The number of cattle thefts across Texas and Oklahoma were slightly up in 2015.
New numbers from the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association show 6,423 head of livestock were reported missing or stolen in Texas and Oklahoma during 2015. The number of missing or stolen was 5,790 in 2014.
On a sprawling ranch outside of Seagoville, ranch manager John Pillow said the threat of cattle rustling never goes away.
"It's always on your mind because it happens all the time," he said.
Cattle rustling remains big business in Texas because beef is big business. The sale of one heifer can fetch hundreds of dollars at auction, which is why thieves have targeted herds since the days of the old west.
"The only thing that's changed in cattle rustling is we don't hang them on the courthouse square like we did in the 1800s," Pillow said.
The punishment is no longer as harsh, but the same cowboys still investigate the crimes. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers is an agency of 30 special rangers tasked with investigating livestock crimes across Texas and Oklahoma. They've been around since the 1870s.
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Special rangers recovered more than $3.2 million in livestock and farm equipment across Texas and Oklahoma in 2015, including 1,664 cattle and horses that were recovered. While 2015 numbers show a slight uptick, overall the number of thefts and caseload are down from a few years ago — more than 13,000 livestock in 2011.
"Sometimes there will be a lot of cattle theft, sometimes there's a lot of trailer theft," said Special Ranger Troy McKinney. "Whatever is hot at that kind of time is what they will steal."
Beef prices play a factor in thefts and there are concerns the decline in oil prices could lead to a spike.
"Once the oil market starts dropping people run out of jobs and they run out of money, so they go to stealing," McKinney said.
TSCRA represents more than 17,000 beef cattle producers, ranchers and businesses across Texas and Oklahoma.
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