Outdoors

Unraveling “whodunit” mysteries when cattle or big game animals are killed by predators can be a gory, gooey business, but there’s vital clues in the carcasses for those who know how to look.

“Grape Jelly” Blood Clots And Dismemberment Can Determine What Kills Wildlife

Investigating possible grizzly, wolf and lion kills can be a messy business. But there are vital clues in bloody, dismembered wildlife carcasses, experts say.

Mark HeinzJanuary 19, 2025

Beryl Spring, located between Mammoth Hot Springs and Madison Junction, was named for the color of its boiling water, which has been a source of intrigue, frustration, and destruction since the beginning of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone’s Beryl Springs Is Super-Hot, Ornery And Turns Stuff Blue

Beryl Spring, located between Mammoth Hot Springs and Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park, was named for the stunning blue color of its boiling water. It’s also super-hot, ornery and turns the nearby boardwalk posts blue.

Andrew RossiJanuary 19, 2025

After a dry start to winter, Wyoming snowmobilers are enjoying a bounty of fresh powder in the mountains.

Snowmobilers Stoked Snow Is Finally Piling Up Around Wyoming

After a slow start to the snowmobiling season, with little of the white stuff in December, Wyoming snowmobilers are stoked it’s filing piling up. It’s good news for Cowboy State lodges, too.

Mark HeinzJanuary 18, 2025

Speedy, Beloved 24-Year-Old Yellowstone Sanctuary Bison, Dies

Speedy the bison died Thursday after spending 24 years as one of the best-known and beloved bison in the Greater Yellowstone Region. She was an animal ambassador at the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary in Red Lodge, Montana, since 2005.

Andrew RossiJanuary 17, 2025

A snowmobile chases a wolf across a snowy landscape in Canada.

Responding To Daniel Wolf Torture, Wyoming Hunters Back "Clean Kill Bill"

In response to the notorious case of a wolf being run over with a snowmobile and tortured, a bill before the Wyoming Legislature aims to make wildlife abuse a felony offence. It’s backed by a coalition of Wyoming hunters.

Mark HeinzJanuary 17, 2025

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

Wolves From Canada Arrive In Colorado, Nobody’s Saying Where They’ll Be Released

A group of wolves have been flown from Canada to Colorado for another round of reintroductions, which has been highly controversial. There’s no word yet on when and where they’ll be released.

Mark HeinzJanuary 13, 2025

Brush 52 is one of a pair of trucks the Yoder Fire Protection District has in Southern California to help fight devastating wildfires there. Some firefighting crews are camping out at the Rose Bowl.

24 Wyoming Firefighters On The Ground Battling California Fires, More On The Way

As of Monday, 24 Wyoming firefighters were in Southern California helping fire devastating wildfires that have killed at least 24 people. More Wyoming crews are set to join them soon.

Leo WolfsonJanuary 13, 2025

Whether to split deer season into separate season for mule deer, left, and white-tailed, right, will be debated by the Wyoming Legislature.

Bill Splitting Deer Seasons Would Just Get More Mule Deer Shot, Biologist Says

Advocates of legislative bill to split Wyoming hunting seasons for white-tailed and mule deer say it will help save mule deer. A retired wildlife biologist says that would just get more mule deer killed.

Mark HeinzJanuary 13, 2025

Hunter Cade Cole took things to the extreme on an elk hunt in the mountains near Dubois. He didn’t pack any food or water, and lived off the land.

Getting Back To The Roots Of Hunting: Wyoming Man Tests Himself On Primitive Elk Hunt

A Wyoming hunter tested his ability to survive in the woods, taking only a recurve bow, two horses and a mule on a several-day hunt — but no food, water or matches. He lived off the land for days before bagging a bull elk.

Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2025

A conceptual image of a new $39 million Nature Discovery Center that will replace a 60-year-old visitor center at the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, Wyoming.

60-Year-Old National Elk Refuge Visitor Center To Get A $39 Million Overhaul

If fundraising efforts come through, the 1960s-era visitor center at the National Elk Refuge near Jackson is going to get a huge $39 million overhaul. The refuge currently clocks about 500,000 visits each year and is expected to increase.

Anna-Louise JacksonJanuary 11, 2025

Some hunters claim that technology, such as rifles designed to shoot 1,000 yards or more, is ruining the sport. The ethics of long-range hunting is a debate that's not going away.

Hunters Wonder How Far Is Too Far To Shoot Big Game Using Technology

Some hunters claim that technology, such as rifles designed to shoot 1,000 yards or more, is ruining the sport. The issue has also sparked a debate about how ethical it is to shoot game from extreme distances.

