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
Wyoming Loves The 6.5 Creedmoor, Even If It’s The Nickelback Of Rifle Cartridges
The 6.5 Creedmoor rifle cartridge has been the butt of jokes and social media memes shared among hunters and shooters, but some Wyomingites say they love it -- kind of like the band Nickelback.
Mark HeinzJanuary 21, 2024
Even With The Risk Of Breaking Through, Wyoming Winter Anglers Love Ice Fishing
Angel Smith loves ice fishing so much that even a potentially deadly fall through the ice didn’t deter him from going back. Despite the harrowing experience, Smith said it gave him an opportunity to educate others.
Mark HeinzJanuary 20, 2024
Ranchers Want Bighorn Sheep Back In Rugged Central Wyoming, But Don’t Trust Feds
Wildlife advocates want to reintroduce bighorn sheep to the rugged Sweetwater Rocks area in central Wyoming, but area ranchers are worried federal agencies will use them to push livestock off public lands.
Mark HeinzJanuary 20, 2024
Elk Overrunning Town Of Lander; Game And Fish Letting People Shoot Some
Lander’s resident elk herd seems to have settled in, and in some cases, they are getting closer to houses. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is letting hunters shoot some of them to keep the numbers down.
Mark HeinzJanuary 18, 2024
Sweetwater County Says BLM Land Plan Will Take Millions From School Funding
In 1,700 pages of commentary delivered on Tuesday, Sweetwater County officials said the BLM's controversial draft plan for the Rock Springs area could be devastating with millions of dollars lost for school funding.
Mark HeinzJanuary 17, 2024
Yellowstone Visitor Captures Video Of Rare Arctic Air ‘Diamond Dust’
“Diamond Dust” – or glittering, frozen precipitation lingering in the air – is a rare phenomenon that occurs under extremely cold conditions when water vapor in the air freezes and very small water crystals are the result.
Mark HeinzJanuary 17, 2024
Four Days Of Continuous Below Zero Temps Didn’t Kill Wyoming’s Pine Beetles
Although many areas of the state stayed below zero for more than 96 hours straight, it wasn't nearly cold or long enough to kill Wyoming’s devastating pine beetle population. In fact, Wyoming will probably never get a strong enough cold streak to eradicate them.
Mark HeinzJanuary 17, 2024
Governor's Task Force Says BLM May Listen To Wyoming About Rock Springs Plan
A Governor’s Task Force charged with representing Wyoming interests on the controversial BLM Rock Springs Resource Management Plan finished its work last week and says it’s optimistic the BLM may be willing to change direction.
Mark Heinz & Leo WolfsonJanuary 17, 2024
Hunters Worried As Huge Die-Off, Disease Decimate Wyoming Mule Deer Herds
Wyoming’s mule deer population plunged from an estimated 409,000 in 2017 to 243,000 in 2022, and last winter’s huge die-off and disease have further decimated herds, which has left many hunters worried.
Mark HeinzJanuary 16, 2024
Where Do Montana's Prairie Grizzlies Hibernate?
As Wyoming’s grizzlies do, many of Montana’s prairie grizzlies climb high into the mountains to den up and hibernate for the winter. But some prairie grizzlies stay in the lowlands, where they dig dens into steep riverbanks or hillsides in the badlands.
Mark HeinzJanuary 14, 2024
‘Assault Rifle’ Is A Real Term, But Misused To Spark Fear In Gun Control Debates
George Moscary, professor of law at the University of Wyoming and director of UW’s Firearms Research Center, said the term “assault rifle” has real meaning in the military sense, but in gun control debates is misapplied and used to evoke fear.
Mark HeinzJanuary 14, 2024
Colorado Range Scientist Says Wolf Reintroduction Will Be Good For Ranchers & Hunters
A range scientist in Colorado is claiming that wolf reintroduction will actually be good for ranchers and make things better for elk hunters. Further, he said Wyoming's hardline approach to wolves in some parts of the state is detrimental to overall delisting.
Mark HeinzJanuary 13, 2024
Wyoming’s Famous Grizzly 399 Still Healthy As She Hits Ripe Old Age Of 28
Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, reached a significant milestone this month when she hit age 28, but she’ll have to last at least another six years to match the longest known lifespan of a grizzly in the Northern Rockies region.
Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2024
Japan’s Bears Are Much Like Wyoming’s — But They’re Meaner And Attack More People
Japan has just recorded its worst year ever for bear attacks on people. Scientists say the bear in Japan are meaner and more likely to attack humans than they are in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
Mark HeinzJanuary 12, 2024
Finally Fed Up, Wyoming Barn Cat Takes On Raccoon Raider Twice Its Size
Raccoons have been raiding the food and shelter of a group of Wyoming barn cats on a rural property near Casper – but one brave little kitty finally had enough and put the smackdown on a raccoon raider twice his size.
Mark HeinzJanuary 10, 2024
Yellowstone Coyote Named ‘Limpy’ Tries To Sucker Tourists For Snacks
A coyote in Yellowstone known as Limpy or Tripod has gained a fanbase because of his sly panhandling routine. He shows up along the road and exaggerates a leg injury in hopes of scoring sympathy snacks.
Mark HeinzJanuary 09, 2024
Florida Alligator Hunter Wants To Teach Wyomingites How To Hunt Half-Ton Gators
Florida alligator hunter Matthew Burke is working to set up a mentorship program between Wyoming and Florida where Floridians would teach Wyomingites how to hunt alligator and in return, Wyomingites would teach Floridians how to hunt elk.
Mark HeinzJanuary 08, 2024
Nevada Man Goes After 500-Pound Black Bear In Crawlspace With Paintball Gun
Wyoming bear experts aren’t impressed with a Nevada man who’s being hailed as having “balls of steel” for crawling under his porch after a 500-pound black bear with a paintball gun. Instead, they say he has “brains of pudding.”
Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2024
Wyoming Elk ‘Behind Schedule’ Filling Up National Elk Refuge
Warm weather and light snow have put the migration into the National Elk Refuge near Jackson behind schedule, but plunging temperatures and snowstorms should change that soon.
Mark HeinzJanuary 05, 2024
Hiker Gets Rare Video of Wyoming Mink At Curt Gowdy State Park
A Cheyenne man is glad he decided to go hiking instead of mountain biking in Curt Gowdy State Park this week, otherwise he might have missed a rare encounter with a mink dragging a rabbit carcass.
Mark HeinzJanuary 04, 2024
It’s So Warm, Birds Are Staying Up North And Out Of Reach For Wyoming Hunters
An unusually warm fall and early winter has made for lackluster waterfowl hunting in Wyoming as birds are staying north in Canada and Montana, but there’s some hope that things will pick up as seasons wind down.
Mark HeinzJanuary 04, 2024