Note 1 - Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)
   | 
12 Months Ended | 
Dec. 31, 2020  | 
| Notes Tables | 
 
 | 
| Schedules of Concentration of Risk, by Risk Factor [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  Year Ended December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
  | 
  2018   | 
  | 
 
|   Customer   | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
 
|   BP Products North America   | 
  | 
  | 
39 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
40 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
20 | 
% | 
 
| Mercuria Energy America Inc. | 
  | 
  | 
10 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
 
|   Shell Trading (US) Co./ Shell Energy N.A.   | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
11 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
30 | 
% | 
 
|   Vitol Inc.   | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
12 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
14 | 
% | 
 
| Williams Field Services | 
  | 
  | 
13 | 
% | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
** | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
  | 
  2018   | 
  | 
 
|   Allowance for credit losses, beginning of period   | 
  | 
$ | 
9,898 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
9,692 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
9,114 | 
  | 
 
|   Additional provisions for the year   | 
  | 
  | 
417 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
206 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
1,233 | 
  | 
 
|   Uncollectible accounts written off or collected   | 
  | 
  | 
(1,192 | 
) | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
(655 | 
) | 
 
|   Allowance for credit losses, end of period   | 
  | 
$ | 
9,123 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
9,898 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
9,692 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
 
|   Derivatives – current (1)   | 
  | 
$ | 
2,752 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
7,266 | 
  | 
 
|   Unamortized bonds/insurance premiums   | 
  | 
  | 
4,717 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
4,357 | 
  | 
 
|   Prepaid deposits related to royalties   | 
  | 
  | 
4,473 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
7,980 | 
  | 
 
|   Prepayment to vendors   | 
  | 
  | 
1,429 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
10,202 | 
  | 
 
|   Other   | 
  | 
  | 
461 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
886 | 
  | 
 
|   Prepaid expenses and other assets   | 
  | 
$ | 
13,832 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
30,691 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
 
|   Oil and natural gas properties and equipment   | 
  | 
$ | 
8,567,509 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
8,532,196 | 
  | 
 
|   Furniture, fixtures and other   | 
  | 
  | 
20,847 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
20,317 | 
  | 
 
|   Total property and equipment   | 
  | 
  | 
8,588,356 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
8,552,513 | 
  | 
 
|   Less accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization   | 
  | 
  | 
7,901,478 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
7,803,715 | 
  | 
 
|   Oil and natural gas properties and other, net   | 
  | 
$ | 
686,878 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
748,798 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Schedule of Other Assets, Noncurrent [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
 
|   ROU assets (Note 7)   | 
  | 
$ | 
11,509 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
7,936 | 
  | 
 
|   Unamortized debt issuance costs   | 
  | 
  | 
2,094 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
3,798 | 
  | 
 
|   Investment in White Cap, LLC   | 
  | 
  | 
2,699 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
2,590 | 
  | 
 
|   Derivatives   | 
  | 
  | 
2,762 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
2,653 | 
  | 
 
|   Unamortized brokerage fee for Monza   | 
  | 
  | 
626 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
3,423 | 
  | 
 
|   Proportional consolidation of Monza's other assets (Note 4)   | 
  | 
  | 
1,782 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
5,308 | 
  | 
 
|   Appeal bond deposits   | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
6,925 | 
  | 
 
|   Other   | 
  | 
  | 
998 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
814 | 
  | 
 
|   Total other assets   | 
  | 
$ | 
22,470 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
33,447 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Schedule of Accrued Liabilities [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
 
|   Accrued interest   | 
  | 
$ | 
10,389 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
10,180 | 
  | 
 
|   Accrued salaries/payroll taxes/benefits   | 
  | 
  | 
4,009 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
2,377 | 
  | 
 
|   Incentive compensation plans   | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
9,794 | 
  | 
 
|   Litigation accruals   | 
  | 
  | 
436 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
3,673 | 
  | 
 
|   Lease liability (Note 7)   | 
  | 
  | 
394 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
2,716 | 
  | 
 
|   Derivatives   | 
  | 
  | 
13,620 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
1,785 | 
  | 
 
|   Other   | 
  | 
  | 
1,032 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
371 | 
  | 
 
|   Total accrued liabilities   | 
  | 
$ | 
29,880 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
30,896 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 | 
| Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Table Text Block] | 
    
|   | 
  | 
  December 31,   | 
  | 
 
|   | 
  | 
  2020   | 
  | 
  | 
  2019   | 
  | 
 
|   Dispute related to royalty deductions   | 
  | 
$ | 
5,467 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
4,687 | 
  | 
 
|   Dispute related to royalty-in-kind   | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
250 | 
  | 
 
|   Lease liability (Note 7)   | 
  | 
  | 
11,360 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
4,419 | 
  | 
 
| Derivatives | 
  | 
  | 
4,384 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
 
| Black Elk escrow | 
  | 
  | 
11,103 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
— | 
  | 
 
|   Other   | 
  | 
  | 
624 | 
  | 
  | 
  | 
632 | 
  | 
 
|   Total other liabilities (long-term)   | 
  | 
$ | 
32,938 | 
  | 
  | 
$ | 
9,988 | 
  | 
 
 
   
 |