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

Anglers at Flaming Gorge are encouraged to catch and kill as many burbot (pictured) and lake trout as possible.

No Limits On Fish Gobbling Up Prized Flaming Gorge Kokanee Salmon

It’s open season on small lake trout and burbot in Flaming Gorge Reservoir as Wyoming Game and Fish officials have put no limits on both species. That’s because they’re gobbling up the reservoir’s prized kokanee salmon.

Mark HeinzDecember 26, 2024

Every year for the past 17 years, the Williams family of Laramie has gone into the Snowy Range Mountains to find and cut their own Christmas tree.

Cutting Your Own Tree Doesn’t Have To Be A “Christmas Vacation” Experience

Going out into the woods to cut your own Christmas tree is a time-honored Wyoming tradition. The Williams family of Laramie has been doing it for years, and it’s not a “Christmas Vacation” experience.

Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2024

Escape From Chicago: Wyoming Firearms Founder Makes World’s Most Powerful AR-Style Rifle

Greg Buchel was born and raised in Chicago but “escaped Illinois” to move to Wyoming and founded Big Horn Armory which touts its AR500 as the world’s most powerful AR-style rifle. Buchel says it will down anything from "pachyderms to Peterbilts."

Mark HeinzDecember 24, 2024

Sweetwater County Clings To Hope Congress Will Kill Controversial BLM Plan

Sweetwater County officials say they feel in limbo at the center of a controversial BLM plan to manage 3.6 million acres of federal land in Wyoming. Their best hope to kill the plan now sit with Congress.

Mark HeinzDecember 23, 2024

Stallions Bubba and Scarface have curly manes, a rare characteristic found among the Salt Wells Creek mustang herd near Rock Springs.

BLM Plans To Round Up Extremely Rare Wyoming Curly-Haired Mustangs

Vast stretches of harsh desert near Rock Springs are among the few places in the world where mustangs with curly coats can be found, but the Bureau of Land Management plans to round them up, which has horse advocates upset.

Mark HeinzDecember 22, 2024

LaPrele Dam has been standing for 115 years, more than double its original 50-year lifespan.

Replacing Worn-Out 115-Year-Old LaPrele Dam Could Cost $190M, Start In 2026

Wyoming state engineers say there’s no saving the worn-out 115-year-old LaPrele Dam near Douglas, and it could cost $190 million to replace. Work on a new dam could start in 2026.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2024

BLM Finalizes Controversial Rock Springs Plan, Now Only Congress Can Stop It

The BLM on Friday finalized its controversial Rock Springs Resource Management Plan for more than 3 million acres in Southwest Wyoming. Now only Congress can reverse it.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2024

Close To Falling Apart, There’s No Saving LaPrele Dam, Says State Engineer

Wyoming's state engineer said Thursday that there’s no saving the 115-year-old LaPrele Dam near Douglas, which is close to falling apart. But one area rancher and legislator wants the planned demolition postponed.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2024

Yes, Bears Falling Out Of Trees And Killing People Is A Real Thing

A Virginia man was killed when a bear another hunter shot tumbled out of a tree and landed on him. A veteran Wyoming predator hunter said the danger posed by large animals falling out of trees is a real thing.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2024

What3Words Claims To Be The Best Rescue App Ever, But Misses In Wyoming

A new app maps out the entire world into 3-yard squares and assigns three words to identify each square. It’s wildly popular with some emergency responders and is growing a base, but Wyoming rescue pros aren’t sold.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2024

Story Of Birdshot Dropping Charging Grizzly Seems Unbelievable, Wyoming Hunters Say

A Montana man once stopped a charging grizzly bear with a load of birdshot from a .410 shotgun. That seems unbelievable to Wyoming hunters because of the gun’s relatively weak stopping power.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2024

Casper guitarist and songwriter Cory McDaniel, inset center, was a member of the Tremors, a prominent band in the Northwest during the 1970s and 1980s. He still occasionally returns to Seattle to play with old friends there.

Did Nirvana’s Rise As Grunge Rock Royalty Begin With A Wyoming Garage Band?

The early 1970s was a heyday for Wyoming garage bands. Legend has it that a band from Casper went to Seattle and inspired Kurt Cobain to start the 1990s grunge rock movement.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2024

Other Authors

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Shooting Drones Is Illegal, But A Shotgun Would Work Best If You Must

We're not recommending anyone shoot down a drone. That's illegal in Wyoming. But if someone needed to, a shotgun would be the right weapon, gun experts say.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

Bryan Bedrosian, the conservation director for the Teton Raptor Center, wants to do all he can to help Wyoming’s golden eagle population.

Man-Made Nests Could Protect Eagles From Getting Slaughtered By Wind Turbines

With too many golden eagles getting slaughtered by wind turbines in central and southeast Wyoming, it’s hoped man-made nests can help. They create a safe haven for the raptors away from wind farms.

Mark HeinzDecember 16, 2024

This map from the Federalo Emergency Management Agency shows places where people can buy homes to avoid the impacts of nuclear war, as much as that's possible. Much of Wyoming is clear, except Cheyenne and the southeast corner of the state, which would likely be vaporized.

Much Of Wyoming May Be Safe If US Is Nuked, But Cheyenne Likely To Be Vaporized

A FEMA map showing the best places in the U.S. to survive a nuclear attack shows much of Wyoming clear. Cheyenne and surrounding areas, however, will likely be immediately annihilated.

Mark HeinzDecember 15, 2024

A shooter wears ear protection as he demonstrates a pistol equipped with a "loudener," in this case a funnel-like device attached to the end of the gun to amplify its sound.

Forget About Silencers, People Are Putting ‘Loudeners’ On Their Guns

“Loudeners," or devices that increase a gun's noise and concussion, have a fan base. But some Wyoming shooters say there's no reason for them and loundeners are just stupid.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2024

In Wake Of CEO Slaying, Wyomingites Not Spooked Over 3D Printed “Ghost Guns”

3D printed “ghost guns” are back in the news, as one might have been used in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. Wyomingites say plastic 3D printed guns aren’t worth the trouble.

Mark HeinzDecember 14, 2024

Noted Wyoming Outdoorsman Paul Ulrich, a fishing guide for Two Rivers Fishing Company of Pinedale, worries about Wyoming’s waters getting too crowded.

As Out-Of-Staters Mob Wyoming’s Prime Fishing Spots, Some Want To Regulate Guides

Out-of-staters are taking advantage of Wyoming’s loose regulations for fishing guides and crowding the state’s prime waters, say backers of a bill that would change that.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

Colorado will use range riders to help ranchers protect their livestock from that state's reintrocuded wolves.

Ranchers Skeptical Range Riders Will Save Colorado Livestock From Wolves

As Colorado prepares to release more wolves, the state will use range riders to help protect livestock. Unless they’re allowed to kill interloping wolves, ranchers are skeptical range riders could make a difference.

Mark HeinzDecember 13, 2024

This bronze cannon recently unearthed in Arizona is the oldest firearm ever found in the continental United States. It was used during a Spanish expedition in the 1540s.

1540s Bronze Cannon Dug Up In Arizona Is The Oldest Gun Ever Found In The U.S.

A nearly 500-year-old bronze cannon used by Spanish conquistadors was recently unearthed in Arizona, making it the oldest firearm ever found in the continental U.S. It’s also more than 200 years older than the first guns in Wyoming.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

Some Eagles' Nests Weigh More Than 1,000 Pounds & Can Fit Several People

Eagles’ nests are huge, sometimes weighing more 1,000 pounds, and it takes generations of the raptors to build them. The most colossal ones can be big enough to seat several people inside.

Mark HeinzDecember 12, 2024

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