Outdoors
News

With 2 Wildfires Burning Near Ten Sleep, Town Becomes Ground Zero For Responders
With a pair of wildfires less than 15 miles from the town, Ten Sleep has become ground zero for wildland firefighting crews. Residents can see the smoke, and “at night you can see the orange glow,” the mayor says.
Greg JohnsonJuly 30, 2025

Anglers Upset Over Plan To Ban Boats On Wyoming’s Famed Miracle Mile
A proposal to ban watercraft on the upper stretch of the North Platte River’s Miracle Mile section near Casper is drawing fire from some anglers who want to kill the rule before Gov. Mark Gordon signs off on it.
Mark HeinzJuly 29, 2025

Teen Hiking Near Yellowstone Geyser Suffers ‘Significant Thermal Burns’
A 17-year-old tourist suffered “significant thermal burns” while hiking in the Lone Star Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park on Monday morning. He broke through the thermal crust and into the scalding water.
Andrew RossiJuly 29, 2025

Colorado Halfway Done With World’s Largest Wildlife Overpass Spanning I-25
Colorado is about halfway through building what officials are touting as the world’s largest wildlife overpass. It’s a $15 million megastructure spanning six lanes of Interstate 25 south of Denver.
Mark HeinzJuly 29, 2025

Floater And Fishing Access Fight Flares Over Channel Near Pinedale
Anglers and locals say a new landowner is blocking a historic channel connecting Pine Creek and the New Fork River near Pinedale, raising the temperature over public access and state law.
Mark HeinzJuly 28, 2025

Game And Fish Says Disease Caused Dozens Of Doves Drop Dead In Rock Springs
A lifeless dove found near a curb. Another beneath a tree. Then dozens more, mostly found within a tight radius of Rock Springs known as the “Tree Streets.” They died of a virus — not bird flu — Wyoming Game and Fish told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
Tracie SullivanJuly 28, 2025

18 Months After Name Change, Wyomingites Still Argue Over ‘Swastika Lake’
Nearly 18 months after Swastika Lake in Albany County was renamed Knight Lake, there’s still controversy and arguments over whether the change was justified or erased history.
Mark HeinzJuly 25, 2025

Rancher Tries To Save Elk Calf Mauled In Mountain Lion Attack
A Montana outdoorsman and rancher found an elk calf that had been critically hurt in a mountain lion attack and took it into his home. The calf died, but he doesn’t regret trying to save it. It also follows a trend of more mountain lion sightings.
Mark HeinzJuly 25, 2025

Rule Would Let Trappers Off Hook For Some Otter Killings, But They Can’t Keep Pelts
A proposed change in Wyoming Game and Fish regulations would let trappers off the hook for “unintentionally” killing otters. But they’d have to surrender the otters’ carcasses to Game and Fish.
Mark HeinzJuly 25, 2025

Congress Moves To Stop Killing Of 500,000 Barred Owls To Save Spotted Owls
Environmental groups have pulled together a bipartisan effort in Congress, which introduced a bill Wednesday to halt a Biden-era plan for a mass killing of 500,000 barred owls. Killing those owls would save endangered spotted owls, officials have said.
Mark HeinzJuly 24, 2025

Not Everyone Thrilled With Colorado’s Wolf Boom — Four New Litters
Colorado’s wolf population is booming, with four packs known to have litters of pups born this spring. Not everyone is thrilled with that news, including ranchers who say wolves have killed numerous cattle.
Mark HeinzJuly 23, 2025

Proposed Bear-Baiting Ban In Wyoming Sparks Debate Over What’s Ethical In Bear Hunting
A coalition of animal welfare groups is backing a congressional bill to ban bear-baiting on federal land in Wyoming and other states, but some hunters argue it’s an ethical way to hunt bears.
Mark HeinzJuly 22, 2025

Story That Grizzly 399’s Cub Spirit Found Through DNA Testing Is Bogus
Rumors started flying online Sunday that Grizzly 399’s final cub, Spirit, has been found alive and identified through DNA. Wyoming wildlife officials say don’t believe it, that it’s a bogus story.
Mark HeinzJuly 21, 2025

It’s Huckleberry Season, But Don’t Ask A Picker Where To Find Them
Throngs of huckleberry hunters are out as the season for picking the wild-growing fruit is hitting its peak in Wyoming. But don’t you dare ask a picker where to find them, as they protect their prime patches the way anglers do a favorite fishing hole.
Anna-Louise JacksonJuly 20, 2025
Cutting-Edge Avalanche Radar Planned For Wyoming’s Notorious Hoback Canyon
Hoback Canyon in northwest Wyoming is notorious for being avalanche-prone. It’s been selected to get a new cutting-edge avalanche radar system that can detect potential slides 24/7 in any weather. That promises faster road closures and safety for drivers.
David MadisonJuly 19, 2025

One Of Wyoming’s Most Beautiful Drives Is Also A Kidney-Rattling Washboard Ride
Just past Sinks Canyon State Park south of Lander is Louis Lake Loop Road. Nearly 100 years old, it leads to some of Wyoming’s most beautiful places, but it's a rough ride. The road wasn't built for today's traffic. It was designed to handle Model Ts going 15 mph.
Mark HeinzJuly 19, 2025

Do Bison Understand Death? Bison Funerals Suggest They Might
Anecdotal evidence suggests bison might have specific behaviors associated with death and mourning. In one case in northern Yellowstone, bison maintained a constant vigil around a deceased bison, circling around the carcass for more than an hour.
Andrew RossiJuly 19, 2025

Mouth-Ripping Barbed Hooks Banned On North Platte Blue-Ribbon Trout Fisheries
Barbed fishing hooks inflict ghastly injuries to prized trout in the North Platte River near Casper. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission this week banned barbed hooks along sections of the river, a move fishing guides say is overdue.
Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

Fox-Turned-Shoe Bandit Makes Grand Teton’s ‘Most Wanted’ List
At least one naughty fox has been making off with people’s shoes from a campground in Grand Teton National Park. At least 32 shoes have been stolen so far, prompting the park to put the fox on its “Most Wanted” list.
Mark HeinzJuly 18, 2025

Hageman Wants Answers About Prosecution Of Grand Teton Trail Runner
Idaho ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri is awaiting a verdict in a criminal trial for cutting a switchback while running up Grand Teton last fall. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman says she’s investigating a possible overzealous prosecution.
Sean BarryJuly 17, 2025

Park Service Kills "Food-Conditioned" Black Bear In Yellowstone
The National Park Service announced Thursday that a black bear in Yellowstone was killed because it had developed a taste for human food. The last straw was ransacking a tent and tearing down food storage poles.
Andrew RossiJuly 17, 2025

Supreme Court Petition Is Final Hail Mary For Wyoming Corner-Crossing Landowner
The landowner at the center of Wyoming’s famous “corner-crossing” case has lost every court battle against hunters who crossed at the corner of his property to get to public land. Wednesday, he filed a petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025

Montana Considers Killing Nearly Half Of Its Wolf Population
Montana is considering setting a wolf kill quota of 500 for the 2025-2026 wolf seasons, nearly half of its wolf population. It would allow hunters and trappers to take as many as 15 wolves each.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025

After Hours Of Testimony, Commission Rejects Changes To Landowner Hunting Tags
After landowners showed up in force to oppose proposed changes to landowner hunting tag requirements, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission rejected the changes Tuesday.
Mark HeinzJuly 16, 2025