The Case of the Missing Bull

The bull is missing and none of us know where he has gone. The bull just turned up missing one day and left no forwarding address.

We live in a community covering 2000 acres, around which is a perimeter fence. The purpose of the perimeter fence is to keep the cattle inside our individual properties. The cattle herd consists of about 100 head and are the property of two of the residents. There are only a few fences inside the community, so for the most part, the cattle can roam all the parcels of land freely. Its rather wild country, consisting of open grasslands and patches of very dense brush.

The herd usually has just one bull, sometimes two, but two bulls in small herd usually get to fighting with each other so one is better.

Now, the missing bull could have excaped, died naturally, been shot by a hunter, or rustled. Cattle rustling has not gone away and still is a serious crime. But to steal this big bull by getting him into a trailer would not be a small chore. Plus, we have seen not evidence that the bull was stolen, as the security cameras did not show any such transport and the local auction places did not show any sales of these longhorn bulls. Today, especially in Texas, sales of animals is carefully monitored because of our history of cattle thievery in the distant past.

So, the owners walked the fenceline looking for an escape route. Its a perimeter of about ten miles of good fence. No hole found. Cattle are not like deer who will squirm through a hole in the fence; a bull will charge a fence if he wants out, but no sign of a broken fence anywhere. Longhorns can not squirm through a fence hole as they are not that agile, like a deer, and besides, getting those 4 foot horns through the hole in the fence is a big challenge. So, if a big bull wants out, he just walks through the fence.

Many of us had been watching the sky for swarms of buzzards that may have indicated that they found the carcass of the bull, but no evidence of this type has been observed.

Many areas inside the community were searched for a carcass of a deceased animal. None was found, but that job is not complete and probably never will be complete as there are some remote areas that people usually do not visit. Some areas are so densely covered with brush that you could be 20 feet away from a carcass and not see any evidence of it.

I may have been the last one to see the bull when I saw it walking down the road about 15 feet away from me, all alone, with a dejected look. That may be the last time the bull had been seen, as a herd check was made soon thereafter and noting that the bull was missing.

It would be good to find some evidence of its demise and close this cold case

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