Outdoors

Crews respond to one of a pair of large wildfires burning near Gillette. Now Campbell County Fire Department is being aggressive with a new fire reported Sunday north near the Montana border.

Evacuations Ordered For New Campbell County Wildfire

A new wildfire discovered Sunday in northeast Wyoming has prompted an evacuation order for an area near the Montana border. The Silver Spoon Fire in Campbell County is about 1,000 acres and reportedly spreading fast.

Greg JohnsonSeptember 01, 2024

Devil's Canyon crew hikes up a hill while fighting the South Fork Lyons Fire in Montana.

Wherever Wildfires Blaze You’ll Find Wyoming's Elite Devil’s Canyon Crew

Wherever wildfires rage across North America, you’ll find the elite Devil’s Canyon hand crew from Worland, Wyoming. The team is made up exclusively of military veterans and are often air-dropped from helicopters into some of the most remote regions in the country.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2024

A pair of Washington state game wardens wear body cameras, which all of the state's game wardens will be required to wear starting next month.

Washington State Game Wardens Will Wear Mandatory Body Cams

Starting next month, game wardens in Washington state must wear body cameras. Some retired game wardens in Wyoming said they understand why, but aren’t fans of the mandate. The Wyoming Game and Fish department wouldn't say if they are considering it.

Mark HeinzSeptember 01, 2024

Bill Van Den Ouden sits at the Safari Club bar with his friend, John Cordova. He and his wife, Maria Van Den Ouden, had come back to visit Thermopolis specifically to show their family friend the large taxidermy collection that they first saw with their kids over two decades prior.

Thermopolis Safari Club’s World-Class Big Game Trophy Collection Needs A New Home

The Safari Club in Thermopolis is well-known for the big game trophies from around the world. Most were hunted by the late Jim Mills, who hunted and fished for 80 years. But after selling their share of the business two years ago, his family wants a buyer who will keep the world-class collection intact.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2024

This photo of a big cat in Rock Springs was shared by Lynell Williams in the Sweetwater County Rants and Raves Facebook group in July. She says the photos were taken from about 150 yards away and that "it's not a bobcat."

Fans of Mysterious Rock Springs Wildcat Don’t Want It Captured

Rock Springs citizens say there's a large wildcat — a bobcat or mountain lion — living in their community. But they don’t want it caught or relocated. Just let it roam, they say.

Mark HeinzAugust 31, 2024

The Rosebud County Sheriff's Office in Montana continues to work around the Remington Fire, which started in Wyoming and pushed north into Montana.

Wyoming’s Wildfires At Least 66% Contained, Have Burned 460,000 Acres

Firefighting crews continue to make progress on large wildfires in northern Wyoming that have burned nearly 460,000 acres. All but one is at least 66% contained Friday as local efforts shift to damage assessment.

Clair McFarlandAugust 30, 2024

Huge Wyoming wildfires have devastated large areas of forage for wildlife and lifestock.

Massive Wyoming Wildfires Could Leave Game Herds Facing Disease, Starvation

Most of northern Wyoming’s wildlife seems to have escaped being burned in massive wildfires. But there’s concern about the lingering threats of disease and starvation for elk, deer and antelope.

Mark HeinzAugust 29, 2024

Dozens of firefighting crews are on site at the Brooks Lake Lodge to protect the historic site as well as train for fighting the Fish Creek Fire in August 2024 if or when it advances close to residential areas.

Dozens Of Firefighting Crews On Site To Protect Iconic Brooks Lake Lodge

A spiderweb of waterlines are positioned around the historic structures at Brooks Lake Lodge and dozens of crews from an overall incident management team of 500 firefighters have been brought to the scene to cross-train for protecting the historic Wyoming lodge.

Renée JeanAugust 29, 2024

Wyoming State Forester, Kelly Norris, tells a packed crowd at a fire meeting at Cam-Plex Tuesday night how lightning strikes exacerbated the fire conditions in Campbell and surrounding counties between Aug. 20-21.

Worst Wildfires In Campbell County History Stretched Resources, Nerves

Fighting dozens of wildfires that burned nearly 450,000 acres over the past week has left Campbell County firefighters and locals frazzled.

Jen KocherAugust 28, 2024

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

Colorado Trapping And Moving Wolf Pack That Keeps Killing Livestock

Eight months after wolves were reintroduced to Colorado, a pack is being trapped and relocated. It’s killed so many sheep and cattle, state wildlife officials are removing them.

Mark HeinzAugust 28, 2024

A lone wolf in Yellowstone National Parks makes a bold, but futile attempt to chase down a cow elk, before other elk join in and send the wolf scrambling.

Yellowstone Wolf Learns That Going After Elk Alone Usually Leads To A Stomping

A lone wolf that tried taking on some elk in Yellowstone National Park was lucky it didn’t get stomped to death. Biologists say such solo hunts rarely work out for wolves.

Mark HeinzAugust 28, 2024

A large plume of smoke rises from the Constitution Fire northeast of Gillette, which is also burning in some timber, which is more difficult to fight.

