80 pregnant cows stolen from rancher in Springfield; reward offered for information
BACA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Authorities are investigating the theft of 80 pregnant cows earlier this month from an 18,000-acre ranch 30 miles northwest of Springfield, in the southeastern corner of Colorado.
The rancher, Steve McEndree, told KRDO that the cattle have a value of at least $100,000.
"A nice two semi-loads of our mama cows are gone," he posted on his Facebook page after discovering the theft. "After much looking, it's pretty apparent that someone took advantage of their location near the corrals and went for an easy payday. We are not looking for sympathy but want everyone to be aware that this is happening in our community. Watch out for unknown semi-trucks and cattle trailers! Watch out for unknown pickups on our back roads!"
McEndree said that he noticed the cows missing while feeding them during the first week of December, but didn't report it until last week -- after making sure his livestock hadn't wandered onto a neighbor's property, and conducting an aerial search.
"They'd have followed a pickup with cake on it, which is a protein food that's like candy to them," he explained. "This took a little bit of planning. They had to know the corrals there. They had to see the cows right next to the corrals. It took two semis to haul them off. It was probably a three-man operation."
McEndree said that he doesn't think the theft was committed by the same people who have occasionally stolen much smaller groups of cattle in the region.
"We didn't have any insurance because we've never had any problems with cattle theft," he said. "If we ever did, I'd assume it'd be a horse trailer load of just a few cows. It wouldn't be a big chink of a cow herd. I heard there were four cows stolen in Holly (Prowers County) over the weekend."
The thieves are looking for quick cash, McEndree believes, and don't want to add the stolen cattle to an existing herd.
"The corrals are visible from my house -- sort of," he said. "If I looked up there at the right time and someone had lights on, I'd see it. Of course, we had a full moon several weeks ago, and you don't need lights if you have that. They also came during a strong wind event that blew away any tracks. I wouldn't be surprised if they planned for both of those."
McEndree, 65, is a fourth-generation rancher who works with his wife and other family.
"I'm going to have to put some security cameras up," he said. "We're going to have to tighten our belts a little, cut some stuff out, put retirement off two to three years -- or maybe four to five years."
The Baca County Sheriff's Office and the Colorado Cattleman's Association are investigating the matter; the cows are described as black in color and have "S JM" (connected) or "Lazy TC" (connected by a quarter-circle) brands on their left hips, along with blue "Y-Tex" ear tags.
The Colorado Operation Livestock Thief program is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the conviction of a suspect or suspects; authorities in surrounding states have been notified, as well.
Anyone with information about the stolen cattle should contact the Baca County Sheriff’s office at 719-523-6677.
In November 2021, KRDO reported on a dozen cattle stolen over a three-week period from ranches and pastures near the town of Hoehne, in Las Animas County -- 120 miles west of Springfield -- but it's unclear whether any suspects were identified or caught, or whether the same thieves could be involved in the three cases mentioned in this article.
