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

Firearms instructor Jason Crotteau shoots an SDS Tisas 2011 pistol – which is a Turkish clone of a far more expensive Staccatto 2011 pistol.

‘Turkish Revolution’ Hits American Firearms Scene With Cheap, Plentiful Imports

Turkish firearms were once considered a joke in the United States. Now they’re becoming wildly popular with American shooters, frequently selling for a fraction of the price of domestic brands.

Mark HeinzFebruary 23, 2025

Colorado Senate Passes Sweeping Ban On Semiautomatic Firearms

Colorado lawmakers are one step closer to passing a sweeping gun ban on semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols. A Wyoming gun rights advocate called it one of the nation’s most restrictive gun laws.

Mark HeinzFebruary 22, 2025

A Winchester Model 1894 rifle has been in Bob Budd’s family for a century. It still shoots straight and symbolizes a connection with the past.

Wyoming Family’s Winchester Rifle Has Been Dropping Deer For A Century

A Winchester Model 1894 rifle has been in Cheyenne resident Bob Budd’s family for a century. He says it still shoots straight and symbolizes a connection with the past as his grandfather and father killed their first deer with it, as did Budd and his two sons.

Mark HeinzFebruary 22, 2025

Repeal Of Gun-Free Zones Is Close To Gov. Gordon’s Desk — Will He Veto It Again?

For the second year in a row, the Wyoming Legislature is close to giving Gov. Mark Gordon a bill to eliminate gun-free zones in the state. Gordon vetoed it last year, but isn’t saying if he’ll sign, veto or let it pass without a signature this year.

Mark HeinzFebruary 21, 2025

A snowmobile chases a wolf across a snowy landscape in Canada.

'Clean Kill' For Predators Bill Advances — Without Wolf-Whacking Ban

A controversial “clean kill” for predators bill advanced Thursday. That it doesn’t include a ban running over wolves with snowmobiles — aka wolf whacking — remains a sticking point for many.

Mark HeinzFebruary 21, 2025

Opponents of coyote hunting contests say they involve needless killing. But supporters say these events involve ethical coyote hunting, with firearms or archery equipment.

Coyote Hunting Contest Prompts Wyomingites To Weigh Pros, Cons Of Events

Supporters of coyote hunting contests say that they’re helping big game herds. Opponents claim the events accomplish nothing and make Wyoming look bad.

Mark HeinzFebruary 21, 2025

State Rep. Brian Boner says as bill to allow shooting prairie dogs from vehicles isn't about sport, it's about pest management.

Wyoming Legislator Pushes Back On Claim Shooting Prairie Dogs Is “Psychopathic”

A retired professor told a Wyoming legislative committee Thursday that shooting prairie dogs is “psychopathic.” That raised the hackles of the sponsor of a bill to allow shooting the critters from vehicles. It’s about pest management, he says.

Mark HeinzFebruary 20, 2025

Coyote Hunt Organizer Says She's Getting Death Threats Over Upcoming Event

An organizer of a coyote predator hunting contest in Sublette County says she’s getting death threats because people are perceiving it to be a “celebration” of the torture and killing of a wolf there last year.

Mark HeinzFebruary 19, 2025

Wyoming legislators and lobbyists talk in the hallway at the state Capitol before a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting where repealing gun-free zones was discussed.

Repeal of Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones Clear Major Hurdle, Headed To Senate

A bill to repeal Wyoming’s gun-free zone was unanimously approved by a Wyoming Senate committee on Tuesday, and will head to the Senate Floor. Testimony included input from “More Guns, Less Crime” author John Lott.

Mark HeinzFebruary 19, 2025

Ryan Williams Spencer Albritton killed this 500-pound black bear in North Carolina, where such a bear would be on the small side.

Eastern Black Bears Are Blimps, Dwarfing Wyoming Grizzlies

In Wyoming, a black bear over 400 pounds is considered a rare trophy. But back East, it would be puny. Bears there gorge on fresh crops and sometimes top 800 pounds.

Mark HeinzFebruary 18, 2025

This huge wolf track in Moffat County, Colorado, is thought to have been made by a female wolf that was relocated from Oregon to Colorado in late 2023.

