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

A record-breaking snowpack in Wyoming is welcome, but won't bust a yearlong drought for the Colorado River and the states fighting over its water.

Massive Wyoming Snowpack Could Hold Colorado River Crisis ‘Maybe For A Few Months’

Record-breaking snowpacks in Wyoming’s high country won’t be enough to break a “mega-drought” in the Colorado River Basin or make Wyoming’s fight for its share of water rights any less complicated, water experts say.

Mark HeinzMay 14, 2023

A mountain lion is treed in a Colorado neighborhood.

Mountain Lion In Colorado Chicken Coop Attacks Girl, Killed By Wildlife Agents

Colorado wildlife agents killed a young female mountain lion after it attacked a girl in a chicken coop near Buena Vista Wednesday. While there have been several mountain lion sightings recently in Wyoming communities, there haven’t been any attacks on people.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

Grizzly 399, seen here in a file photo with her 2020 brood of cubs.

Wyoming’s Grizzly 399 Still A No-Show; Insiders Say She’ll Emerge ‘When She Is Ready’

Famed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen told Cowboy State Daily that when grizzly 610 and her cubs appear, Grizzly 399 generally isn’t far behind, although he is a bit concerned about the elder bear.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

Officials Warn People Who Ignore ‘Do Not Enter’ Grizzly Study Area Signs Can Become Dinner For Bears

People who see bright yellow signs in northwest Wyoming warning “do not enter” because of grizzly trapping need to take them seriously, wildlife officials said Friday. A man was killed by such a grouchy tranquilized grizzly near Yellowstone Park in 2010.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

This was one of six ewes killed by hunters last fall from the Jackson bighorn sheep herd. Game and Fish has issued more ewe/lamb tags for the herd this fall.

Allowing Hunters To Shoot Bighorn Ewes Could Save Jackson Herd From Population Crash

Opening up Wyoming’s second-ever hunting season for bighorn sheep ewes might save the Jackson sheep herd from another population crash, Game and Fish says.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

A herd of wild mustangs in Wyoming in this file photo.

Wild Horse Advocates Sue BLM, Claim Red Desert Mustang Roundups Cruel, Costly To Taxpayers

Mustang roundups in Wyoming’s Red Desert are cruel, unnecessary and costly to taxpayers, horse advocates who are suing the Bureau of Land Management claim.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

Wild Horse Advocates Sue BLM, Claim Red Desert Mustang Roundups Cruel, Costly To Taxpayers

Mustang roundups in Wyoming’s Red Desert are cruel, unnecessary and costly to taxpayers, horse advocates who are suing the Bureau of Land Management claim.

Mark HeinzMay 12, 2023

Wyoming Bear Hunter Who Accidentally Killed Grizzly Fined $10,000

A judge ordered a Cody hunter to pay $10,000 in restitution to Game and Fish for mistakenly instructing his teenage son to shoot a grizzly bear during a black bear hunt last spring.

Mark HeinzMay 11, 2023

Countless mule deer died along oil field roads in the Sublette County this winter. The deer came to the roads to escape deep, crusted snow, only to starve to death.

1,500 Big Game Carcasses At Sublette County Landfill Could Be Just The Beginning Of Gruesome Winterkill Tally

The La Barge-Big Piney area is just one region of Wyoming that is finally seeing the full scope of this year’s big game winterkill. Roughly 1,500 carcasses were recently taken to the Sublette County landfill, and there's still many more to come

Mark HeinzMay 10, 2023

Ed Fowler has raised sheep and lambs like these near Riverton for about 30 years. He said that since he’s taken a softer approach to predators such as coyotes and mountain lions, they’ve mostly left his flock alone.

Wyoming Sheep Rancher Says Coyotes Guard His Flock, As Does Eagle-Stomping Ewe

A Riverton, Wyoming, sheep rancher said he stopped randomly shooting coyotes after some of them became “guard coyotes” for his sheep herd, which included an eagle-stomping ewe.

Mark HeinzMay 10, 2023

Wyoming Police Chief Sets Up Trail Cam To Catch Mountain Lion, Pulls Prank Instead

The Evansville police chief set up a trail camera in hopes of catching a glimpse of mountain lion he suspected was creeping round his town. Instead, he captured images of a lot of other critters, as well as a practical joke.

