Stock theft

[alisonb]

I feel a bit like a zombie this morning and could do with a couple more hours sleep.
In the last 6 months the area I stay in has been hit by a stock theft syndicate mainly stealing sheep and goats but have now started on cattle.
There has been absolutely no information forthcoming from the workers in the area as they fear for there lives. It's amazing, one speaks to them the day ofter a theft and it's like speaking to a wall.
Anyway, I managed to pry some info out of one of them eventually with a promise of a reward, got a name of a guy that has been working for my neighbour for about 15yrs. What he does is check the area out for a hit, phone his buddies in the location, they come out in the wee hours of the morning, steal the animals and hightail it back to the location where they sell the meat to a butchery. The stock left unit has had no luck as the blood trails lead to the main road where animals are loaded and then just disappear.
I recieved a call last night that the 8 suspects had arrived in the area. I was given the exact location and details of the vehicle which I promptly handed over to the stock theft unit. They did not manage to catch them, in fact I think they may just have frightened them off. Perhaps botched, I have yet to find out the details.

I (and my gun :lol: ) sat in the shadow of a tree (it's full moon) watching the police vehicles about a kilo away looking for the thieves in the wrong direction. The adrenalin was pumping through my veins, I could imagine some of the thieves running away from the cops and running towards me :shock: :shock:.

Needless to say, I could not get back to sleep after that .

 

[1982vett]

Hmm... just a thought. If the local police are such "bumbling boobs" you may need to go to a higher and different athority. Folks giving you information may already know the local police aren't going to do anything for a reason. ;-)

 

[alisonb]

You are so right vett. And one wonders why people don't come want to come forth with info :shock: .
Here is a link to rhino poaching. This syndicate had been operating for a good while before being caught.
http://bushwarriors.wordpress.com/2010/ ... d-on-bail/

 

[Jogeephus]

That's bad. Does make you wonder. I gotta ask, would you have been willing to pull the trigger if need be?

 

[Ryder]

That's bad. Does make you wonder. I gotta ask, would you have been willing to pull the trigger if need be?

If push comes to shove I would bet cash money she would.
Women are just plain vicious. :shock:

 

[peg4x4]

Vicious? No.. But if it comes down to you or my kids,there wouldn't be enough left to identify except by DNA..
Remember Kipling.. "For the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

 

[alisonb]

I gotta ask, would you have been willing to pull the trigger if need be?

Our law states that you may only shoot under life threatening circumstances so yes if that is the case I would pull the trigger. If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

Women are just plain vicious

:devil2: :D .
I just had a clandestine meeting with the captain of the stock theft unit, they will have unmarked cars ready for action tonight if I recieve a phone call from the informant. Another sleepless night perhaps?

 

[3waycross]

If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

My money's on you Alison. Just keep in mind what my good friend the sheriff told me once. "If there is going to be shot fired by you then you had better be the only one able to testify after it's all over". ;-)

 

[TexasBred]

If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

My money's on you Alison. Just keep in mind what my good friend the sheriff told me once. "If there is going to be shot fired by you then you had better be the only one able to testify after it's all over". ;-)

The SECOND SHOT is the warning shot. ;-)

 

[Ryder]

If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

My money's on you Alison. Just keep in mind what my good friend the sheriff told me once. "If there is going to be shot fired by you then you had better be the only one able to testify after it's all over". ;-)

Sounds like good advice, 3way..
Seems to me if anyone was going to fire a warning shot, it should be the second shot, like Txas B said.
;-)

 

[andybob]

Sorry you have to go through all this Alison, the in-laws in Delmas have already sold the sheep and commercial cattle, and are now considering selling the balance of the stud herd as they are too old to keep up the armed vigils. The neighbouring dairy has lost about 20 top producing Holstiens, all slaughtered at the roadside.
When it started in Zim, we had to do most of the police work ourselves, quite a few rustlers were shot, untill high up officials began to take over the rustling so no action was tolerated against the gangs.

 

[Jogeephus]

I gotta ask, would you have been willing to pull the trigger if need be?

Our law states that you may only shoot under life threatening circumstances so yes if that is the case I would pull the trigger. If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

Women are just plain vicious

:devil2: :D .
I just had a clandestine meeting with the captain of the stock theft unit, they will have unmarked cars ready for action tonight if I recieve a phone call from the informant. Another sleepless night perhaps?

Good answer! I was hoping you would say that. There is no need carrying a gun unless you are willing to use it. Unfortunately I don't think my wife could pull the trigger and would use it as a bluff. I've told her this is the wrong thing to do but its like talking to a wall. However, my daughter is the backup and she can consistently put a four inch group in the head, chest and groin area with her pistol. I don't know where she got the idea to shoot low like that on a silhouette target. Maybe this is that natural viciousness some speak of in women. ;-) :lol2:

Good luck in finding them.

