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

This Winter Looking Less Deadly Than Last For Wyoming Mule Deer

Despite devastating winterkill losses in parts of Wyoming last year, mule deer are going into this winter with a lot in their favor.

Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2024

After surviving a mountain lion attack, Odin still loves to go outside on his family’s property in rural Crook County.

Crook County Dog ‘Odin’ Loses Eye In Wyoming Mountain Lion Attack

True to being named after the one-eyed Norse god “Odin,” a 15-pound Cairn Terrier from Crook County survived an October mountain lion attack that cost him his left eye.

Mark HeinzJanuary 03, 2024

A trio of young mountain lions caught on a rural Wyoming trail camera.

Rural Wyoming Trail Cam Catches Rare Video Of Mountain Lion With Kittens

Wyoming resident Donald Harris got a rare treat on one of his trail cameras Saturday — a momma mountain lion with three kittens in tow.

Mark HeinzJanuary 02, 2024

Sally Maughan founded Idaho Black Bear Rehab in Garden City, Idaho in 1989, and continued working with bear cubs until her death in 2021.

Bear Rescue Gives Wyoming Bruins ‘A Second Chance At Freedom’

When Amy Kidwell started donating food to Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation, she had no idea that she’d eventually take over the operation, which has rescued a number of black bears from Wyoming and around the region.

Mark HeinzJanuary 02, 2024

Mike Romano, who owns a ranch near Devils Tower, was raised in Pennsylvania, but has come to love Wyoming and its wildlife.

Wyoming People: ‘Iron Mike’ Shares Devils Tower Retirement With Lots Of Mountain Lions

After traveling the world for an industrial explosives company, Mike Romano retired and finally has time to pursue his new passion — learning all he can about all the Wyoming mountain lions on his land near Devils Tower.

Mark HeinzDecember 30, 2023

During the rut, or mating season, for bighorn sheep, rams gather to crack horns in an area near Dubois that fans call “Ramland Wyoming.”

Famed ‘Ramland Wyoming’ Bighorn Herd Can’t Shake Pneumonia Breakout

There's no better place to view bighorn sheep in the state than "Ramland Wyoming," near Dubois. However, the animals are suffering from a lingering pneumonia outbreak that has taken the herd of 2,500 down to about 750.

Mark HeinzDecember 29, 2023

Glock Pistols, like these at the West Laramie Fly Store in Laramie, among the best-selling firearms in Wyoming.

Glock Inventor Dies, And Wyoming Gun Owners Tell Why They Love Their Glocks

Gaston Glock, the reclusive billionaire Austrian who invented the Glock pistol, died Wednesday half a world away, but leaves a legacy in Wyoming, where his firearms remain among the best-selling sidearms in the Cowboy State.

Mark HeinzDecember 29, 2023

Wyomingites Should Think Twice Before Selling Guns To People In Colorado

Crossing the state line from Wyoming into Colorado means crossing into a stricter, confusing patchwork of gun regulations that Wyomingites need to be cautious about when selling firearms to their friends to the south, a former U.S. Attorney for Wyoming said on Thursday.

Mark HeinzDecember 28, 2023

One of five wolves reintroduced to northern Colorado in December 2023.

Wyoming Ranchers Prepared To "Shoot On Sight" If Colorado Wolves Cross State Line

Now that Colorado has wolves — some of which have a history of killing cattle in Oregon — Wyoming ranchers are banking on Wyoming's “shoot on sight” policy for whenever those wolves cross over. "They’re classified as predators and they can be removed,” said one rancher.

Mark HeinzDecember 28, 2023

An orphaned black bear cub, “Alice,” was found in Teton County, trapped by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and sent to the Idaho Black Bear Rehab shelter.

Severely Malnourished And Motherless Bear Cub Rescued By Game And Fish

Wyoming Game and Fish officials last week rescued a severely malnourished and motherless black bear cub and took it to an Idaho bear rescue facility for rehabilitation. They expect it will be released back to the wild next year.

