Outdoors | Cowboy State Daily

"Eating, Eating, Eating": Wyoming Bear Activity Still Very High

By accounts from all across the West, this year has been bonkers for bears, and it isn’t over yet. Bear activity is still quite high in Wyoming. A black bear in the Snowy Range flipped over an elk hunter's generator and then just stared at the hunter.

Mark HeinzOctober 30, 2026

Speeding Driver Caught With 70 Ducks In South Dakota, 52 Over The Legal Limit

A routine speeding stop in South Dakota turned into a wildlife investigation when a trooper discovered 70 harvested ducks in the driver's vehicle, 52 more than is legally allowed. Only three of the packaged ducks met legal transportation requirements.

Kate MeadowsOctober 28, 2026

Wolf 1479F was a young female member of the Junction Butte Pack in Yellowstone National Park. She was killed legally by a hunter in Montana in 2025.

Critics Blast Wyoming, Montana Wildlife Officials Over Anti-Wolf And Grizzly Bias

Wyoming and Montana wildlife commissions are receiving increasing criticism over their approaches toward predators such as wolves and grizzly bears. Critics say the officials favor hunters, anglers and trappers over interests of the general public.

Mark HeinzOctober 28, 2026

Every fall, bull elk, deer and moose risk getting their antlers tangled in everything from wire fencing and ropes to hammocks, Christmas lights and Halloween decorations.

Halloween Witch Hanging From Elk’s Antlers Highlights Hazards For Big Game In Fall

A bull elk in Estes Park wearing a witch on its antlers is getting laughs online, but wildlife experts say elk, deer and moose can get tangled in everything from fencing to hammocks during the fall mating season -- including Halloween decorations.

Kate MeadowsOctober 27, 2026

Hungry bears are breaking into more cars across the U.S. West, often trashing them to the point of being total losses. “The bears get inside and they panic. They shred the entire interior," said a Colorado auto body shop owner.

Bear Vs. Car: When A Break-In Becomes A Total Loss

2026 has brought extreme bear activity to Wyoming and surrounding states. A Steamboat Springs body shop says it’s repaired about a dozen bear-shredded vehicles recently, averaging $7,000 per insurance claim. Two were totaled.

Kolby FedoreOctober 26, 2026

An elk hunter found remote gravesites in the Bighorn Mountains. An amateur gravesite researcher says they belong to a soldier who accidentally shot himself in 1877 and a rail tie hack who died of a heart attack in 1922.

Researcher Baffled On How Two Men Are Buried In Same Spot In Remote Bighorns

After a hunter found two graves in the same spot from men who died 45 years apart, a gravesite researcher says she baffled by it. She said back then you were buried where you died. “It makes me wonder if there aren’t other gravesites up there,” she said.

Mark HeinzOctober 26, 2026

Hunters compete in the 2026 Deer Calling World Championships in Germany.

Germany’s Deer Calling Championships Is Like Bugling For Bigfoot In Wyoming

What European deer callers consider an art, Americans might find hysterical. Germany’s champion deer callers try to mimic their "roar" by cramming huge tubes into their mouths. One Wyoming hunter says it sounds like a Sasquatch having gastrointestinal problems.

Mark HeinzOctober 25, 2026

Arkansas rice farmer Todd Gibson was so fed up with beavers ruining his crops, he built a gun platform on his 2025 Honda Pioneer UTV to hunt them down. Now, he uses it mostly to hunt coyotes.

Farmer Builds UTV 'Battle Buggy' With Gun Platform To Blast Pests And Predators

An Arkansas farmer fed up with beavers eating his crop built a "Battle Buggy" with a gun platform that could be the envy of Wyoming pest hunters. “If you like driving around and shooting, I can’t imagine anything more fun,” said a prairie dog hunter.

Mark HeinzOctober 25, 2026

Pictured here is one of three bull elk that was shot and left to rot near Hyattville sometime between Oct. 3 and Oct. 10.

Hunters Livid At Poachers Leaving Three Bull Elk And A Collared Cow Moose To Rot

Wyoming hunters are sounding off after poachers shot three bull elk near Hyattville, along with a collared moose near Dubois in another incident, and left them to rot. “Grow up, have some ethics,” one livid hunter told Cowboy State Daily.

Mark HeinzOctober 23, 2026

A large grizzly bear is pictured here in the backcountry of Glacier National Park in Montana. 2026 has been a busy year for bear attacks in North America, involving both grizzlies and black bears.

Creator Of New Public Bear Attack Database Says 2026 Has Been ‘Unprecedented’

An outdoorsman with a network of wildlife-agency contacts has created the first public database for bear attacks. He said 2026 has been "unprecedented." He's documented 64 attacks so far this year that has resulted in injury or death in North America.

Mark HeinzOctober 23, 2026

Hunters and wildlife watchers use trail cameras, sometimes called game cameras, to document animal activity in their favorite places. But left unattended, they’re vulnerable to theft.

Hunters Returning To Trail Cams Only To Find Memory Cards And Cameras Missing

Park County outfitter Chip Burgess was infuriated and baffled to find the memory card in his trail cam — with a month full of photos — missing. Turns out, other hunters are having their memory cards and cameras stolen too.

Mark HeinzOctober 23, 2026

Deer that are killed by either of the closely related epizootic hemorrhagic diseases (EHD) or bluetongue viruses will have bloody foam coming from their nose or mouth and swollen faces and/or necks.

Deadly Bluetongue Disease Has Deer Foaming At The Mouth In Parts Of Wyoming

Deadly diseases called bluetongue and EHD that leave deer with bloody foam coming from their noses and mouths has hit parts of Wyoming this year, especially white-tails. The disease, which has hit North Dakota hard, can kill up to 90% of a herd.

