Cattlemen convene in Ontario
Rustling problem takes center stage
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
LarryM@argusobserver.com
Thursday, November 5, 2009 11:02 AM PST
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| Outgoing Cattlemen’s Association President Wannie MacKenzie (left) presents new president Jeff Palmer, an Ironside-area rancher. |
ONTARIO — Malheur County cattle producers were reminded Wednesday that cattle rustling is a serious problem in Eastern Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, but just going public with the problem has helped reduce the number of incidents.
“We have a real problem,” Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said.
He was addressing the Malheur County Cattlemen’s Association during its meeting at the Sizzler in Ontario. During a two-year period, more than 1,000 cattle disappeared, and a large number of those were victims of rustling.
Rustling has evolved into a real problem, Wolfe said. However, it is not known how many were stolen, he noted, but they have disappeared.
“We have to be creative,” Wolfe said.
“We have a lack of reporting (when cattle turn up missing),” he said, or the reporting is maybe three months late because ranchers may not know cattle are gone until the fall roundup. Wolfe said cattle should be counted when they are moved, “at least a close count.”
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” he said. “It’s whatever can be easily loaded up.”
Numbers of cattle taken vary with each incident.
Three state cattle associations, law enforcement agencies from Malheur County, Owyhee County and Humboldt County, Nev.; Oregon, Idaho and Nevada Brand inspectors and ranchers in the region have banded together to fight cattle rustling, offering up to $47,500 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft of cattle from the open range in those three states.
However, Wolfe cautioned a $50,000 reward had been offered previously but not one call was received. The department has put some cameras out at different locations and, while not catching any rustlers in action, the surveillance caught people stealing fuel from a ranch, leaving gates open and committing vandalism.
“Those cameras have been beneficial,” Wolfe said. While there was concern about going public regarding law enforcement moves to combat the rustling, Wolfe said the action will pay off.
“We want people to think they are being watched. We need to heighten community awareness,” he said.
People should pay attention to who is going in and out of their places and who is on their neighbor’s place.
Bob Skinner, Jordan Valley rancher, agreed. He said one ranch in the southern part of the county had been losing 90 to 130 head of cattle a year, and with the new campaign it has lost only 30 so far.
Ranchers and their employees should also be on the lookout for marijuana growers in remote areas. Also at the session, Greg Jones, who is now the lone trapper in an area from the Baker County line to the Nevada border, said the lack of the second person for trapping will change how things are done.
Funding for trappers come from federal, state and county sources, and with cuts from the state, the counties have had to take more of the burden, he said.
“Right now, I’m just putting out fires,” he said. People are just going to have to have patience, Jones said. Nuisance animals, such as skunks, raccoons and beavers will go by the wayside.
Jones said he will focus heavily on coyotes, which are a problem to cattle producers particularly during calving season, and cougars. This is the third year of a three-year project to reduce the number of cougars in the northwest part of the county because of livestock perdition. While the project has been successful, Jones said the problem will return as the area contains prime cougar habitat.
Two wolves have been allowed to be killed in northeast Oregon because of perdition and because their numbers have reached sufficient levels despite being on the endangered species list, Jones said. He said, with numbers of elk in the northeast part of the state on the rise, once the wolves discover that, they will be coming into Oregon in packs rather than in singles or pairs.
