Outdoors
News

Marmots Might Seem Harmless, But They’ll Chew Up And Destroy Your Car
Marmots might seem pudgy and harmless, but they can disable vehicles by chewing up hoses and wires. Some people are now wrapping their cars in tarps to protect against the ravenous rodents.
Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

Wisconsin Man Sets New World Record For Largest Grizzly Ever Killed By A Hunter
A Wisconsin man has set a new world record for the largest grizzly ever killed by a hunter. The size of the Alaskan bear is "staggering" and experts say this record will be next to impossible to beat.
Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025

Makeshift 399 Memorial At Spot She Was Killed Draws Fans, But May Not Be Legal
Since the death of Grizzly 399 last year, a wooden post along Highway 26/89 in the Snake River Canyon has served as the unofficial memorial for fans of the bear. People leave flowers, stuffed animals, and other artifacts. But it's probably not legal.
Andrew RossiJune 14, 2025

After Two Sasquatch Sightings In Colorado, Boulder County Puts On Bigfoot Hunt
Boulder County has been buzzing with Sasquatch fever after two reported sightings this year both in the vicinity of Longmont. So a group of Bigfoot-hunters went out on Friday night to track him down. Although they came up empty-handed, the group plans another outing this summer.
Mark HeinzJune 14, 2025
The Bats Of Fort Laramie Have Returned For Another Summer In Bat Heaven
Thousands of bats have returned to Historic Fort Laramie in southeastern Wyoming. Right before each bat comes out into the night, their vocalizations suddenly stop. There’s a silent pause and then out they come with a dramatic entrance, gracefully, but silently, dipping and swooping.
Renée JeanJune 14, 2025

Montana Grizzly Killed By Landowner Is Seventh Killed This Year In State
A male grizzly was shot and killed Wednesday south of the northcentral Montana town of Havre on the northeast side of the Bear's Paw Mountains. It’s the seventh grizzly killed this year in the that state.
Jimmy OrrJune 13, 2025

Tourist Who Buzzed Yellowstone Osprey Nest With Drone Could Get Six Months In Jail
A tourist allegedly used a drone to buzz an osprey nest in Yellowstone National Park and could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine for the violation of park rules.
Mark HeinzJune 12, 2025

Interior Secretary Burgum Wants Foreign Visitor Fees, $1B Cut To National Parks
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wants to charge fees for foreigners visiting America’s national parks, as well as cut $1 billion from their budgets. Burgum defended the plan Wednesday during a Senate hearing.
Renée JeanJune 11, 2025

New Jersey Man Gored By Bison Near Old Faithful In Yellowstone
A New Jersey man on Tuesday became the second person this year to be gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. Authorities say the 30-year-old was near Old Faithful and got too close to the animal when it turned and gored him.
Andrew RossiJune 10, 2025

Yellowstone Antelope Relentlessly Chase Coyote That Tried To Snatch Fawn
Getting a meal is no easy task for coyotes in Yellowstone National Park. One unfortunate coyote was relentlessly pursued by some pronghorn after trying to snatch a fawn in the Lamar Valley.
Mark HeinzJune 10, 2025

‘Nonresident Native’ Tags Could Bring Former Wyomingites Back Home To Hunt
People born and raised in Wyoming who move to other states must pay expensive nonresident tag fees to come back to hunt. Legislators are considering lower-priced “nonresident native” hunting tags for them.
Mark HeinzJune 09, 2025

Popular Shell Falls In The Bighorns Is Closed, And Won’t Reopen For Two Years
Shell Falls, a popular outdoors attraction in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest, is closed for the next two years for repairs. It’s the second out-of-commission spot in the region this summer on the heels of Crazy Woman Canyon’s unexpected closure.
Renée JeanJune 09, 2025

The Great Salt Lake Is Swarming With Billions Of Brine Flies
Just in time for tourist season, billions of brine flies are hatching at the Great Salt Lake. Although they've got a bad reputation among humans, they’re an immensely valuable food source for animals. Dozens of birds swoop their beaks into the lake to grab brine flies by the mouthful.
Andrew RossiJune 08, 2025

Lander-Based National Outdoor Leadership School Has Gone Global Over 6 Decades
It’s been 60 years since 100 men headed into the Wind River Range on June 8, 1965, the first National Outdoor Leadership School program. The Lander, Wyoming-based nonprofit has evolved to host thousands of students a year in locations across the globe.
Amber SteinmetzJune 07, 2025

Controversial Proposal To Let Landowners Sell Hunting Tags Revived
After being shot down during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 session, a proposal to let Wyoming landowners put their hunting tags up for sale was revived before a legislative committee Friday.
Mark HeinzJune 07, 2025

Wyoming’s Golden Age Of Mule Deer Is Gone, With Fewer Than Half Of Peak Numbers
Wyoming has fewer than half of the 500,000 mule deer it did during the heyday of the 1960s to 1980s, and it will likely never see mule deer herds like that again, a Game and Fish official told legislators Friday.
Mark HeinzJune 06, 2025

It's Not Easy To Get Bison Off The Road (When They Don't Want To)
Bison are massive, obstinate, and have no regard for rules of the road. Even park rangers struggle to overcome their stubbornness, as evidenced by a recent game of “Ring Around the Rosie” between a bison and a Park Service SUV in Yellowstone National Park.
Andrew RossiJune 06, 2025

Photographers Aghast At Dimwitted Tourist Who Allowed Toddler Next To Bison
Wildlife photographers Rob and Jennifer Gunderson have seen a lot of questionable behavior over the years in Yellowstone. This week they were taken aback when they saw a woman allowing her toddler to stand right next to a full-grown 2,000-pound bison.
Andrew RossiJune 06, 2025