Mark HeinzOctober 22, 2026

Carbon County Undersheriff Abandons Vacation To Help Rescue Hunter In Snowy Range

Carbon County Undersheriff Shawn Kelley abandoned his vacation Sunday to help rescue a hunter in the Snowy Range. Sheriff Alex Bakken said he wasn't surprised. "He's the kind of guy that, if we have something going on, he's going to jump in and help."

Kate MeadowsOctober 22, 2026

Hero! Deputy Uses Tree Trimmers And Sweet Talk To Rescue Moose Tangled In Fence

When a moose calf became hopelessly tangled in wire fencing near an Idaho woman's home, sheriff's deputy Shiloh Frantz came to the rescue. It wasn't easy. The wire was stubborn, the moose was frightened, and an angry mother moose could have been nearby.

Kate MeadowsOctober 20, 2026

Sue, the fully tackled palomino, in the Bechler Region of Yellowstone National Park shortly after her was found and rescued on Friday.

Lost Yellowstone Horse Had An iPhone, So Why Couldn't Verizon Just 'Ping' It?

When a horse got lost in Yellowstone with an iPhone in his saddle last week, Verizon declined to ping its location to help. The owner was thrilled the horse was found safe, but remains unhappy with the company. "I still hate Verizon," she said.

Kolby FedoreOctober 19, 2026

"Horror Movie": Idaho Man Describes Terrifying Night He Fought Bear To Protect Family

At 3:30 a.m. on October 2, a bear entered Brian and Kim Heidemann's house in Salmon, Idaho. With no weapon and only his fists, Brian — to protect his family — brawled with the bear as it bit him in the back of the head and torso down to the bone.

Kaitlyn Hart & EastIdahoNews.comOctober 19, 2026

Deputies put down a mountain lion roaming a neighborhood northeast of Cheyenne. Nearby horse owners say the threat to foals and livestock was real, and the choice to euthanize was valid. “It would have been back,” one neighbor says.

Deputies Euthanize One Of Two Mountain Lions In Neighborhood North Of Cheyenne

Deputies put down one of two mountain lions roaming a neighborhood northeast of Cheyenne on Saturday. Nearby horse owners say the threat to foals was real, and the choice to euthanize was necessary. “It would have come back,” one resident said.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 19, 2026

Ken Wohl loved hunting in the Snowy Range mountains west of Laramie. He also loved his 1977 Chevy Scottsdale pickup he bought new.

Brothers Take Dad's 1977 Chevy Into Snowies To Spread His Ashes On Elk Hunt

After spreading their father’s ashes on an elk hunt in the Snowy Range, two Casper brothers used the 1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale pickup their dad bought new in Medicine Bow to recover an elk. “It was like one last hunt with Pop,” one brother said.

Mark HeinzOctober 18, 2026

Melody Rupple, in Lander, has already started an adaptive equipment lending library called TrekAbility, helping people with mobility challenges get outside without first buying thousands of dollars worth of specialized gear.

How A Jackson Quadriplegic And Lander Mom Are Opening Outdoors To The Disabled

Wyoming’s rugged terrain is difficult for people in top physical shape to navigate, and nearly impossible for those with disabilities. A Jackson quadriplegic and mom from Lander are changing that, making adaptive devices available when insurance won’t.

Renée JeanOctober 18, 2026

Sue’s Safe! Fully-Tacked Horse Rescued After A Week Lost In Yellowstone

Sue, a 15-year-old fully outfitted palomino gelding, was rescued Friday after spending a week lost in a remote area of southwest Yellowstone. "The only things lost were my bridle, my phone, and a little weight on Sue," the horse's owner told Cowboy State Daily.

Andrew RossiOctober 18, 2026

Images from a video taken by the Steve and Vlada March family shows a violent eruption of Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone National Park on July 23, 2024.

15,000-Year-Old Geyser Data Found In Yellowstone Lakes Predicts Next 15,000 Years

New scientific research reveals how Yellowstone National Park's geysers have carved through the area over the past 15,000 years. They're using what they find at the bottom of freshwater lakes in the park's geyser basins to predict the next 15,000 years.

Andrew RossiOctober 18, 2026

Black-footed ferrets are doing OK in the vast Shirely Basin but are apparently struggling near Meeteetse, where they were discovered in 1981.

45 Years After Black-Footed Ferrets Found Near Meeteetse, None Show Up For Count

Forty-five years after black-footed ferrets thought to be extinct were surprisingly rediscovered near Meeteetse, the population is struggling again. None were spotted during the latest population survey there, which wrapped up last month.

Mark HeinzOctober 17, 2026

Nathan Hunter says he practically stepped on this big mule deer buck before the buck jumped up, giving him a shot opportunity.

'Being Too Lazy' Pays Off For Hunter Who Bags Buck When It Jumps Out At Him

A hunter said laziness turned to good fortune when a big mule deer buck hunkered down in hiding jumped out of brush when he was just a few feet away. Biologists say big bucks learn that the "dirty trick" of hiding is safer during hunting season.

Mark HeinzOctober 15, 2026

The moment Luna’s owners and rescuers found her in a Missy trap on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, after 34 days on the loose in Yellowstone National Park.

'We Got Her!’: 10 Pounds Lighter, Dog Rescued After 34 Days In Yellowstone

After surviving 34 days in Yellowstone National Park and losing 10 pounds, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier was safely trapped Wednesday and reunited with her family. Searchers say they had only a few days before having to suspend the search for the winter.

Emma Jane JacksonOctober 14, 2026