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.
Latest from Mark Heinz
Companies Pay To Have Grizzly Bears Rip Products Apart In West Yellowstone
At the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, bears are turned loose on garbage cans, coolers and other containers to see if these products can get certified as "bear resistant."
Mark HeinzFebruary 02, 2024
Wolverines Are Super Rare In Wyoming, But Now Colorado Wants Them Too
Wyoming might have about only 15 wolverines, and now Colorado is considering reintroducing the fearsome critters, even as Montana is suing to have them delisted from threatened species protection.
Mark HeinzFebruary 02, 2024
Wild Mustangs Bully Wyoming Deer And Antelope Still Reeling From Winterkill
Wyoming’s mustangs could be a huge roadblock for the recovery of big game herds devastated by winterkill, and the Bureau of Land Management needs to remove more of them, an avid hunter and retired wildlife biologist said.
Mark HeinzFebruary 01, 2024
For Wyoming’s Gen Z Hunters, The Future Is Technology-Driven Tradition
Like everything else in Wyoming, hunting has been impacted by technology, and one young Cheyenne hunter is asking others to consider the boundaries of tradition that are being pushed by technology.
Mark HeinzFebruary 01, 2024
Legislator Will Try To Eliminate "Ludicrous" Gun Free Zones In Wyoming
Calling it "absolutely ludicrous" that Wyoming has gun-free zones, Wheatland Rep. Jeremy Haroldson will introduce legislation to eliminate them. His bill will also allow teachers to pack heat in schools.
Mark HeinzJanuary 31, 2024
Shooting Coyotes From The Air Could Save Wyoming’s Premier Mule Deer Herd
Game and Fish has approved another $200,000 for aerial gunning of coyotes to help save the Wyoming Range mule deer herd – which is still reeling from the devastating winter of 2022-2023.
Mark HeinzJanuary 31, 2024
Wyoming’s Second-Deadliest Highway For Deer Gets Wildlife Crossing
A section of Interstate 25 between Kaycee and Buffalo is known as Wyoming's second-deadliest stretch of highway for mule deer, but $4.4 million and 36 miles of fencing are expected to eliminate hundreds of deer-vehicle collisions a year.
Mark HeinzJanuary 30, 2024
Wild Mustang Advocates Outraged After Popular Mare Dies In BLM Corral
Advocates for Wyoming’s wild mustangs say the BLM’s methods of managing the population of herds are cruel and led to the death of a popular mare called Kat Ballou.
Mark HeinzJanuary 30, 2024
Wyoming Elk Hunter Has Rare, Weird Standoff With Belligerent Coyote
A Riverton man had a rare and bizarre standoff with a coyote while elk hunting over the weekend. The wily critter barked belligerently and kept getting closer – but finally backed off before the hunter decided to open fire.
Mark HeinzJanuary 29, 2024
Fishhook Injuries In North Platte River Could Reopen Barbed Vs. Barbless Debate
Wyoming Game and Fish officials are concerned about fishhooks severely disfiguring trout along Wyoming’s prized stretch of the North Platte River. It's reopening the debate over barbed vs barbless fish hooks.
Mark HeinzJanuary 27, 2024
Raised From Kids, Wyoming Outfitter's Pack Goats ‘Are Like Puppy Dogs’
Pack goats can be a godsend for hunters and other backcountry enthusiasts. They’re hardy and friendly, and if you raise them from kids, they “are like puppy dogs,” says a Kemmerer-area pack goat outfitter.
Mark HeinzJanuary 27, 2024
Most Charges Dropped Against Wyoming Man Who Illegally Kept Wildlife Parts
A Powell man initially faced prison time over illegal possession of wildlife parts was given a much lighter sentence after 15 of 18 charges were dropped in a plea agreement. He was fined just over $2,000 and will serve a year of unsupervised probation.
Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2024
Yellowstone Has Fewer Elk, So Wolves Form Bigger Packs To Hunt Bison
There are fewer elk and more bison in Yellowstone National Park, so wolves are changing their diet accordingly and going after bison, often forming larger packs to bring them down.
Mark HeinzJanuary 26, 2024
Unlike In Wyoming, California Ranchers Can’t Touch Wolves
California has a growing number of wolves, and they’ve been attacking cattle at such a rate that the state’s compensation fund for ranchers is running out of money. Unlike Wyoming, ranchers there can’t kill wolves.
Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2024
Wolves Could Stress Ranchers To Point Of Suicide, Colorado Lawmaker Says
A Colorado rancher and state lawmaker said Wednesday that last month's reintroduction of wolves in that state could stress ranchers so much they could be driven to suicide.
Mark HeinzJanuary 25, 2024
After 20 Years, Trail System For 19,000 Acre Belvoir Ranch Near Cheyenne A Go
After 20 years of trying to provide public access to the 19,000-acre Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne, a $486,000 grant is providing the funds for the city to start building out a 6.1 mile public trail system.
Mark HeinzJanuary 24, 2024
Feds May Want Grizzlies Introduced To Bitterroot Region But Grizzlies Not Interested
Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is testing the waters on a proposal to transplant grizzlies to the central Idaho wilderness, the grizzlies that already wander in there never seem to stay.
Mark HeinzJanuary 24, 2024
Utah Town’s ‘WHOA’ Signs Show Cowboy Spirit, But Can't Happen In Wyoming
Alton, an ag/ranching community in Utah, has a lot of similarities to a Wyoming town, except for the stop signs. They have "WHOA" signs instead. It's a good idea but not allowed in Wyoming
Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2024
Minnesota Man Killed In Hunting Accident Near Torrington, Wyoming
A 19-year-old Minnesota man hunting near Torrington, Wyoming, was shot and killed while hunting Saturday afternoon. His death has been ruled an accident.
Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2024
Putting Grizzlies In Remote Bitterroot Area Could Be Key To Eventual Delisting
The federal government is considering reintroducing grizzly bears into the remote Bitterroot-Selway region of Montana and Idaho, which could be key to linking grizzly populations and lead to eventual delisting.
Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2024
Wolf Pack Takes Down Bison On Firehole River In Yellowstone Standoff
A pack of wolves had a deadly standoff with a lone Bison in Yellowstone National Park on Saturday, caught by a wildlife photographer. Yellowstone wolves are getting better at preying on bison, biologists say.
Mark HeinzJanuary 23, 2024