Canada that lets people stay in lodges next to a wolf preserve, with large picture windows to view the predators up close.

Lodges That Let People "Sleep With The Wolves" A Bad Idea, Wyoming Wildlife Experts Say

A wildlife preserve in Canada has lodges where visitors have only a pane of glass between them and a pack of wolves. Billed as a chance to “sleep with the wolves,” Wyoming wildlife officials say it’s a terrible idea.

Mark HeinzDecember 07, 2024

Canadian Man Severely Mauled After Jumping On Polar Bear To Save Wife

A Canadian man was severely mauled on Monday after jumping on a polar bear that was attacking his wife. His heroics are similar to how a Wyoming wrestler saved a friend by jumping on a grizzly bear in 2022.

Mark HeinzDecember 06, 2024

Cade Cole hunts and guides hunts for elk in the Dubois area. He said hunting was rough this year in the aftermath of massive wildfires.

Wyoming Has Plenty Of Elk, But Hunters Aren’t Finding Them This Year

Even though parts of Wyoming have more elk than ever, hunters are reporting a poor season this year. Warm weather and the aftermath of massive wildfires are likely to blame.

Mark HeinzDecember 05, 2024

A portion of the recently completed Dry Piney Connectivity Project, which consists of 33.4 miles of 8-foot-tall deer fence and nine underpasses.

Work To Start On $37 Million Wildlife Crossing Project in Southwest Wyoming

A $37 million wildlife crossing project on U.S. 189 in southwest Wyoming is on track to begin construction next year. The project will add five underpasses, one overpass and fencing improvements along a 30-mile stretch of highway.

Justin GeorgeDecember 04, 2024

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