Outdoors Reporter

Mark Heinz

Mark Heinz covers the outdoors and wildlife for Cowboy State Daily.

He previously worked or freelanced for numerous newspapers and magazines across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, covering all manner of news and feature stories. He has a strong background in topics related to wildlife, hunting, and wildlands conservation. He's written extensively since the 1990s about the controversies surrounding wolves, grizzly bears and mustangs.

He also enjoys people-centric stories with quirky edge of humor and has written several such pieces for Cowboy State Daily.

Mark lives in Laramie with his wife, Kendy, and the youngest of their five children.

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Latest from Mark Heinz

Lever-action rifles are usually associated with grandpas who like to hunt. But tricked out with “tactical” accessories like red-dot sights, they’re getting new life with younger shooters.

Old-Time Lever-Action Rifles Get New Life With ‘Tactical’ Upgrades

Lever-action rifles are getting tricked out with “tactical” accessories like red-dot sights, giving them new life with younger shooters. Mounting accessory rails on lever-action rifles might have seemed absurd — until people started doing it.

Mark HeinzMarch 17, 2026

But with unusually warm, dry weather this year, the bears are out “stupid early,” even at high altitudes, avid black bear hunter Julie Mccallister of Rock River told Cowboy State Daily.

Hungry Black Bears Out ‘Stupid Early’ Could Make Wyoming Spring Hunts Wild

Spring black bear hunting season could be wild this year as the bears are out about a month early. One hunter said bears are sniffing around cabins in the Snowy Range. “There's a reason ‘mama bear’ is a term. They’re flat-out aggressive,” she said.

Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2026

Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after their 15-year-old son Ethan carried out a school shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit in 2021.

Convictions For Parents Of Teen Shooters Put Wyoming Gun Culture Under New Scrutiny

Recent cases in Michigan and Georgia where parents have been found guilty in connection with school shootings carried out by their sons set a precedent that might someday reach Wyoming, defense attorneys say.

Mark HeinzMarch 15, 2026

Hunters who used a helicopter to reach public land surrounded by private property in Johnson County say a rancher tried to steal an elk head and antlers from them. Brett D. DeLapp was charged with misdemeanor theft and pleaded not guilty.

Wyoming Rancher Charged With Trying To Steal Elk Head From Helicopter Hunters

A Kaycee area rancher has been charged with theft after prosecutors say he tried to steal an elk head from hunters who helicoptered into public land near his ranch. The hunters say a video they posted shows the confrontation between the two parties.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

An unusually warm winter kept much of Wyoming’s prime lakes from freezing, cutting ice fishing season short or canceling it entirely. That didn't stop some anglers, who still had success fishing from boats. Above, Jackson Lake is usually a prime ice fishing spot. Inset, Fontenelle Reservoir in Southwest Wyoming was one of the few ice fishing destinations to get decent ice this winter. This gigantic burbot was caught while night ice fishing there.

Winter Of Discontent: Wyoming Had Almost No Ice Fishing Season This Year

With temperatures regularly soaring into the 40s and 50s during the usually prime ice fishing months of January and February, Wyoming’s ice fishing season was brief in some places, and never happened in others.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

Cowboy Engineers Build Self-Driving Rodeo Robot For Steer Roping Practice

To streamline steer roping practice, people started pulling dummy cows with ATVs. Then a pair of cowboy engineers took it a step further and built the "Rope Hog," where a dummy cow is pulled along by an ATV controlled with an ordinary vehicle key fob.

Mark HeinzMarch 14, 2026

Elk calf killed by eating a yew bush that is toxic to wildlife

Montana Elk Die After Eating Japanese Yew, A Pretty Plant That Kills Wildlife

At least five elk died in Montana after eating needles from Japanese yew, a plant toxic to animals. Back in 2017, the plant caused one of the worst wildlife disasters in Idaho’s history when a herd of 50 pronghorn died on the spot after eating it.

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2026

For decades, reintroducing grizzlies to California seemed completely unrealistic. Now, the California Legislature is considering a plan that could include relocating Yellowstone grizzlies there.

California Considers Grizzly Reintroduction Plan That Could Use Wyoming Bears

For decades, reintroducing grizzlies to California seemed unrealistic. Now, California lawmakers are considering a plan that could relocate Yellowstone grizzlies there. One skeptic says, "I don’t think it’s feasible. There’s 40 million people in California."

Mark HeinzMarch 13, 2026

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Wyoming Lowers Concealed Carry Age To 18, Some Say It Will Make Young Women Safer

Starting July 1, Wyoming 18-year-olds can get permits to carry concealed firearms. One 18-year-old Riverton woman, who plans to carry a concealed handgun, says it will make her feel safer in “sketchy” places like isolated roadside gas stations.

Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2026

Mild Winter Leaves Wyoming Predators Hungry While Big Game Thrive

A mild winter means easy living for Wyoming’s big game, but it also means hard times for predators, because of fewer weakened animals to hunt or winterkill carcasses to devour. "The bonanza for wolves isn’t going to happen this year,” one biologist said.

Mark HeinzMarch 12, 2026

Just like a fish would, this muskrat bit a flyfishing angler’s fly on the North Platte River. Luckily for the muskrat, a fishing guide quickly removed the hook and set the critter free.

