type of brand

[Craig-TX]

I'll second that. BullLady, what would it take for you to recognize the good done? 100% recovery is not a realistic expectation. For the most part cattle that are recovered by the TSCRA are caught going to the sale barns. If they are marketed private treaty, or arrive at their destination in some other direct fashion, it is very difficult to catch the thief. There is no question that the TSCRA and other similar organizations around the country, coupled with law enforcement, are to be credited with many successes. That is a fact that can be quantified. That the TSCRA et al are a deterrent to would be thieves is also a certainty even though it is impossible to quantify.

Craig-TX

 

[cattle_gal]

DRB,

Tattoo's are worthless. A tatoo over time is unreadable. And no rancher is going to go throw hundreds of cattle to see what belongs to who.

Rustling isn't a 100 years ago problem.

Oldtimer gave a good situation on why we need hot brands. That reminded me of a cow that appeared one day with a brand that I knew was owned by a ranch with an allotment 50 miles away. And living on stateline we get Idaho's cattle sometimes too.

The last attempt rustling with us was a few years ago(that I know of). They tried to take most of the herd(yearlings) that was on range (about 6000 acres span, mountains) on the back side of us which they could trail down to a set up coral and either load them up or start slaughtering on the
spot and dress out. Luckly our cows knew that they don't go that way and they turned down mountain and to the canyon. We saw the tracks of horses and the cattle trail. We weren't so lucky with the sheep. They took almost all of them right from the field on christmas eve. Loaded them up in the truck and away they went.

Then there are the dishonest neighbors. "OH that looks like my cow/cattle" Even if the brand did kind of look some what alike(If you crossed your eyes and squinted hard). He didn't account for the fact that his brand was on the opposite hip as ours. He isn't around anymore.

Maybe Oldtimer remembers a guy getting stopped by the police on the highway one time, because his camping trailer was leaking water bad. Well guess what, that wasn't water that was cow urine. The camper was modified to hold cattle, but have the appearance of weekend camper.

 

[TheBullLady]

I realize that 100% capture and return is unrealistic for the Southwestern Cattlemans Assoc.. but I guess what I was trying to point out to the "newcomers" is that if you pay the big $$ to join their associaton for that type of protection, you should be aware that it is not a guarantee that they will recover your property.

 

[Dee]

I just sold calves and pairs yesterday, and at the 2 unloading docks there were 6 brand men. I have sold there for 3 years, and never needed to bring the brand papers, but this time I can to go in and explain where I purchased the cattle, from whom, and on what date. They held 3 over for the next days sale 'till I had the brand sheet faxed. The other 3 barns that I have sold at have never questioned it. West River area asks for brand records first, and east river seems more importance on health records.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

Also I think that certain breeding associations require certain types of branding. I know that the ABBA (American Brahman Breeders Association) requires hot branding on all registered animals.

 

[sidney411]

This was been quite a while ago but once we had a stray cow get into our pasture. Through several channels of people we were called and told there were men on horseback and dogs setting up a pen in our pasture. We called our uncle who went to investigate. They had cut the chains off of our gate, had 4 cowboys, 8 or 10 dogs, 2 - 30 ft goosenecks, and a big paneled corral set up. They had 30 of our cows and calves along with this "stray" cow in the pen. No one needs that much stuff to get 1 cow! I am pretty sure that they were planning on hauling all of our cattle off! I am glad that our neighbors were watching out for us!

 

[frenchie]

We firebrand.. but primarily because ABBA requires that for registration.

A good friend of ours lost 11 heifers last summer.. and he's a member of Southwest Cattle Raisers Assoc. for all the good it did him. His cattle were also all branded, a very large three part brand. None were ever recovered. So much for that theory.

That is indeed a shame that even with a brand they were not recovered. IMHO I believe the chances of recovery are greater with a brand , then perhaps a tattoo.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Sidney, please tell us a little more about your situation. Did ya'll sic the law on them? Hold them at gunpoint until ???, shoot their tires out, or what?

 

[sidney411]

Arnold, I can only wish I were there! There would be a few less rustler's children running around if I were. (Get my drift?) But no, my husband's uncle was so nice he just asked them to pack their things and get out with the stray cow. Of course the lied and said they had to run all of the cows into the pen to get the one out and they said they were going to let them out as soon as they got their's loaded. Uncle stayed there till they left and then locked up the gate again. Nothing else ever happened of the matter as far as my knowledge.

 

[Dana Kopp]

As a volunteer Brand Inspector we get the Montana Estray list every couple months. Even though some of the critters are not recovered the proof of ownership is in the markings. In many of the eastern Montana counties 20, 30, 50 head or more will disappear!! There are always the single calves, steers or heifers that probably end up in someone's freezer but I can't imagine how you hide 20+ head - though the population in some of these areas is rather thin. In the last list there were a number of head that were lost in 2002 and recovered in early 2004 - it never hurts to keep us looking.

In Montana, the brand office really restricts how close (by county) similar brands & brand locations can be for good reason. For most of last summer we had a hereford heifer join our herd, she was wild as can be so I reported her, but she was so hairy I couldn't read her brand. Finally when we brought in our calves to wean we caught her and clipped her to read the brand. It was so blotched that it was barely legible, I called the office with what I thought it was and they said that only one person had that brand in that location in Montana and he was located clear across the state, Wolf Point. So we figured that I must have misread the brand (yeah right - was that slash blob, quarter circle blob or bar blob??) When we hauled her in I was right, they tracked the description and brand through several owners & shippers to a rancher on the other side of the mountain range from us. He'd bought her and her dam and turned them out, but he hadn't bothered to report her missing because he figured she'd just come back home.

Our horse brand is on the rt shoulder and we freeze brand the horses, our cattle brand is on the rt rib. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of brands depending on the animal, brand location and animal color!

If you have ever tried to read a horse's lip tattoo or a cow's ear tatoo after several years you know that they can be really hard or impossible to make out. Ear notches on cattle could obliterate tattoos too - besides who wants to get close enough to read them on a bad tempered mama! We have one who tries to bite you when she is in the squeeze chute, but we don't have coyote or dog problems!!!