Rancher Discovers Nearly 500 Steers Missing From Herd

A rancher in Clay County discovered nearly 500 head of cattle are missing from his ranch northwest of Fort Worth.

The missing cattle have this brand on their left hip.

The 489 steers went missing between November 2018 and August 2019. The rancher maintains a large herd, so he did not discover the missing animals until shipping the remainder of the cattle, according to Special Ranger John Bradshaw of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

Operation Cow Thief, an anti-theft initiative led by TSCRA, is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person or persons responsible for the crime.

According to Bradshaw, the animals weigh 400-500 pounds and are mixed breed Charolais and Black Angus type cattle. They also have a brand, illustrated below, on the left hip.

Anyone with information that could help identify the perpetrator or perpetrators is asked to call TSCRA's Operation Cow Thief hotline at 888-830-2333, or Bradshaw at 940-389-6123.

All information is kept confidential, and tips may be provided anonymously.