 

[cow pollinater]

Well, look at it this way... You're outnumbered by men whose intent is to kill and butcher an animal ten times your size quickly, efficiently, without being caught, and have proven multiple times that they are capable of doing just that... Fear for your life shouldn't be to hard to prove in court.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'll be more than happy to volunteer my expertise on the jury too! :tiphat:

 

[VanC]

I gotta ask, would you have been willing to pull the trigger if need be?

Our law states that you may only shoot under life threatening circumstances so yes if that is the case I would pull the trigger. If I catch them stealing my cattle I may not even shoot a warning shot :mad: .

Women are just plain vicious

:devil2: :D .
I just had a clandestine meeting with the captain of the stock theft unit, they will have unmarked cars ready for action tonight if I recieve a phone call from the informant. Another sleepless night perhaps?

Be careful, Alison. The last thing I want to see is for you to get hurt or in serious legal trouble. If you start shooting at unarmed people, regardless of what they're doing, that's where the legal trouble could come in. This is 2010, not 1880. Most people, and most laws, don't consider killing someone over cattle a fair trade. You said yourself that your laws state that you must feel that your life is threatened to justify shooting. I take that to mean YOUR life must be threatened, not your cattle's.

Now if they're armed, that's a different story, but this is where the part about you getting hurt comes in. There's obviously more than one person doing this. If they start shooting back, could you kill three, four, ten, or however many there are before they kill you? Not likely.

Also consider the anguish it might cause you to kill another person, even if they're a scumbag. Sometimes it's justified, and sometimes it's the only course of action, but it should NEVER be an easy thing to do. Again, please be careful.

 

[alisonb]

First off, thanks all for your concern.

No phone call came through last night. I did my rounds at about midnight. Checked my cows, they were all lying down chewing their cud, my last thought was how easy it would be to walk up to one and slit it's throat - they know no fear. I then left it all over to higher powers. I slept like a baby. Woke up this morning to singing birds and the smell of blossoming trees. If only it could always be like that....

It is difficult to make sense of it all but when one considers the greed of the human race one understands where the ruthlessness comes from. Some will stop at nothing to meet their ends. So sense must prevail, options must be weighed up and at the end of the day ones own safety and well being prioritised. Every situation is unique and you only hope that if ever faced with it, that you will handle it without panic and fear - cause that's when things could go horribly wrong :shock: .

I will let you know as things transpire......

 

[alisonb]

When it started in Zim, we had to do most of the police work ourselves, quite a few rustlers were shot, untill high up officials began to take over the rustling so no action was tolerated against the gangs.

Andybob, there are so many similarities, without being totally thick, I suppose one continues hoping for a different outcome.

About 3yrs ago in this same area they started stealing pipes, aliminium irrigation pipes 6m x 75mm. After almost every weekend I would notice 3 or 4 of my pipes missing. What they would do is put the pipe in the V of a tree and break it up in pieces, pop them in bags and take them off to a scrap metal dealer the next day. It seemed such petty sh!!t to run to the cops every time a couple of pipes got stolen. This was not only happening to me but to most of my neighbours as well. A couple of them reported it to the cops but the general thinking was that the cops are not going to do anything about it.
I continued reporting the thefts to the cops and encouraged neigbours to do the same. When I did a pipe count, apprx 107 pipes had been stolen. It is something you just cannot pack in or lock up every day when you are using them almost daily :shock: .

They eventually caught the guys with the assistance of a dog named 'Basset' and traced the scrap metal guy. The were not stealing pipes that night but the brass sprinkler heads. I had woken up to the distinctive sound of a sprinkler being screwed off the upright not 50m from the house, I called the cops and the dog tracked them down and arrests were made.
There is hope - but I believe it's going to take a collective effort.

However, my daughter is the backup and she can consistently put a four inch group in the head, chest and groin area with her pistol.

Jo, your daughter seems to be a very well balanced girl ;-) .

I take that to mean YOUR life must be threatened, not your cattle's.

Thats right, my life. Thanks for the words of caution, now if I had to listen to TB and 3ways advice I could land up in a lot of trouble :P .

 

[VanC]

Alison, I believe you to be a prudent and reasonable person. Only you know your situation. I have confidence that you will do the right thing, whatever that may end up being. Good luck. We'll be thinking of you.

 

[3waycross]

My advice was aimed at keeping you out of trouble Alison. The only thing I can see that would be worse than you actually shooting someone(which YOU suggested) is to shoot them and then have them live to testify against you in court.

I NEVER advocated that you shoot anyone.

BTW I am not responsible for TB's advice. (not that I don't agree with it).

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Seems like a good time to own a rank bull or two.