Feral Cattle in AZ and NM...removal

[mrcowboy]

Groups oppose Federal Wildlife Service’s plans to deal with cattle on Gila National Forest

SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – Cattle have been grazing in the Gila wilderness for more than 30 years. The U.S. Forest Service says it’s negatively impacting endangered species and water quality …

www.krqe.com

 

[rustednuts]

Does anybody know if there is a penalty for if your cattle are found outside of an allotment that you have rights to? I would think the ranchers that have the allotment rights wouldn’t want other cattle in there.

 

[hank4elk]

It's a mess. I see unbranded cattle all the time.
The Ass. spokesman says they're mostly from "retired leases" . Really? The rancher just left his cows and walked?
These guys would sell their mother for a lease.
Time for a round up.

 

[S-3 Ranch]

It's a mess. I see unbranded cattle all the time.
The Ass. spokesman says they're mostly from "retired leases" . Really? The rancher just left his cows and walked?
These guys would sell their mother for a lease.
Time for a round up.

yep , get the helicopters and some pens and get them off
we have same problem in big bend area, cattle, donkey ect
I wonder about the BLM and USA citizens rights

 

[Europe]

It's a mess. I see unbranded cattle all the time.
The Ass. spokesman says they're mostly from "retired leases" . Really? The rancher just left his cows and walked?
These guys would sell their mother for a lease.
Time for a round up.

Excellent response and points Hank. I agree !

It is cattle, rounding them up and sending them to the slaughter house should not give the "anti's" heartburn, since we have been eating beef like since, forever.

If the cattle rounded up have a brand or ear tag, it is not hard to find out who that animal belongs to. Contact them and give them the opportunity to come and get their animal (s).

The open range/free grazing and no fence/fence laws complicate owner liability, outside of Mariposa and Pima counties ( in AR ) and even in those counties "liability" is not clear cut

I am possibly the odd man out, so to speak, on this point, but I do not feel "thinning them out" is the answer. Round them up and remove them all. I also dont feel thinning them out via helicopter is a good approach as this would possibly help increase the Grey Wolf population ( free meals ) and the Grey Wolf have increased in numbers every year for the last decade. They can shoot the Wolf from the helicopter if they want to shoot something from a helicopter, but not the cattle.

They also claim the country is too rugged to round them up via horses. IMHO, this is also not true.

 

[lastlight]

Free ribeyes!

 

[Oak]

It is cattle, rounding them up and sending them to the slaughter house should not give the "anti's" heartburn, since we have been eating beef like since, forever.

Interestingly, it is the New Mexico Federal Lands Council and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, a couple of presumably conservative groups, that are opposed to this removal.

 

[gouch]

The ranchers are supposed to have their cattle rounded up by the end of Oct. I have always felt that by Nov. 15 they should be considered abandoned and free for the taking.

 

[Europe]

Interestingly, it is the New Mexico Federal Lands Council and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, a couple of presumably conservative groups, that are opposed to this removal.

That is true sir. They also dont want the animals shot from helicopters. They, and I , believe that shooting these animals from a helicopter is a bad idea.

They mention that " A number of groups are against their plan", but they do not tell us who all of those groups are and what part of the plan they are against.

IMHO, I admit, I dont agree with the shooting of the cattle from a helicopter, but I do feel they should be rounded up in the manner stated in my 1st post.

But, this is just my opinion on the subject sir----and----my "fight" so to speak is in Arizona, not New Mexico, but some of those darn cows cannot read a map

 

[S-3 Ranch]

Excellent response and points Hank. I agree !

It is cattle, rounding them up and sending them to the slaughter house should not give the "anti's" heartburn, since we have been eating beef like since, forever.

If the cattle rounded up have a brand or ear tag, it is not hard to find out who that animal belongs to. Contact them and give them the opportunity to come and get their animal (s).

The open range/free grazing and no fence/fence laws complicate owner liability, outside of Mariposa and Pima counties ( in AR ) and even in those counties "liability" is not clear cut

I am possibly the odd man out, so to speak, on this point, but I do not feel "thinning them out" is the answer. Round them up and remove them all. I also dont feel thinning them out via helicopter is a good approach as this would possibly help increase the Grey Wolf population ( free meals ) and the Grey Wolf have increased in numbers every year for the last decade. They can shoot the Wolf from the helicopter if they want to shoot something from a helicopter, but not the cattle.

They also claim the country is too rugged to round them up via horses. IMHO, this is also not true.

Ok big IMO
those ranchers that fence off public land, get really possessive when
a hunter shows up , the land council is full of jack wads that are clueless, “ I hate paying for something that I can’t use “

 

[S-3 Ranch]

That is true sir. They also dont want the animals shot from helicopters. They, and I , believe that shooting these animals from a helicopter is a bad idea.

