Outdoors
News

In Brief: Grizzly Killed For Killing Dog, Raiding Camps In Beartooth Mountains
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it killed a young male grizzly that was raiding camps in the Beartooth Mountains, then killed a hiker’s dog.
Mark HeinzOctober 04, 2024

No End In Sight For Folks In Path Of 51,000-Acre Elk Fire In Northern Wyoming
It may seem a little like “Groundhog Day” for folks in northern Wyoming in the path of the Elk Fire. The 51,000-acre wildfire is still uncontained, unpredictable and more of the same is expected.
Greg JohnsonOctober 04, 2024

Uncollared Wolf Spotted In Colorado May Have Come From Wyoming
An uncollared wolf spotted in northern Colorado has sparked controversy. Wildife officials say it’s lone pup from a pack they trapped, but others think it’s an adult from Wyoming.
Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Man Who Killed Mountain Lion With A Shovel Says It Came At Him ‘Low And Fast’
A man who killed a mountain lion with a shovel told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that he has no doubt the lion was trying to kill his dog. It came at them both “low and fast.”
Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Elk Fire Now 50,000 Acres, Spreading “In All Directions” In Northern Wyoming
The unpredictable and dangerous Elk Fire burning west of Dayton and Parkman in northern Wyoming has grown to 50,000 acres. It’s also spreading “in all directions.”
Greg JohnsonOctober 03, 2024

Colorado Man Kills Mountain Lion With Shovel To Keep It From Eating His Dog
A Colorado man killed a mountain lion with a shovel to keep it from eating his dog last week, wildlife officials reported Wednesday. It’s an impressive feat, an experienced Wyoming mountain lion hunter said.
Mark HeinzOctober 03, 2024

Gillette Welder Commutes To Alaska, Works Next To Polar Bears
Gillette's Tex McBride has an interesting commute. For two- to three-week stretches, he heads up to the North Slope of Alaska where he welds for an Arctic drilling company and frequently sees polar bears. “They’re frickin’ huge," he says. "It's frickin' awesome."
Mark HeinzOctober 02, 2024

More Evacuations Ordered As Huge Wildfire Threatens Northern Wyoming Towns
Winds have blown the 32,000-acre Elk Fire toward the northern Wyoming town of Parkman, while also threatening nearby Dayton. Additional evacuations have been ordered with the weather forecast calling for even more wind.
Greg JohnsonOctober 02, 2024

Bear-Proof Fence, “Grizzly Drills” Just Routine At Wyoming’s Wapiti School
Wapiti Elementary School west of Cody is like many other rural Wyoming schools — except its surrounded by a bear-resistant fence. Teachers running “grizzly drills” with kids is part of the routine.
Mark HeinzOctober 01, 2024

At 18,000 Acres And No Containment, Reinforcements Called In For Pack Trail Fire
After blowing up to 18,000 acres with 0% containment, the Pack Trail Fire has prompted evacuations and closures. Reinforcements are on the way, with a complex incident management team on the way.
Renée JeanOctober 01, 2024

Dayton Watched As Mountain Above Them Burned
Not many of Dayton, Wyoming’s, 830 residents got much sleep Sunday night as they watched the Elk Fire burn down the mountain face above them. The fire didn’t get to the town, but has grown to about 32,000 acres.
Greg JohnsonOctober 01, 2024

Wyoming Legislators Stop Short Of Banning Running Over Wolves With Snowmobiles
Despite calls to criminalize running down Wyoming wolves with snowmobiles, a legislative committee Monday advanced a bill that stops short of banning it. It would require the animal to be immediately killed if run down.
Mark HeinzSeptember 30, 2024

Wildfire Rages To 18,000 Acres In Bridger-Teton Forest, Pulling Crews Off Nearby Fire
A lightning strike deep in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest blew up overnight Sunday to nearly 18,000 acres. It also prompted new evacuation orders for Brooks Lake and Lava Mountain Lodges, as well as ranches and the KOA campground.
Renée JeanSeptember 30, 2024

Hunter’s Pistol Jam During Grizzly Attack Could Have Been Because Of Ammo, Grip
An archery hunter’s Glock pistol jamming on him twice during a Wyoming grizzly attack Thursday could have been due to a variety of factors. But gun experts say he did well in terrifying situation.
Mark HeinzSeptember 30, 2024

More Evacuations Ordered For People In Path Of 25,000-Acre Elk Fire
Some people were evacuated over the weekend and more Monday as the 25,000-acre Elk Fire near Dayton in northern Wyoming continues to burn. The growth of the fire slowed Monday, but it's still uncontrolled and a threat to homes in its path.
Renée JeanSeptember 30, 2024

How Out-Of-State Hunters Get Their Game Meat Back Home
Hunters who come from all over the country for Wyoming’s legendary big game face a quandary — how to get all that meat back home. The solutions are varied, but rarely cheap.
Mark HeinzSeptember 29, 2024

The Adventures Of Chester, A Runaway Packhorse In The Wilds Of Wyoming
Chester is a huge roan packhorse from Utah that disappeared for five nights in the remote wilds of Wyoming and was found on a country road in Bondurant last week. He survived in bear and wolf country, but his adventures will remain a mystery.
Mark HeinzSeptember 29, 2024

Pilots Drop Water And Slurry Bombs Like They're At War With Wyoming Wildfires
Along with hundreds of firefighters on the ground, Wyoming’s huge summer wildfires have been attacked from the air. Pilots like Brian Lash drop water and slurry bombs like they're at war with the fires.
Dale KillingbeckSeptember 29, 2024

Wisconsin Duck Hunter Claims He Killed Wolf In Self Defense; Case Under Investigation
A Wisconsin duck hunter said he was surrounded by a pack of aggressive wolves and shot one in self-defense. Unlike in Wyoming, wolves remain federally protected in Wisconsin and can’t be hunted. The man says he's confident he'll be cleared.
Mark HeinzSeptember 28, 2024

Now 4 Grizzlies Have Drowned In A Canal Near Cody; Advocates Say Bear Ladders Needed
When grizzlies enter the canal, they find out too late that they can’t climb back out of the concrete lining, so they become exhausted and eventually drown. A former federal ecologist and bear advocate says installing ladders on both sides would prevent that from happening.
Mark HeinzSeptember 28, 2024

Inside Yellowstone: Belgian Pool Named For Tourist From Belgium Who Fell In And Died
When Yellowstone became the first national park in 1872, Belgian Pool was known as Oyster Spring. It was renamed to Belgian Pool in 1929, when a newspaper editor from Belgium fell in the 180 degree water and died.
Andrew RossiSeptember 28, 2024

Yellowstone Bears Are In Pig-Out Mode, Eating 20,000 Calories A Day
With hibernation right around the corner, the bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are in full-on pig-out mode, eating 20,000 calories a day. That means it's more dangerous for people visiting their habitat. Nobody wants to run into a hangry grizzly in the fall.
Andrew RossiSeptember 28, 2024

Hunter Who Survived Wyoming Grizzly Attack Says “It Felt Like A Freight Train”
An archery hunter from Georgia attacked by a Wyoming grizzly Thursday says “it felt like a freight train” had hit him. He told Cowboy State Daily he “saw nothing but her head and her white teeth coming right at me.”
Mark HeinzSeptember 27, 2024

Nearly 600,000 Acres Have Burned During Wyoming’s Powder-Keg Summer
Much of Wyoming has been a powder keg for wildfires this summer, with nearly 600,000 acres burned in the northeast part of the state — 13 times more than last summer.
Greg Johnson & Andrew RossiSeptember 27, 2024
