🚧 Outdoors | Cowboy State Daily

Trees fused together in an “H” shape, with a single huge branch between them, are extremely rare, tree experts say — and perhaps the result of human meddling. This photo from the 1970s shows "H" trees in Idaho.

Trees Fused Together By Common Branch Extremely Rare, Sometimes Helped By Humans

Trees fused together in an “H” shape, with a single huge branch between them, are extremely rare, tree experts say, but they do happen. Horticulturalist Shane Smith told Cowboy State Daily usually there's some degree of human manipulation, but not always.

Mark HeinzMarch 10, 2025

Wyoming’s most remote spaces have become sites of illegal dumping, everything from jet fuel to appliances, cars and boats. It’s costing taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up.

Illegal Dumps Cropping Up All Over In Some Of Wyoming’s Most Remote Places

Four drums of jet fuel found tucked away inside a crack in a rock face near Jeffrey City will cost taxpayers more than $35,000 to clean up. It's not an isolated case. Discarded cars, boats, appliances, and other junk are getting littered in remote places across the state.

Renée JeanMarch 09, 2025

Polaris is promoting its latest lineup of snowmobiles by putting them through their paces in the pristine snow of Wyoming’s Teton Range. The company uses the Cowboy State to showcase the machines as the ultimate toy for backcountry adventure.

Polaris Showcases New 2026 Snowmobile Lineup In Wyoming’s Teton Range

In January, Polaris held a marketing photo shoot showcasing its 2026 snowmobile lineup. They've been doing shoots in Wyoming for years, but this one was different -- it's all Wyoming: four Wyoming snowmobilers shot by a Wyoming photographer.

Andrew RossiMarch 09, 2025

Buildup of dead timber is a concern on National Forests in Wyoming and other Western States. Some forest users hope that under new leadership, the Forest Service will start cleaning it up. Here, large stands of dead trees in the Medicine Bow National Forest in southern Wyoming pose a wildfire risk.

Wyoming National Forest Users Mixed On Big Changes Under Trump

With the U.S. Forest Service undergoing changes in the new Trump administration, people who use those public lands are mixed. One Wyoming user says she’s worried, while another says he’s hopeful to weed out those “just there for a paycheck.”

Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2025

Hunters and trappers in Montana killed 289 wolves last year, and legislators there are pushing for more. But wolf conservation advocates plan to push back.

After 289 Wolves Killed In Montana Last Year, Bills Push For More Hunting

Hunters and trappers in Montana killed 289 wolves last year, and legislators there are pushing for more. One bill would extend hunting and trapping seasons by three months, and another would allow the use of thermal imaging and night vision scopes.

Mark HeinzMarch 08, 2025

Evergreen Fire Rescue thought they were rescuing a bison calf from a frozen pond outside Evergreen, Colorado, on March 5, 2025. But the victim was actually a yak that needed a 10-foot path back to shore.

Colorado Firefighters Save Drowning Yak Which Fell Through Frozen Pond

Firefighters in Evergreen, Colorado, say they take every ice rescue seriously. So when they received a call on Wednesday about a yak which fell through the ice at a local pond, they were able to get it saved and mark the first time they ever rescued a yak.

Andrew RossiMarch 06, 2025

Wyoming Otters No Longer Protected, But Won’t Get Slaughtered

Otters are no longer classified as a protected species in Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be getting killed anytime soon, according to Game and Fish officials.

Mark HeinzMarch 06, 2025

A rabbit species called Omiltemi cottontail thought to be extinct for 120 years was recently found in Mexico, mirroring the rediscovery of black-footed ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981.

Rediscovery Of ‘Extinct’ Rabbit Mirrors Finding Wyoming Black-Footed Ferrets

A rabbit species thought to be extinct for 120 years was recently found in Mexico, mirroring the rediscovery of black-footed ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981.

Mark HeinzMarch 05, 2025

Opening day at the East Entrance at Yellowstone National Park on May 3, 2024. The National Park Service will install two new webcams at the East Entrance by May 2, 2025, when the summer season begins.

Yellowstone Hack: You Can Save A Lot Of Time By Using The East Entrance

In planning your next trip to Yellowstone, you may want to consider the East Entrance. It could be a time-saver. For example, in 2024, 773,144 vehicles passed through Yellowstone’s West Entrance while only 36,948 vehicles passed through the East Entrance.

Andrew RossiMarch 02, 2025

Nate Miller of Thermopolis has hunted numerous Wyoming species – such as elk and wolves. But he never dreamed he’d draw the state’s “super tag trifecta,” which will allow him to hunt three premier trophy game species this fall. He said elk is is favorite, but he's excited for some other tags he's never had before.

Wyoming Hunter Beats Huge Odds, Draws ‘Super Tag Trifecta’ To Hunt 3 Species

Nate Miller of Thermopolis put in for Wyoming’s Super Tag hunting tag raffle, not expecting to win anything. He beat astronomical odds to drew the most coveted prize of all, the three-species “trifecta” tag.

Mark HeinzMarch 01, 2025

Mountain lions are known for their long, thick tails, but experts are baffled over somebody cutting the tail off a mountain lion that might have been killed illegally in Montana.

Nobody Can Figure Out Why Someone Cut Off And Took Mountain Lion’s Tail

Investigators are baffled by the case of somebody killing a mountain lion in Montana, and then cutting off and taking the animal’s head and tail. Taking a head makes sense, officials say, but the tail is baffling.