Mark HeinzMay 09, 2023

After all the fish in Saratoga Lake were killed last fall to rid the lake of a yellow perch infestation, it's being restocked with trout.

Wyoming's Zombie Lake Back From The Dead As Game And Fish Restocks Popular Saratoga Reservoir

After killing all the fish in Saratoga Lake last fall to rid it of invasive yellow perch, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is re-stocking the popular lake.

Mark HeinzMay 09, 2023

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Mule deer cautiously approach a highway underpass along U.S. Highway 189 near Dry Piney. As many as 150 deer get killed every year there trying to cross the road, but it’s hoped that underpasses there can cut down on the roadkill.

New Highway Underpasses Near La Barge Could Save Hundreds Of Wyoming Deer From Becoming Roadkill

The deadliest stretch of highway for Wyoming Range mule deer is between La Barge and Big Piney. It's hoped future wildlife underpasses that will be built there will cut down on the carnage.

Mark HeinzMay 08, 2023

Wyoming Hunters Say Don’t Punish Predators For Huge Big Game Winterkill

In the wake of a brutal winter killing tens of thousands of Wyoming big game animals, many hunters are saying they don’t want predators targeted too aggressively.

Mark HeinzMay 08, 2023

The Wyoming Fossil Cabin was supposed to be moved in 2018 from its current site along a remote section of Wyoming Highway 30 into Medicine Bow. But the project stalled, leaving the cabin resting awkwardly on beams.

Wyoming’s Fossil Cabin — "World’s Oldest Building" — Could Be Moved This Summer

After years of languishing in a remote spot along Wyoming Highway 30 between Rock River and Medicine Bow, the famed Wyoming Fossil Cabin might finally make it to a new home alongside the Medicine Bow Museum this summer.

Mark HeinzMay 07, 2023

‘Logistical Nightmare’: Short On Plow Drivers & Hammered By Weather, WYDOT Had Harrowing Winter

Personnel shortages, worn equipment and brutal weather made for a tough winter for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Mark HeinzMay 07, 2023

“Eating your tag” is a common saying among hunters, referencing an unsuccessful deer season. The “let a deer walk” prize drawing ask hunters to leave their tags unfilled this fall.

Wyoming Hunters Sitting Out Deer Season To Support Herds Devastated By Winterkill

A program to conserve Wyoming deer herds devastated by winterkill that asks hunters to turn in their deer tags for a chance to win prizes has gotten nationwide attention, with more than $100,000 in prizes donated so far.

Mark HeinzMay 05, 2023

Grizzly 399, Wyoming’s most famous bear, pictured here last summer, has yet to be seen this spring.

As The World Waits For Grizzly 399, The "B-List" Celebrity Bears Are Popping Out

Although Grizzly 399 has yet to make an appearance this spring in Grand Teton National Park, other well-known bears -- the b-listers -- are starting to show themselves.

Mark HeinzMay 05, 2023

Wolf Hunts In Colorado ‘A Long Way Off, If Ever’ As State Seeks Management Similar To Wyoming’s

More wolves might not be coming this year to northern Colorado near the Wyoming state line. A legislative measure to delay their reintroduction is gaining steam, with the weight of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation behind it.

Mark HeinzMay 05, 2023

While it may be tempting to pull over and take carcasses, heads or other parts of wildlife from alongside roads, it's illegal without an $8 permit.

No, You Cannot Chop The Heads Off Of Wyoming Winterkill Animals To Get Antlers

Tempted to lop the head off one of those winterkill big game carcasses so you can keep the skull and antlers? You’ll need an interstate game tag first, Game and Fish says.

Mark HeinzMay 04, 2023

Wyoming Farmers Have Few Options For Fixing Their Own Tractors As Colorado Passes ‘Right To Repair’

Colorado recently became the first state to pass a “right to repair” bill allowing farmers more leeway to fix their own tractors. Wyoming industry insiders say a similar measure is unlikely here anytime soon.

Mark HeinzMay 03, 2023

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