They mention that " A number of groups are against their plan", but they do not tell us who all of those groups are and what part of the plan they are against.

IMHO, I admit, I dont agree with the shooting of the cattle from a helicopter, but I do feel they should be rounded up in the manner stated in my 1st post.

But, this is just my opinion on the subject sir----and----my "fight" so to speak is in Arizona, not New Mexico, but some of those darn cows cannot read a map

Who wants to shoot cattle?
we use helicopter to push and roundup the wilder cattle around here

 

[Oak]

Who wants to shoot cattle?
we use helicopter to push and roundup the wilder cattle around here

In the article they are talking about shooting the feral cattle from a helicopter and leaving them.

 

[hank4elk]

I am opposed to the helo shooting ,dumb idea. Talk about liability.

These folks know where their $ is. They have no problem when they need the $ to round them up.
Hell ,it's a family event. Like branding, twice a year. I see the same ranchers taking trailers to the auction weekly.
This is not just a few large landowners in the forest. Folks who own less land than me complain they can't run 800 head anymore, the damn greenies in FS. Or the BLM. State Trust Lands guys. Who I rarely if ever see in the Apache or Gila forest,on BLM nor the state lands. Rarely,off the main hwy.

I have been dealing with the same issue since I was a teen. Damn cattle eating my wildlife feed & wrecking a trout stream. Said the same thing to Congress once.

I also find myself a rancher who's land is for wildlife now. Cattle is a tax write off. Does not pencil out for me. I would rather see 100 elk in the morning & some antelope around 11am daily. I buy beef from a rancher friend. Some are 4th generation here. Some see things similar to the way I see them too. They just don't say it out loud,or have leases...LOL
I'm sure I'll get some flack. So what else is new?

The free range laws in NM are a bit outdated. So are the Mining & Extraction rules.

It is not 1870,no matter how much one wishes it ,from your PU truck.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Who wants to shoot cattle?
we use helicopter to push and roundup the wilder cattle around here

I'd shoot them

 

[Gellar]

We have 2 pastures that are about 300 acres each. Each pasture supports roughly 75 cow/calf pair. When it is time to bring the cows home for the winter we always miss or a few get separated from the group. It usually takes us a couple of days of checking pastures and putting out feed before we are confident we have them all. Knowing how difficult it can be to get all the cows home from 300 acres I cannot imagine what it’s like getting them from a several 1000 acre pasture/forest. That being said, I can only remember 1 time that we could absolutely not get a steer back in. It was a 3 legged steer who had lost its leg out in the pasture and somehow survived without getting an infection. It finally came to the feeding area only after it was bitter cold and we had a big snow covering up all the grass that was still left.

 

[S-3 Ranch]

In the article they are talking about shooting the feral cattle from a helicopter and leaving them.

Definitely my bad for not reading the article
I don’t understand why feral cattle can be herded & caught in Texas and Mexico, but can’t in New Mexico
if feral animals are damaging land shoot away or force cattlemen to forfeit the feral cattle

 

[mrcowboy]

They did a round up near Los Alamos this past fall. Apparently they (cows) were on the roads around the national lab causing some havoc around the morning commute.. They brought some wranglers in from CO to help.

County Deals With Some Troublemakers … Feral Cows

ladailypost.com

 

[Europe]

I don’t understand why feral cattle can be herded & caught in Texas and Mexico, but can’t in New Mexico

they can, but the difference in the Terrain between Texas and The Gila in New Mexico is the reason they are using, and the Terrain in the Gila is pretty rough in all honesty.

if feral animals are damaging land shoot away or force cattlemen to forfeit the feral cattle

For the most part this is a 30 year old problem, possibly older. Many, I dare say, most of them at this point were born wild and therefore never branded--or owned. The branded ones that have joined them, can be traced to the owner via brand registrations and the owner ( if they are rounded up and not shot by a helicopter ) should be given the opportunity to collect his property. Lightning, other wildlife, can spook a herd thru a fence and they can scatter or other wildlife can also tear down a fence. There are several moving parts to this issue, but I want to go back to -----

Interestingly, it is the New Mexico Federal Lands Council and the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, a couple of presumably conservative groups, that are opposed to this removal.

Oak brings up an important point and hopefully these two groups will be able to stop this. Let the "local" people handle it, not the Feds. Both local and federal want the herds reduced, but they each propose a different way to solve the problem.

______________

Some here have teased me via PM that I want to kill the cows but save the horses : My short answer: I am female, I understand completely my reasoning, what part dont you understand

 

[FI460]

The problem is feral cattle on the landscape. Let's not let the pursuit of a perfect solution get in the way of an imperfect yet sufficient solution.

If there isn't an allotment that is currently permitted to have cattle there I say shoot them and be done with the problem.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

Leopard dogs.