Mark HeinzFebruary 27, 2025

Spirit was the last cub of Wyoming's most famous bear, Grizzly 399, and was born in 2023. Spirit hasn't been seen since 399 was struck and killed by a car in October 2024, but many people think the cub might have survived the winter and will reappear soon.

Wyoming Grizzlies Could Start Waking Up Any Day, Will Grizzly 399’s Cub Show?

Wyoming’s grizzlies should start emerging from hibernation any time now, but nobody’s sure if Grizzly 399’s cub, Spirit, will be among them.

Mark HeinzFebruary 26, 2025

Wyoming Hunters Say Proposed 100,000-Acre Land Swap Would Be A Raw Deal

An exchange of roughly 100,000 acres between the federal government and a ranch in southcentral Wyoming would improve recreational access, supporters say. But Cowboy State hunters say the swap would be a raw deal.

Mark HeinzFebruary 25, 2025

Sculptor Jocelyn Russell and a rendering of how a larger-than-life bronze memorial to Grizzly 399 could look. It features the famous mother bear with her brood of four cubs huddled underneath her.

New Sculpture Of 399 And 4 Cubs Planned To Memorialize World’s Most Famous Bear

Wyoming’s Grizzly 399 was the world’s most famous bear and is about to be memorialized in larger-than-life bronze. A huge sculpture of the bear with her famous brood of four cubs is planned to be up in the Jackson area by spring 2026.

Andrew RossiFebruary 23, 2025

Firearms instructor Jason Crotteau shoots an SDS Tisas 2011 pistol – which is a Turkish clone of a far more expensive Staccatto 2011 pistol.

‘Turkish Revolution’ Hits American Firearms Scene With Cheap, Plentiful Imports

Turkish firearms were once considered a joke in the United States. Now they’re becoming wildly popular with American shooters, frequently selling for a fraction of the price of domestic brands.

Mark HeinzFebruary 23, 2025

A group of self-described tree-hugging hunters are trying to influence a lawsuit between the state of Montana and Yellowstone National Park about how bison are managed.

Environmentalists Known As “Tree-Hugging Hunters” Want More Yellowstone Bison Hunted

A group of environmentalists who describe themselves as “tree-huggers who hunt," are uniting around a message that might surprise some: They say it’s time to hunt and kill more bison outside Yellowstone National Park.

David MadisonFebruary 23, 2025

Yellowstone National Park employees Rick Hutchinson, right, and Jim Peaco guide the specially designed Little Dipper boat into the boiling waters of Grand Prismatic Spring to collect measurements of the temperature and structure of the feature in 1996.

Little Dipper Allowed Scientists To Float On Scalding Grand Prismatic Spring

Between 1992 and 1996, the Little Dipper was the first and only watercraft in Yellowstone National Park that could safely study Grand Prismatic Spring from the surface of its scalding water. The boat disappeared sometime after 1997, and its fate remains uncertain.

Andrew RossiFebruary 22, 2025

A Winchester Model 1894 rifle has been in Bob Budd’s family for a century. It still shoots straight and symbolizes a connection with the past.

Wyoming Family’s Winchester Rifle Has Been Dropping Deer For A Century

A Winchester Model 1894 rifle has been in Cheyenne resident Bob Budd’s family for a century. He says it still shoots straight and symbolizes a connection with the past as his grandfather and father killed their first deer with it, as did Budd and his two sons.

Mark HeinzFebruary 22, 2025

Opponents of coyote hunting contests say they involve needless killing. But supporters say these events involve ethical coyote hunting, with firearms or archery equipment.

Coyote Hunting Contest Prompts Wyomingites To Weigh Pros, Cons Of Events

Supporters of coyote hunting contests say that they’re helping big game herds. Opponents claim the events accomplish nothing and make Wyoming look bad.

Mark HeinzFebruary 21, 2025

A pair of skiers stop to gawk at a bison near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

Doesn’t Matter The Season, Tourists Still Get Way Too Close To Bison

It really doesn't matter the season, tourists continue to get way too close to wildlife in Yellowstone. Like Thursday morning, when Daryl Adams in Louisiana pulled up the Old Faithful webcam and witnessed dimwitted tourists just feet away from bison.

Andrew RossiFebruary 20, 2025

Coyote Hunt Organizer Says She's Getting Death Threats Over Upcoming Event

An organizer of a coyote predator hunting contest in Sublette County says she’s getting death threats because people are perceiving it to be a “celebration” of the torture and killing of a wolf there last year.

Mark HeinzFebruary 19, 2025

Ryan Williams Spencer Albritton killed this 500-pound black bear in North Carolina, where such a bear would be on the small side.

Eastern Black Bears Are Blimps, Dwarfing Wyoming Grizzlies

In Wyoming, a black bear over 400 pounds is considered a rare trophy. But back East, it would be puny. Bears there gorge on fresh crops and sometimes top 800 pounds.

Mark HeinzFebruary 18, 2025

This huge wolf track in Moffat County, Colorado, is thought to have been made by a female wolf that was relocated from Oregon to Colorado in late 2023.

Colorado “Mystery Wolf” Might Be From Wyoming

Fifteen wolves from Canada, have been spreading out across northwest Colorado after being released last month. There’s also reportedly another mystery wolf running around, although nobody is sure where it came from. It might be from Wyoming.

Mark HeinzFebruary 17, 2025

Why Are These Three Turkeys Endlessly Circling A Gravestone?

If you walk into a graveyard and see three turkeys endlessly circling one headstone, it could be offsetting -- even spooky. That was the scene at a cemetery in North Dakota last week. Although it may seem bizarre, turkey growers say it's no big deal.

Renée JeanFebruary 17, 2025

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