Rustlers still rile cattle raisers

Rustling is still a problem Texas cattle raisers, and high beef prices are partly to blame, according to The Associated Press

"There are more cattle rustling cases today than there ever have been before," said Dean Bohannon, one of 27 investigators hired by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

The trade group says its investigators recovered nearly $5 million worth of cattle, horses and equipment last year in Texas and Oklahoma.

At current beef prices, a single high-quality yearling cow weighing 500 pounds can sell for $450. That's good for producers, but it also attracts thieves.

Stories roam the range about thieves who use helicopters to round up cattle in remote areas, or fire hypodermic darts to anesthetize the animals. But most of the time, cattle are stolen by a few guys with a lock cutter.

Some thieves bait the cattle, spreading feed to lure them into a pen or trailer. That's how rustlers took 58 head of livestock from a ranch near Houston last January. Investigators say the crooks made at least six trips to load all the cattle.

Read more here.

-- Bill Miller