Northeast Wyoming Wildfires Getting Under Control, Teton Crews Still Fight Timber

A handful of large wildfires that have consumed nearly 460,000 acres across northern Wyoming and southern Montana are getting under control. But timber in the Fish Creek and Flat Rock fires hold heat longer than grasslands.

Clair McFarland & Jen KocherAugust 28, 2024

A bulldozer helps create fire lines to gain containment on the Remington Fire.

Remington, Flat Rock Fires Now Half Contained As Upstart Blaze Pops Up

Firefighters made significant progress on large wildfires that have burned nearly 460,000 acres in Wyoming and Montana. The huge 200,000-acre Remington Fire is now 50% contained, and Flat Rock Fire 54%. But new fires are a concern.

Clair McFarlandAugust 28, 2024

Three wolf pups are seen playing in this screenshot from video, taken in August 2024 in the Colorado mountains. At one point, the video pans to show two Jack Russel terries that seem alert, but not afraid, as they watch from the cab of a pickup.

Colorado Has At Least Three Wolf Pups Now, And They’re Growing Fast

A video by a Colorado outdoorsman confirms that state’s new wolf pack has at least three new pups. But people there continue to be divided on reintroducing the predators to the Centennial State.

Mark HeinzAugust 27, 2024

Firefighters work to protect the 102-year-old historic Brooks Lake Lodge from the Fish Creek Fire burning in northwest Wyoming.

Elite Firefighting Team Moves In To Defend Historic Brooks Lake Lodge

One of 44 elite firefighting teams in the U.S. is on scene in Wyoming on Monday to help defend the historic Brooks Lake Lodge from wildfire. It’s also helping to keep the flames away from other homes and infrastructure in the Dubois area.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2024

A pair of pronghorn in an area recovering from a wildfire in this file photo.

Grim Wildlife Death Count Expected As Wildfires Rip Through Northern Wyoming

State Game and Fish agents are preparing for the grim task of counting wildlife carcasses killed by raging wildfires in northern Wyoming that have burned more than 430,000 acres so far.

Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2024

Even in blazing heat, it’s possible to have a successful archery hunt, said prominent Wyoming Outdoorsman Guy Eastman. He bagged this Wyoming antelope in 90-degree heat.

Wyoming Hunting: Triple-Digit Heat, Wildfires For Start Of Bowhunting Season

A week into some of Wyoming’s archery hunting seasons, it’s still sweltering hot. But even triple-digit temperatures can't keep committed bowhunters from pursuing their tags.

Mark HeinzAugust 25, 2024

Ryan Bogers, co-owner of the Tongue River Marina in the Tongue River Reservoir State Park in southeastern Montana, stands along the burned area of the Barber Draw Fire that threatened his marina store and other buildings surrounding the reservoir.

Owners Of Montana’s Tongue River Marina 'Defeated' By Wildfire Damage

Wildfires in northern Wyoming and southern Montana have burned more than 400,000 acres. They’ve also left ranchers and small businesses like Tongue River Marina wrecked financially and worried about the future.

Pat MaioAugust 25, 2024

On the fire lines battling the Remington Fire.

Wildfires Have Blazed Through 430,000 Acres In Northern Wyoming And Montana

The Remington Fire that started in northern Wyoming and ran into Montana exploded again overnight Saturday and Sunday to nearly 200,000 acres. Including other major events in the region, wildfires have blazed through more than 430,000 acres.

Clair McFarlandAugust 25, 2024

All-Out, Around-The-Clock Effort To Save Historic Brooks Lake Lodge From Fire

There’s an all-out, around-the-clock effort on to save the historic Brooks Lake Lodge from the Fish Creek Fire. Ultimately, the lodge’s survival is up to the wind and weather.

Renée JeanAugust 24, 2024

This pair of Canada geese has been arriving each spring in Shery Jespersen’s barnyard near Upton for 24 years.

After Rescuing Eggs, Wild Goose Returns To Wyoming Ranch For 24 Years

A Wyoming rancher rescued some Canada goose eggs that her chickens incubated. One of the geese that hatched has returned to her ranch every spring for 24 years.

Mark HeinzAugust 24, 2024

A locked gate blocks access to the west end of the Boswell Road, off Highway 230 in southern Albany County.

Popular Snowy Range Road Still Closed, But People Are Using It Anyway

Boswell Road, a popular access to Wyoming’s Snowy Ranch, remains closed as campers and bowhunters look for access. The legal status of the road remains in limbo, but closed or not, people are using it anyway.

Mark HeinzAugust 23, 2024

Bears that come too close to humans are usually captured and release — as shown in this Wyoming Game and Fish file photo — rather than killing them, which is a last resort.

Brief: Game And Fish Relocates Grizzlies That Killed Calves In Northwest Wyoming

Two adult grizzlies – a male and a female – were trapped and relocated after killing ranchers’ calves in separate incidents in northwest Wyoming.