Mark HeinzDecember 27, 2023

Wyoming Gun Enthusiasts Say AR-15 Pressure Washer Would Be Great Gift

Although Christmas is over, an AR-15 pressure washer, could be a great New Year's present for the special gun enthusiast in your life. For only $1,500, you can wash your truck while experiencing the thrill of hunting.

Mark HeinzDecember 25, 2023

Don’t Expect To Find Many ‘Zombie’ Firearms Parts In Gun-Savvy Wyoming

Firearms slated for destruction after seizures or buybacks are reborn as “zombie” gun components for sale on the open market. Wyoming gun enthusiasts say you can’t trust these parts, and firearms owners here are too savvy to use them.

Mark HeinzDecember 25, 2023

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Flamethrowers, Chainsaws, Guns: Last-Minute Gifts For The Outdoors-Person Who Has Everything

What do you get the outdoors enthusiasts on your Christmas list who already have everything they need? Outdoors reporter Mark Heinz has some suggestions ranging from flamethrowers to chainsaws to deer teeth...

Mark HeinzDecember 22, 2023

Grizzly bears getting hit by trains isn't a big problem in Wyoming, but is still a concern for wildlife officials.

Environmental Groups Sue BNSF Over Grizzlies Getting Drunk, Hit By Trains

Two environmental groups are suing Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad for being too careless about its trains killing drunk grizzlies. The grizzlies eat fermented grain on the railroad tracks, pass out, and then get run over.

Mark HeinzDecember 22, 2023

‘Flying Deer’ Isn’t A Christmas Gag, It’s Common Wildlife Biology Practice

Wildlife researchers frequently move deer by slinging them under a helicopter, which means Santa doesn’t have an exclusive on flying critters. But unlike Rudolph, Wyoming’s flying deer need a little help to get airborne.

Mark HeinzDecember 21, 2023

Grizzly 399 Likely Hibernating While Warm Weather Has Kept Other Bears Out Late

Wildlife photographers who have followed Grizzly 399 for years, say the bear and her super-sized cub have likely gone into hibernation. Not so for many other bears, however, as warm weather has kept them active in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Mark HeinzDecember 21, 2023

Backcountry skier Nick Gaddy captured a Wyoming wolverine tearing across the snow Monday while exploring near the Montana state line.

Backcountry Skier Gets Rare Video Of Wyoming Wolverine Tearing Across The Snow

Wolverines are so rare and elusive, even people who spend countless hours in the vast outdoors never get to see one. On Monday, backcountry skier Nick Gaddy took video of one ripping across an alpine snowfield on the Wyoming side of the state line near Cooke City.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2023

This ram was mistakenly shot in the wrong hunting area by a licensed hunter in Fremont County, and subsequently seized by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Fremont County officials would like to have a taxidermy mount of it in the county courthouse.

Fremont County Officials May Mount And Display Mistakenly Shot Bighorn Ram

A bighorn sheep ram that was allegedly shot in the wrong hunting area in Fremont County might grace the county courthouse – if elected officials can pony up a $1,500 taxidermist’s fee.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2023

Colorado Cheers Release Of Wolves, Wyoming Ranchers Not So Much

As Colorado officials cheered the release of five wolves Monday, ranchers on the Wyoming side of the state line say it’s only a matter of time before they have to deal with them.

Mark HeinzDecember 19, 2023

After waiting 14 years to draw a Wyoming bison hunting tag, Troy Jerup of Bondurant went on his dream hunt for wild bison this fall and bagged this trophy-sized bull.

Wyoming Man Bags 1-Ton Monster Bull Bison In Once-In-A-Lifetime Hunt

A Bondurant man put in for a bison hunting tag for 14 years before drawing one – and after hunting the lumbering beasts in the wild, he dropped a 1-ton trophy-class free-range bull.

Mark HeinzDecember 18, 2023

One of a pair of mountain lions Ruzena Rok and her husband that were around their Lincoln County home for five days.

Star Valley Couple Captures ‘Five Days Of Mountain Lions’ On Video

A couple from in Lincoln County were surprised recently, but not alarmed, when a pair of mountain lions lingered near their driveway for five, feasting on the carcass of a deer that they’d killed. So they setup a videocamera and watched them for nearly a week.

Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2023

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