Mark HeinzJanuary 11, 2025

Former Interior Sec. Bruce Babbitt (far right) helping to carry the first wolf to arrive in Yellowstone on Jan 12, 1995

30 Years Of Yellowstone Wolves: Feds Released Them In 1995 Without Telling Wyoming

30 years ago on Sunday, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone. Then-Wyoming Gov Jim Geringer recalls former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt gave the state no notice and told him not to worry because the wolves would never leave the park.

Mark HeinzJanuary 11, 2025

Colorado wildlife agents and ice climbers work together to free a young bull elk trapped on steep hillside after its antlers got tangled in a climbing rope.

Rescuers Risk Lives To Save Elk That Got Tangled In Rope On Colorado Cliffside

A young bull elk got its antlers tangled in a rope on a near-vertical hillside in Colorado last week, prompting a dangerous rescue attempt. Wildlife agents and a group of climbers risked their lives to save the animal.

Mark HeinzJanuary 10, 2025

Grizzlies in GYE Getty Images 1498534144 1 9 25

In Brief: Wyoming Game And Fish Director Blasts Feds For Not Delisting Grizzlies

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce on Thursday blasted the Biden administration’s decision to not take grizzly bears off the endangered list. She said the feds are undermining the state’s bear management work.

Mark HeinzJanuary 09, 2025

An obsidian sow and her three cubs in this file photo. The Biden administration on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, left Western grizzlies on the endangered list.

Biden Won’t Delist Grizzlies; Gordon Blasts Decision As “Politics, Not Biology”

Grizzlies in the Lower 48 will remain under endangered species protection, federal officials announced Wednesday. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon slammed the decision as a parting shot from the outgoing Biden administration, calling it “politics, not policy.”

Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2025

A worker observes while a coworker finishes taking out the stump of a cottonwood tree at Holiday Park in Cheyenne that shows some signs of compromise. But residents are questioning the removal of some other trees, which they say were younger and healthier.

Cheyenne Cutting Down More Cottonwood Trees But Locals Say There's Nothing Wrong With Them

The City of Cheyenne is at it again -- cutting down more of its Cottonwood trees. The city says they’ve been identified as “a hazard to the public,” but locals say there was nothing wrong with them.

Renée JeanJanuary 08, 2025

A barred owl, inset, with a group of spotted owls.

Owlmageddon! To Save Spotted Owls, Feds To Kill Nearly 500,000 Other Owls

To help save spotted owls, federal officials plan to kill nearly 500,000 of a similar species, barred owls. The barred owls are bigger and are hogging the spotted owls’ food, wildlife officials say.

Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2025

A group of bison hold up traffic on a cold day in Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Sues To Reduce Number Of Bison In Yellowstone National Park By Half

Montana Gov. Gov. Greg Gianforte wants to throw out Yellowstone National Park’s new bison management plan and reduce the park’s bison’s population by half. He’s suing to make that happen, claiming Yellowstone is mismanaging its bison.

David MadisonJanuary 08, 2025

If Wyoming Grizzlies Are Delisted, They Won’t Be On Restaurant Menus

Grizzlies might soon be delisted from federal protection and hunted in Wyoming, but don’t expect grizzly steaks on the menu at your favorite restaurant. Selling wild game meat is illegal.

Mark HeinzJanuary 07, 2025

This odd-looking fawn is a member of the Wyoming Range mule deer herd, and might have a genetic mutation called leucism.

Mutant Blue-Eyed Wyoming Mule Deer Fawn With A Light Coat Causing A Stir

A mutant Wyoming mule deer with striking blue eyes and a light coat is causing a stirr among wildlife watchers. It's a rare animal, but appears to be healthy, wildlife observers say.

Mark HeinzJanuary 06, 2025

Images from a video taken by the Steve and Vlada March family shows a violent eruption of Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone National Park on July 23, 2024.

2024 Will Go Down As The “Year Of The Explosion” At Yellowstone National Park

The spectacular explosion of Black Diamond Pool was the most dramatic event of 2024 in Yellowstone National Park. Elsewhere, it was a pretty average year with nearly 1,200 earthquakes, 300-foot eruptions of Steamboat Geyser and Abyss Pool getting hotter.

Andrew RossiJanuary 06, 2025

Of the roadkill in Wyoming each year, about 85% are deer.

Roadkill Lovers Using Tech So They Can Scoop Up & Eat

Fans of eating roadkill have created apps and social media alerts so as soon as roadkill is created, connoisseurs can go to the site, scoop up the remains and get them loaded up on a barbecue.

Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2025

Mae, a Danish-Swedish farmdog, tracked down a hunter’s lost elk near Encampment, Wyoming.

Tiny, Rare Wyoming Dog Tracks Down Elk For Hunters, Starred In TV Commercial

Mae, a tiny and rare Danish-Swedish farmdog from Cheyenne, tracks down elk and starred in a national TV commercial. She’s also one of only two of her breed known in Wyoming.