‘Sad Bear’ Signs Target Stretch Of Highway Where Grizzlies Keep Getting Hit
Researchers are taking a new route to keep drivers from barreling through Grand Teton grizzly habitat. They're tugging on people's heartstrings by putting up “sad bear” roadside signs, urging them to slow down.
Mark HeinzJune 06, 2025

As Minerals, Wind And Solar Projects Boom In Wyoming, Should Companies Pay For Displaced Wildlife?
State Sen. Larry Hicks is proposing a bill that would compensate Wyoming residents for “loss of property” when huge wind, solar, minerals or other energy projects displace wildlife.
Mark HeinzJune 05, 2025

Hunter Calls For Counter-Protest During Daniel Rally Against Wolf Torture
An outdoorsman is calling for people to show up in Daniel on June 14 to support Wyoming’s wolf management policies and to counter what he says is the inaccurate demonization of local resident Cody Roberts.
Mark HeinzJune 05, 2025

Early Elk Migration Could Be To Blame For Low Sales At Jackson Antler Auction
An early elk migration out of the National Elk Refuge could be to blame for a plunge in revenue from this year’s elk antler auction in Jackson. The annual auction consistently pulls in about $200,000 but this year’s auction generated only $109,000.
Mark HeinzJune 04, 2025

Elderly Wyoming Mustangs Enjoy Life On Oregon Sanctuary They Helped Make Famous
Goliath and Blue Zeus are two huge mustang stallions who lived hardscrabble lives on the Wyoming range and now enjoy freedom and plentiful forage on a 9,000-acre horse sanctuary in Oregon. Goliath is 33-years-old while Blue Zeus is 24.
Mark HeinzJune 03, 2025

Hazing Of Grizzly 1063 Led To Cubs Being Killed, Photographer Tom Mangelsen Says
World famous wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen said he believes the National Park Service's "hard hazing" of Grizzly 1063 last month led to two of her cubs being killed and cannibalized by a large male grizzly. The National Park Service disputes that.
Mark HeinzJune 03, 2025

Yellowstone Pool, Which Exploded In Spectacular Fashion Last Summer, Erupts Again
The Black Diamond Pool, in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin, blew up on Saturday evening. The area has been closed to the public ever since a spectacular explosion sent tourists screaming and running in all directions last summer.
Andrew RossiJune 02, 2025

15 Cattle Dropped Dead In One Day On Colorado Ranch Remains A Mystery
A Colorado ranch family suffered a devastating loss when 15 head of cattle died suddenly in a single day. Weeks later, they still haven’t figured out why.
Mark HeinzJune 02, 2025

When and Where To Hear Wolves Howling in Yellowstone
Going to Yellowstone and want to hear the howling of wolves? There are a lot of factors at play but the most important is just like real estate: location, location, location. Lamar Valley is your best bet.
Andrew RossiJune 02, 2025

As Tough As Moose Are, Tens Of Thousands Of Ticks Can Bring Them Down
Given their massive size and cantankerous attitudes, Wyoming’s moose might seem practically indestructible, but if enough ticks pile on to a moose, they can kill it -- and they do.
Mark HeinzJune 01, 2025

Hummingbirds Return to Wyoming, Sucking Down Enough Sugar To Put A Human In A Coma
Hummingbird season is back across Wyoming, drawing out fans of the tiny species known for aerial acrobatics and pollination of flowers. To fuel their sky-high metabolic rate, they suck down about 80% of their body weight in nectar each day.
David MadisonJune 01, 2025

Severe Geomagnetic Storm Could Make Spectacular Auroras Over Wyoming
The Space Weather Prediction Center on Saturday issued a Severe geomagnetic storm watch for June 1 and 2 when a massive surge of solar energy reaches Earth. That means some fantastic aurora displays could be in store for Wyoming skywatchers.
Andrew RossiMay 31, 2025

Why The World’s Best Kayakers Train On The Whitewater Of Montana’s Gallatin River
It’s highwater season on Montana’s Gallatin River, and a growing posse of kayakers are paddling its infamous House Rock section, training for even scarier whitewater. There’s a reason the world’s best kayakers train here.
David MadisonMay 31, 2025

Why It Probably Doesn't Make Any Sense To Keep Searching For Grizzly 399's Cub, Spirit
Since Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, was killed by a car last fall, there hasn't been a verified sighting of her cub, Spirit. Famed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, who named the cub, says it would probably take genetic testing to positively identify the bear.
Mark HeinzMay 31, 2025

Bear Stops By Burgess Junction Visitor Center, Barely Misses Busload Of Tourists
A young black bear decided to take a stroll right up to the Burgess Junction Visitor Center in the Bighorn mountains early Wednesday. The bear missed a busload of tourists by about 20 minutes.
Mark HeinzMay 31, 2025

Colorado Wolves Caught For Killing Livestock Let Go, Blamed For Killing Cows Again
Colorado’s Copper Creek wolf pack was captured and put in captivity last year for killing livestock. After being released, they’re now blamed for killing cows again.
Mark HeinzMay 30, 2025

BLM Proceeds With Roundup Of Rare Curly-Haired Horses Despite Pending Court Case
Despite a lawsuit challenging the capture of wild mustangs in central Wyoming still pending in federal court, the Bureau of Land Management has decided to proceed with the roundup of nearly 3,000 horses.
Mark HeinzMay 29, 2025

Quake In Yellowstone Spooks Humans, But Bears Don’t Care
A wildlife photographer definitely felt an earthquake in the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone on Monday evening but the bears she was filming? Couldn't care less.
Mark HeinzMay 29, 2025