Approximately 25 cows have been found shot since Oct. 1 between Nowata and Rogers counties. Authorities are concerned about motive and possible suspects.
The latest dead cows, along with a llama, were found by the owners of AWB Ranch in the Spencer Creek area. The owners say two of the cows, found shot, were pregnant, causing the ranch an even greater loss.
“I had about eight or nine cows killed at my place in Alluwe, and they cut my fence, so I moved them over here,” the ranch owner said. He wished to remain anonymous in fear of retaliation. “Now they’ve come over here to my ranch and killed some more.”
The owner said he had a feeling the person he calls the “serial cow killer” would travel south from Nowata County.
“I knew they were going to come across the lake because in Nowata they’ve been looking for them,” he said.
For this ranch owner, and many others in the county, cows are a way of life and replacing them can be costly. The ranchers said they just bought $13,000 worth of cows at an auction in Coffeyville, and will now have to replace three of those. Two pregnant cows were found shot and another was shot in the jaw. The ranchers had to go ahead and kill the injured animal. The rancher also asked the butcher to try and find the bullet.
On Wednesday, Game Warden Jeff Brown said, “The first cows shot were found in Nowata County in August and then we didn’t hear anymore about any shot until October.
“The first set of cows that were killed were calves, and they were butchered. Now they’re killing these old mama cows and leaving them lay,” Brown said.
A few of the cows found shot were partially butchered, which causes Brown to suspect that the suspect or suspects may have been scared off before finishing the job.
Evidence was gathered at the Spencer Creek scene on Wednesday, and Rogers County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Schrader said he is hopeful the evidence will lead to a suspect.
“It’s got to be somebody who knows these roads, possibly from Chelsea, and knows where they are going,” Schrader said.
John Cummings, a former Claremore lawman and now special ranger with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser Association, said he too is concerned about the cattle being killed in the area.
“We need to get together and form a task force to try and stop this,” Cummings said. “I guess we need to figure out what we can do up here at night.”
Cummings said it needs to be a collaborative effort between the Cattle Raisers Association, the Department of Wildlife and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office.
Game Wardens like Brown have been trying to patrol the Nowata County (Alluwe) area since Oct. 1, but have had no luck locating a suspect. The potential evidence gathered at AWB Ranch may help narrow the search and if a night watch is coordinated, a suspect may be caught.
Brown said the AWB Ranch scene is the farthest south the shooters have traveled since the killing started. But the ranch owner said there may be more in his area that have not been reported.
“I thought I had a sickness in my herd at first, but then I saw that one cow had been shot in the jaw,” he said. “I think maybe there might be other cows that have been found dead and the owners may not know if they have been shot.”
According to Brown, it is difficult to determine whether a cow has been shot because of the thickness of the hide.
“When a bullet goes into that tough hide, it just seals that little hole back up and if you can’t see blood coming out, you may not know it has been shot,” he said.
Cummings and Brown are urging ranchers who have discovered dead cows on their property to contact him so the group can monitor and map where the incidents have occurred.
“A lot of times these land owners won’t call, so we don’t know,” Brown said.
Authorities believe the same suspect(s) are responsible for the dead cows in both Nowata and Rogers counties.
Cummings can be reached at 342-0888, or call the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office at 341-3535.
Top Stories
Related Photos
-
PROGRESS PHOTOS/Krystal J. Carman
25 livestock dead
- Top Stories
-
-
NTC’s opens Roy Clark Music School
Claremore is no stranger to country music talent.
-
RCCJA to hire attorney
Members of the Rogers County Criminal Justice Authority Thursday approved the hiring of a Tulsa attorney to serve as legal council for the trust, charged with supervising sales tax dollars set aside for the jail.
-
Blue Starr crash sends one to hospital
The morning commute proved dangerous for a driver in Claremore this morning, as her Dodge Neon was struck by a semi truck at the intersection of Blue Starr Drive and SH66 just after 7 a.m.
-
City proposes storm water fee
City officials presented the city council with a proposed storm water fee this week to fund future projects to deal with flooding issues.
-
Are You Ready to ShakeOut?
With more the 40 million people living and working in the central U.S., a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. With earthquakes an inevitable part of this region's future, we must act quickly to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes.
-
VIDEO: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction
More than 18,000 people descended on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney for the annual Groundhog Day celebration.
-
Fallin: Okla. income tax plan to reduce brackets
Gov. Mary Fallin says her plan to reduce Oklahoma's income tax will reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three and will include revenue growth criteria that will trigger future tax cuts.
-
Speaker Steele supports Open Records for legislature
Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele says he supports an initiative to require the Oklahoma Legislature to be subject to the requirements of the state's Open Records and Open Meetings Act.
-
Groundhog sees shadow, predicts 6 more weeks of winter
Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair to “see” his shadow on Thursday, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.
-
American Airlines: Tulsa jobs to be slashed by 2,100
American Airlines is expected to slash about 2,100 jobs at its maintenance facility in Tulsa under a bankruptcy reorganization plan released by its parent company, a spokesman for the airline said Wednesday.
- More Top Stories Headlines
-
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