Colorado “Mystery Wolf” Might Be From Wyoming

Fifteen wolves from Canada, have been spreading out across northwest Colorado after being released last month. There’s also reportedly another mystery wolf running around, although nobody is sure where it came from. It might be from Wyoming.

Mark HeinzFebruary 17, 2025

People might think letting their cats out helps their pets live their best kitty lives, but they’re actually murder machines, killing billions of birds and small animals.

Outdoor Cats Are "Murder Machines" Killing Over 1 Billion Birds Every Year, Say Biologists

Letting pet cats out to roam might seem like it’s doing them a favor, but don’t be fooled — Fluffy is a murder machine. “The estimates are that cats in the U.S. kill a billion birds a year. A billion,” one wildlife biologist told Cowboy State Daily.

Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2025

Other Authors

Gillette-area machinist Karl Milner builds black powder cannons and mortars, and hosts cannon shoots on his rural property — and kids are included.

Gillette Man Builds Black Powder Cannons, Lets Kids Shoot Them

What began as an outreach for troubled youth led to a Gillette machinist's shop becoming a black powder cannon and mortar factory. Now he builds cannons and lets kids shoot in a safe, controlled environment with adult supervision.

Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2025

Wyoming Must 'Close The Door' On Running Over Wolves With Snowmobiles, Schmid Says

Though his bill to ban running predators over with snowmobiles failed, Wyoming Rep. Mike Schmid says he’s determined to “close the door” on the practice in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzFebruary 16, 2025

Demonstrating a suppressor attached to a Traditions 350 Legend.

Gun Owners Expect Trump To Lift Nearly 100-Year-Old Restrictions On Silencers

Under the Trump administration, Wyoming gun rights advocates hope that a 91-year-old restriction on suppressors — aka silencers — will be lifted. However, nobody expects fully automatic weapons to become readily available.

Mark HeinzFebruary 15, 2025

Trump Order Might Help Wyoming Couple Get Back Guns Seized By ATF

Thanks to an executive order from President Donald Trump, a Sheridan couple who lost their guns in an ATF raid might get them back.

Mark HeinzFebruary 15, 2025

Sabrina King with the Wyoming chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers speaks during a rally at the state Capitol in Cheyenne on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.

Sportsmen Rally Against “Bad Bills” They Say Would Ruin Wyoming’s Outdoor Paradise

With what they call “bad bills” being considered by the Wyoming Legislature, a group of hunters and anglers rallied outside the Capitol on Thursday. They say average people need more political clout to keep Wyoming an outdoor paradise.

Mark HeinzFebruary 14, 2025

The Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne is a gun-free zone, but a bill is moving through the Legislature that could lift the designation.

With Repeal Of Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones Likely, Opponents Ask For Exceptions

Even some opponents of a bill to repeal Wyoming’s gun-free zones seemed resigned to it likely passing during testimony before legislators Thursday. Now they’re asking for exceptions.

Mark HeinzFebruary 14, 2025

Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik before his retirement Sept. 11, 2024. He began his career with Game and Fish in 1995 and was appointed as director by Gov. Mark Gordon in 2019.

Trump Picks Former Wyoming Game And Fish Chief Nesvik To Head Fish And Wildlife

Only months after retiring as director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Brian Nesvik has been picked by President Donald Trump to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mark HeinzFebruary 12, 2025

Rep. Tomi Strock, R-Douglas, talks about the crumbling La Prele Dam on the House floor Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.

Legislators: If State’s Paying $90M For New La Prele Dam, Public Needs Access

If $90 million of Wyoming taxpayer money is going toward rebuilding the LaPrele Dam near Douglas, the public should have recreational access to the reservoir, legislators say.

Mark HeinzFebruary 11, 2025

‘Shot Heard ‘Round The World’ Observance To Honor 250th Anniversary Of Revolutionary War

Kevin Cox has organized an event on April 19 where gun owners in all 50 states will fire their guns at the same time on the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, otherwise known as the "Shot Heard 'Round The World."

Mark HeinzFebruary 11, 2025

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