October 7, 2015

An upside down system

By STU MERRY

For Frank Felix, things are getting out of hand in the White Shield area.

Felix operates a small cow-calf operation and horses with four family members near White Shield. He’s losing head of cattle.

During a check of the heard a few weeks ago a dead cow was found. Felix scratched his head. There’s no reason a middle-aged cow should fall over, he thought, except the animal’s eyes were bulged out – a sure sign it had been shot.

Again, checking the pastures as the days went by more dead cattle were found. Examining the carcasses, they all showed the same signs as the cause of death. Throughout the range unit in the Missouri River breaks the group used ATVs, finding other scattered carcasses. All were middle-aged livestock, not old, all were breeders, Felix said.

Felix observed fences had been torn down, driven right through. The numbers began to mount. All totaled, eight cows and a calf were shot. Things weren’t adding up.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, lost two horses by gunshot. Those fences were also run through.


 
The Weather Network