Interupted Russlers!

Tana Mc · #1 07/01/12, 09:47 AM

Yesterday my hubby and I decided it was time to get started on cross fencing our pasture to begin a rotational grazing system.
So we gathered up the fencing stuff and decided to go out late in the afternoon and tear down some electric fence in an area where we had temporarily grazed the horses. We were going to reuse the wire, insulators and posts.

That area is on the far side of the farm right on the gravel road by a barb wire access gate for the gas/oil workers....... It was late in the day but the sun was still up and suddenly the cows began to come across the pasture towards us..... they were on a mission, seriously coming just as if I had called them with feed...... bellowing and walked right past us to the stand in the shade at the fence by the road..... we were busy and I just remarked, "Wonder what has gotten in to them?" We stayed there until it was dark and I headed back to the house to snap green beans that I had picked earlier in the day.
This morning, my hubby drove in that barb wire gate to finish the pulling up the posts.... and found "cow cubes" in two big piles--- one inside the gate and one outside....... The tracks on the gravel indicate that someone had pulled over and dumped them. Not sure if last night was the night they had planned to steal them ( since cubes were outside the gate) or just one more night of training the cows to come to the gate.
As I stood there this morning looking at all that feed, it occured to me that we just had a near miss...... I am not sure if our chance arrival to work spooked them off, made them come later so that the cows gave up on their expected supper, or my son coming in early from work at midnight interupted the big heist. He was partolling as a sheriff reserve last night.......

This morning, I am feeling very, very lucky and mad as fire!

Tana Mc

Dutchie · #2 07/01/12, 09:52 AM

That is one of the worst!!! I am glad you were able to prevent it. What are your planning on doing?

Rockytopsis · #3 07/01/12, 09:55 AM

Put up one of those cameras like DH uses when he is watching for deer trails.
Nancy

Tana Mc · #4 07/01/12, 10:12 AM

We cannot lock that gate because of the gas/oil boys. We have already dusted off the the deer cam and we are planning to get it put up later in the day. My boys are planning a little stake out this evening......

My main concern is that I have three very tame dairy cows out running with the beef girls. They would probably load right up and convince the rest to come along for the ride! LOL!

I am really wondering what in the world happened last night that prevented them from stealing them...... it looks like they were all set up with a couple of panels out the gate and a trailer backed up...... they must have done that after we left and the cows had given up on them and bedded down on the other side of the farm. I was out of town a couple of weeks ago for several days and had my mom staying with my youngest son. My oldest son works nights at the county jail. They must have started feeding them then and training the cows to head for the gate just before dark.

We have a large paddock/small pasture up at the barn near the house. For the next few nights, I am going to call the girls up into there a little before the time the rustlers have apparently been feeding them. The new grazing sytem will have them penned on the opposite side of the farm well away from the road and gate.

I appears that we spooked them into trying down the road a bit. While my son was on duty, he was called to a nearby farm where someone had tried to get a few calves but the owner was alerted and the calves escaped on to the road.... These people are not real bright----- five deputies live within 3-4 miles of us!

CJBegins · #5 07/01/12, 10:30 AM

Tana, contact the oil company and have them place a lock in a chain and you place a lock in the chain. They keep their key and they have access. You have a right to keep your property secure. Our utility company has their own lock on our chain and can come and go as needed. You probably want a better gate, cause wire is easy to cut.

I pray you catch those bastards!

Tana Mc · #6 07/01/12, 11:16 AM

I have real gates to replace that barb wire gate--- for 2 years! It just has not been high on the priority list. Just got bumped up.

I had not thought about the separate locks......

CJBegins · #7 07/01/12, 09:53 PM

We used seperate locks for years. It would be rediculous for the oil company to expect you to not secure your property.

I sure hope those theives get caught. The news is constantly reporting cattle being stolen in Missouri. People just don't want to work for money and have really moved on to big ticket items.

collegeboundgal · #8 07/01/12, 10:13 PM

think it would be illegal to wait for them to show up with a trailer, then shoot them?

MO_cows · #9 07/01/12, 10:16 PM

Wow, that sure was a close call. Even though Missouri isn't a "the brand is the law" state, news like this sure makes me think about branding our cattle. We have one cow from Colorado with a hot brand on her hip, we could freeze brand the rest. You work at having nice docile cattle and some dirt bag takes advantage of your genetic progress and the handling and training you have put into your herd to steal your cattle.

InvalidID · #10 07/01/12, 10:23 PM

I'd set up a stake out and purposely leave my cows down near the gate.....

Tana Mc · #11 07/01/12, 11:01 PM

I got busy with other stuff and let time get away from me..... suddenly, I looked up and saw the herd heading across the big pasture to the gate like they were on a mission.... it was just before 8:00 pm. I called to them twice and they shifted directions and headed for me. I do have those few dairy cows in the mix but they were actually in the back of the pack.

