Outdoors

Wyoming Elk, Antelope Adapt Better To Housing, Energy Developments Than Mule Deer

As housing and energy development continues in Wyoming, elk and antelope are more likely to adapt to avoid humans. Mule deer on the other hand are too stubborn to move and will keep their migration routes.

Mark HeinzMarch 18, 2024

Scott Werbelow of Meeteetse has worked for 30 years as a Wyoming Game and Fish Department game warden, and is sharing his experiences as the son of an unapologetic poacher.

‘Son Of A Poacher’ Recalls Wyoming Game Warden’s Career With Book Series

Though his father was a poacher, Scott Werbelow of Meeteetse grew up to have a 30-year career as a Wyoming game warden, and is writing a series of books about his experiences.

Mark HeinzMarch 17, 2024

A brown bear in Katmai National Park walking through the Brooks River with a sockeye salmon after a successful catch. This bear had been fishing unsuccessfully for quite a while before he finally caught a fish and proudly carried it to shore to eat before returning to his fishing spot.

From Wyoming To Alaska, Cody Photographer Is All About The Bears

When Cody wildlife photographer Julia Cook traveled to Alaska, her goal was to capture a Kodiak with a sockeye salmon in its mouth. It was the end of the season and the lone bear she found was having a "terrible time fishing." But he finally got it, and so did she.

Amber SteinmetzMarch 17, 2024

Patricia Wyer gives treats to rescued racoons at the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center east of Cheyenne.

Blind Fox, Bobcats And ‘Stinkerbell’ The Skunk Share A Home At Wyoming Rescue

The goal of the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center east of Cheyenne is to rehab wildlife and return them to the wild. But when disabilities don't allow that, like the blind fox named 'Vixen,' they’ll live out the rest of their lives on the property.

Mark HeinzMarch 16, 2024

A grizzly sow and her cubs in Yellowstone.

Whatever Happened With Delisting Wyoming’s Grizzlies?

A year ago, Gov Mark Gordon’s office announced that he had struck a deal with the Fish and Wildlife Service that would very likely get grizzlies delisted within a year. But nothing has changed.

Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2024

Montana Man, 80, Pleads Guilty To Creating Giant Mutant Hybrid Bighorns

A Montana man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges stemming from his creation of giant mutant hybrid bighorn sheep. Wyoming biologists said they don’t want weird mutant hybrid species here.

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2024

This huge male grizzly was the first bear of the season to emerge from the den in Yellowstone National Park. It, another large male, made short work of a bison carcass.

Here Come The Bears: First Grizzlies Of The Season Spotted In Yellowstone

Yellowstone’s first grizzlies of the season have emerged from hibernation, including a pair of male grizzlies that quickly devoured a bison carcass that some coyotes had hoped to get. As for Grizzly 399, she usually wakes up in May.

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2024

Grassfires in Cheyenne on Friday, March 1, 2024

Early Season Grassfires in Eastern Wyoming Have Many Worried Of Wildfire Crisis

Large grassfires In Laramie and Campbell Counties so early in the season have Wyoming firefighters worried that a huge fire season is in store. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso testified Tuesday it's more proof of a larger "wildfire crisis."

Andrew RossiMarch 13, 2024

Eight Communities Competing For $10 Million Wyoming Shooting Complex

There are eight communities vying to be the home of a $10 million world-class shooting complex in Wyoming. Locations include: Campbell County, Natrona County, Park County, Cheyenne, Fremont County, Hot Springs County, Uinta County and Guernsey.

Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2024

To eat during the winter, coyotes in Yellowstone National Park frequently catch voles burrowing in the snow.

How Do Coyotes Compete Against Bears & Wolves In Yellowstone? It Ain't Easy.

A Yellowstone National Park wildlife tech has studied how coyotes eke out a hard living competing with grizzlies and wolves, the park’s apex predators. It often means munching on voles and, for brave coyotes, nipping at wolves.

Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2024

Central Wyoming Bighorn Reintroduction All But Certain, Ranchers Still Not Happy

A bill that could pave the way for bighorn sheep to return to Wyoming’s remote Sweetwater Rocks area passed the Legislature, but some are worried the feds or anti-grazing advocates could use bighorns as leverage to push ranchers out.