Wyoming Fly Fisherman After Trout Catches Muskrat Instead On North Platte River

A Wyoming fly-fishing and his clients were on a stretch of the North Platte River legendary for its trout when they caught a muskrat on their line instead. The determined rodent chased and bit a string leech on a fishing fly, just like a trout would.

Mark HeinzMarch 11, 2026

Nebraskans say a wolf that a southeast Wyoming rancher shot in January resembles the same wolf they saw in rural Nebraska.

Wolf Shot In Southeast Wyoming Might Be Same Wolf Seen In Nebraska

A wolf that a southeast Wyoming rancher shot in January might have been running around western Nebraska for months before roaming into the Cowboy State. Wolf sightings are rare in Nebraska but they’ve become more frequent as wolf populations grow in other states.

Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2026

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A bald eagle with severe lead poisoning is fighting for its life at a Colorado raptor rehabilitation center.

Bald Eagle With Lead Poisoning From Eating Bullet In Carcasses Slowly Recovering

It's "touch and go" for a Colorado bald eagle poisoned by a lead bullet it ingested while eating a carcass. "We'll keep fighting as long as he wants to," the rescue center says. Many eagles die this time of year from doing more scavenging than hunting.

Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2026

Wind River Canyon resident Allen Darlington has been doing fish taxidermy for 30 years. It combines his artistic skills of painting and sculpting.

Fish Taxidermy: Wyoming Man Has Been Making Art Out Of Fish For 30 Years

Allen Darlington grew up in Upton, said he majored in going to the Buckhorn Bar at the University of Wyoming, and learned his craft from a master fish taxidermist in Rawlins. He has spent 30 years blending painting and sculpting to perfect fish taxidermy.

Mark HeinzMarch 07, 2026

Float fishing on the Big Horn River never really stopped this winter, and the spring angling rush has already started.

'Flush' Of North Platte River Kicks Off Early Wyoming Spring Fishing Season

After a lackluster winter, the spring fishing season is on in Wyoming about a month early, unofficially kicked off by the flushing of the North Platte River. The yearly “flush” increases the river's flow by about eight times to simulate spring runoff.

Mark HeinzMarch 06, 2026

Supporters, including Rep. Robert Wharff, R-Evanston, argued that the bill doesn’t disparage Wyoming officers; it’s intended to protect Wyomingites from overzealous feds.

Gun Rights Bills Widely Opposed By Wyoming Cops, Sheriffs Clears Legislature

Though widely opposed by Wyoming law enforcement, the Second Amendment Protection Act cleared both chambers of the Legislature. “If an order is ever given federally to come seize firearms... our law enforcement can’t help them,” Rep. Bob Wharff said.

Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2026

Buzz Hettick, co-chair of the Wyoming chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said It might be best for hunters to just keep acting under the assumption that the 10th Circuit Court’s decision settled the matter and continue to corner cross

Why It Likely Doesn’t Make Any Difference That The Corner Crossing Bill Died

Hunters and law enforcement told Cowboy State Daily that the failure to pass a corner crossing bill really doesn’t make any difference. Just consider that the 10th Circuit Court’s decision settled the matter and continue to corner cross, they say.

Mark HeinzMarch 04, 2026

Colorado allows only cage traps for species such as bobcats. Some want to ban the commercial sale of wildlife fur there; trappers say it’s a ruse to try banning trapping altogether.

Colorado Braces For Mob Scene Over Proposal To Ban Sale Of Trapped Fur

A push to ban the sale of trapped wildlife fur has become an emotional powder keg in Colorado, with a vote on it expected Wednesday. Opponents say it’s an “extremist” move by “vegans and vegetarians," while supporters call it closing a loophole.

Mark HeinzMarch 04, 2026

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks through the sights of an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon during a USO visit to Marines assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

West Virginia's Move To Legalize Machine Guns Could Lead Wyoming To Do The Same

If lawmakers in West Virginia are successful in legalizing fully automatic firearms, Wyoming could follow suit. Law professor and director of UW’s Firearms Research Center said, "I could totally see it catching on here in Wyoming and Montana."

Mark HeinzMarch 02, 2026

A young grizzly bear and two wolves had a close encounter in Yellowstone National Park. It was a passing moment, not the beginning of a best-buddies relationship between the apex predators.

Don't Read Too Much Into A Peaceful Moment Between Yellowstone Wolves And Grizzly

Although a spectacular photo taken by a wildlife photographer in Yellowstone may give the illusion that this grizzly and two wolves are buddies, they're not. Biologist Cecily Costello said It just means they’ve decided fighting right then wasn't worth the risk.

Mark HeinzMarch 02, 2026

Wyoming parents are calling for schools to dump Lifetouch photos after its parent company has an alleged link to notorious sex-trafficker Jeffery Epstein. One superintendent says the allegations aren’t strong enough to change photographers.

Wyoming Parents Push For Schools To Dump Lifetouch Photos After Alleged Epstein Tie

Some Wyoming parents are calling for schools to dump Lifetouch photos after an investor with its parent company has an alleged link to notorious sex-trafficker Jeffery Epstein. The schools shouldn’t be allowing it," said one Natrona County parent.

Mark HeinzMarch 01, 2026