Standing in my clogs and shorts, I caught up nearly 30 head of assorted cows and calves with half a bucket of feed ---- the hussies RAN to me. Even the wild old range cows trotted right in to the lot. My girls are supposed to be grass fed......Even tho I walk thru to check them on a daily basis, I only catch them up a couple of times a year and it usually takes 2-3 days of feeding them to get the whole bunch caught . We were worried about training them to this new rotational idea--- HA, ha ha!

These thieves have been feeding them for a while. They have taught them to hurry to get there first to get the feed......

The boys and I are taking shifts checking on things and we might have some interesting pictures by morning..... Deputy is patrolling the area,too.

CJBegins · #12 07/01/12, 11:57 PM

I will be eagerly awaiting your report!

oneokie · #13 07/02/12, 03:37 AM

If the gate in question is there for the sole purpose of access by the oil/gas co. workers and was placed by them for their access, contact the company and inform them that they need to place a lockable metal gate in place of the barb wire gate because you are having problems with unauthorized access through that gate. Request that you be given 2 keys to the lock that they place on the gate. Having 2 locks as suggested can cause problems if the chain or other latch allows the bypassing of one of the locks. been there, done that, several times.

ETA: Also inform them in writing that if they change locks, you are to be provided 2 keys to the new lock at the time it is installed.

Tana Mc · #14 07/02/12, 06:31 AM

All is well this morning. No sign of any intruders and no pictures.
I am not sure if I should be relieved or worried...... we are going to try to finish the electric fencing today.

Chaty · #15 07/02/12, 07:45 AM

Well I know rustling is a hanging offence in Texas and in Kansas also. I check my girls each night also and this is basically why mine arent on our other place. Gates wont stop them if they want them, as they will just cut the barb wire. Rustlers have been cutting wire for decades. I cant stand that people would rather steal but then again some people are just LAZY!!! Well I know what I would do if I caught them ..SSS...I even have a backhoe...haha...It sounds like they have been working hard to train your cattle, and now its time to catch them. Where I live it takes the sheriff almost 30 to 45 minutes to get here so they said use what I need to till they get here.
I have had idiots try to say they have permission to hunt here and I show them my gun and tell them this is my land and I have my rights to protect it any way I want.
I have caught turkey poachers down by the river twice that supposadly have permission from a guy across the river to hunt. I ask them then is this across the river??? They are hunting into my pasture where my cows are and I have already lost 2 to being shot!
Good luck and I hope you catch the SCUMBAGS! We are here for you...

G. Seddon · #16 07/02/12, 08:33 AM

You've probably already alerted law enforcement about this, but if not, please do so...that way, there's a record of a report having been made!

Be careful!

Tana Mc · #17 07/02/12, 08:52 AM

This saga has just gotten very interesting. I thought you all might like an update. I am pretty ticked off so this will also allow me to vent!

I was chatting on the phone with a neighbor this morning..... his horse had just tossed him in a big pasture and he couldn't find his glasses. He was hoping that if he didn't find them soon, we would come get him because he is pretty much blind with out the glasses..... While we were chatting he thought he would let me know some neighborhood gossip.

There is another rancher who is famous for doing a half way job of tending to his stuff and nearly always has cattle out somewhere. His fences are terrible and the cattle roam far and wide grazing and damaging crops. Seems he has a small bunch of heifers roaming in our area. He decided that if he could get my cattle to come to the fence, it might coax his to come to them. He has been dropping cubes over my fence for a week to get my cattle to come to the road!! The cubes we found at the gate were from an unsuccessful attempt to drive his heifers into my pasture.......

So this was not an attempt at cattle rustling after all! Wonder what you call unauthorized grazing????

The best part of all this is that the offending neighbor has been baling hay directly across the road from my house and has chatted with us twice---- and never mentioned a word to us ......

I told my friend to add a little more gossip to the grapevine. Any extra cattle I find in my pasture will immediately be hauled to the stock yards.

Isn't amazing how things turn out????

oneokie · #18 07/02/12, 08:58 AM

You still need to get a better gate installed with a lock.

And............you need to check KS livestock laws as to the legality of hauling stray cattle to the auciton facility. Most jurisdictions have set proceedures that have to be followed for that to occur with out ramifications.

Tana Mc · #19 07/02/12, 09:18 AM

I have kids employed by the sheriff and the stock yards. We will just have the check sent to the rancher..... that might give him some money to build fence! Sheriff is ok with that idea.

I called dispatch at the sheriff dept to let them know that we don't have a band of rustlers roaming on this side of the county and he told me that they are getting pretty tired of pushing this guys cattle off the road in the middle of the night.

Frankly, it will not even come to that because now that the weasel knows we are on to him, he will put them somewhere else.

Now to get back to stretching electric fence before it get too hot!

MARYDVM · #20 07/02/12, 09:23 AM

Look on the bright side - he fed your cows for a week and never got anything in return.