Mark HeinzMarch 11, 2024

Thermal Drone Used To Save Woman Missing In Rugged Northwest Wyoming

A video released Thursday shows how a drone equipped with a thermal camera was used to find a special needs woman lost in the rugged Wyoming wilderness near Pinedale. The thermal camera showed her body heat signature moving through the woods.

Andrew RossiMarch 08, 2024

Massive chunks of cottonwood trees were placed in a fishing pond development in the Cheyenne Business Parkway Natural Area. Once the water fills in, the “toe wood,” as designers call it, will provide shelter for fish.

New Fishing Pond Could Make Cheyenne A Bass, Bluegill Hotspot

A new 2-acre fishing pond in Cheyenne could become a hotspot for anglers going for bluegill and bass.

Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2024

Bears Start Waking Up In Wyoming In March, But Not Much Activity Yet

March is usually when Wyoming’s bears start emerging from their winter dens, but some frontline bear observers say there’s little evidence of them so far. But, not for long...

Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2024

Thora, a filly from the McCullough Peaks mustang herd, is the spitting image of her sire, a popular stallion called Thor, behind.

Wild Horse Advocates Outraged Over 6-Month Old Removed From McCullough Peaks Herd

Wild horse advocates are seething at the BLM over a six-month old foal named Thora being taken from the McCullough Peaks Herd. "They’re still nursing, they still need to be with their moms,” mustang advocate Angelique Rea of Thermopolis said.

Mark HeinzMarch 02, 2024

Game And Fish: Two-Thirds Of Prized Wyoming Mule Deer Herd Killed Last Winter

Last year’s catastrophic winter killed nearly two-thirds of one of Wyoming’s premier mule deer herds, according to a new Game and Fish report released Thursday.

Mark HeinzMarch 01, 2024

Bill To Reintroduce Bighorns In Remote Wyoming Sails Thru Committee

Despite some opposition, a bill that could clear a path toward bighorn sheep reintroduction in remote central Wyoming sailed through a committee Thursday on its way to the state House floor.

Mark HeinzMarch 01, 2024

Colorado Wolves Likely To Cross Into Wyoming Within Weeks Where They Can Be Shot

Some of Colorado’s wolves have been pushing north, toward the Wyoming state line. It's likely just a matter of weeks before some cross over into Wyoming, where they can be shot on sight.

Mark HeinzFebruary 29, 2024

Wardens Seek Wolf Poacher Near Yellowstone Just Across Wyoming Border

Montana game wardens are looking for a poacher who illegally shot a wolf in the Gardiner area just north of the Wyoming border near Yellowstone National Park.

Mark HeinzFebruary 28, 2024

Ask Cowboy State Daily: Can I Eat A Wolf? Wyoming Chefs Respond

It’s legal to shoot wolves on sight in most of Wyoming, which raised the question with a Cowboy State Daily reader: "What if I shoot a wolf and want to eat it?" We talked to some Wyoming chefs about it.

Mark HeinzFebruary 26, 2024

Red Spouter, Yellowstone’s Multi-Personality Thermal, Created By 1959 Earthquake

Created by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1959, Yellowstone's Red Spouter is a thermal with many personalities. Depending on the season, it can be a hot spring, a boiling mudpot or it can just spew hot gas.

Andrew RossiFebruary 25, 2024

Rare ‘Frankendeer’ Crossbreeding No Threat To Wyoming Mule Deer

Mule deer-whitetail “frankendeer” hybrids are extremely rare, but not unheard of in Wyoming. They generally aren’t good survivors, and crossbreeding isn’t an imminent threat to prized mule deer populations.

Mark HeinzFebruary 24, 2024

Bills Managing Wyoming Bighorn Sheep, Elk And Whitetails Gain Traction

Two weeks into the legislative session, bills that would split mule deer and whitetail hunting seasons, compensate ranchers hungry elk gobble and reintroduce bighorn sheep to remote central Wyoming gain traction.