Wild Horse Shootings Swept Under the Rug?
May 14, 2014
Emails from 2 BLM employees:
1) Winnemucca confirms they have been investigating:
“We have been investigating the two horses killed along Highway 447, MM 49, for the past week. Doing a lot of outreach with the community and local law-enforcement but still no leads.”
2) From the John Maurer, BLM office:
“I am the investigator looking into the deaths of the two horses … I am particularly interested in what those two individuals had to say…”
Since May 14th … and still not a peep out of BLM about this?
At two recent North-Eastern BLM Stewardship public meetings, the illegal killing of wild horses was advocated by two separate public speakers. During the meetings, a local rancher said that he was a former military man and said that there were plenty of remote canyons up there and the people in the area could take care of the [wild horse] “problem” themselves … and that was what he had done while in the military. And … another local rancher said that she would shoot any animal, whether it was a horse, wild horse or otherwise that came on to her property and ate her cows’ grass.
The members of the committee as well as numerous members of the public heard the illegal suggestions about killing/shooting our wild horses. BLM employees at the meeting did not speak up and tell the speakers that what they were advocating was a federal crime – until a member of the public brought it to the BLM’s attention.
And this was not the first time our wild horses have been found killed in that same area!
April 2012The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is investigating the shooting deaths of nearly a dozen wild horses in four separate incidents in California and Nevada since the beginning of the year. http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/04/30/10k-reward-for-killing-of-wild-horses-in-nv-ca/
February 2006 The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office received a report Tuesday afternoon, February 14, that some wild horses had been found shot to death along State Highway 34 about 40 miles north of Gerlach. Investigation confirms that three wild horses, two mares and a stud, were shot and killed. One of the mares aborted a foal after being shot. The foal is also dead.http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_information/newsroom/2006/02/horses_shot_to_death.html
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
To the woman who will shoot any wild horse or other animal eating her cow’s grass. How about I shoot your cow when ends up on public land? Such hate out ther.
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BLM should investigate the killings of these wild horses and stop playing around with the animal’s lives. It appears the ranchers are killing the wild horses for their own selfish reasons. There’s plenty of land for horses and cows to graze. Leave the wild horses alone. You know who you are!!!
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No!!!!!!!!!!!!! The heck with the Cows!!!!! The horses were here first!! Such selfish, cruel, ignorant people out there. There is “open space,” for all of the animals.
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These people have no souls. They are ingrates for turning their backs on the horse as a species that helped to build the way of life they now enjoy. May they enjoy the same callousness and disrespect when they pass to their next life.
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The place where the horses were found, Highway 447, MM 49, is between Winnemucca, NV and Susanville, Ca. I have, “Save the Wild Horses” bumper stickers on my car and while driving through the Susanville area up Hwy. 395, I was told to get out of town by some very hostile, (whom I believe to be) ranchers. I’ll put money on it that the BLM is covering up for some rancher(s).
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Drive by shootings now happening to horses?
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BLM Advisory Board Member Boyd Spratling and others should be forced to resign. Their public suggestions that horses need to be slaughtered or “processed” has taken this blood-lust out in the open. This, coupled with BLM’s cow-towing to Cliven Bundy,has emboldened the militia-style extremists. The appointment of Robert Cope, DVM, to the Board, a former President of the National Association of County Organizations is the height of collusion by BLM and local County leaders such as David Miller and Ken Ivory, who publicly defy the aw and openly threaten to take the law into their own hands to remove the horses.
Nobody is more at fault than the BLM Advisory Board. They should all be removed. The fact that Cope is on the Board is a direct Conflict of Interest, considering that NACO is suing BLM and demanding the horses be killed.
BLM is responsible, no matter who pulled the trigger.
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Key word here is , He is LOOKING into it???????( what kind of unconcerned crap does that sound like??) this was a Murder , sure as the shooter shot a person , and should be INVESTIGATED THOROUGHLY with no stones unturned !!!! The BLM is PAID to Preserve and Protect Our Treasured Wild Mustangs !!!!!! LET THE PROTECTING BEGIN !!!!!!!
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Either the BLM starts doing their very IMPORTANT JOB of PROTECTING OUR MUSTANGS , or Be REMOVED THEMSELVES !!!!!! Perpetrators should be charged with COLD BLOODED MURDER of the INNOCENT !!!!!!…………..
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I bet you it will be the same people who did the other horse shootings alone side the road. .I bet they are laughing their heads off right now with the cops running in circles. Very sick who ever did this .
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And from the attitude of this BLM field manager, they don’t seem to think the shooting of humans is any big deal either.
BLM Says Iron Canyon Trail is Safe (KRCR ABC, 05/23/14) The death of 69-year-old Francis Patrick Gregory has many asking questions. Gregory was hiking the Iron Canyon Trail with his friend when they both were shot. The BLM’s Field Manager Jennifer Mata said their trails are safe. http://ow.ly/xmmnA
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You have to carry a loaded gun when hiking in this area to defend yourself against the crazy local welfare cattle ranchers.
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So fence your damn property and they will stay out this should turned over to the local GAME WARDEN and have them look into it. since the wild horses belong to the government the BLM has no handle or say on them that i see game wardens protect wild animals so fence your damn property or shut up this is poaching no matter what animal it is that is wild and if caught well jail time no matter what.
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Chris, people who make threats such as the one you encountered are usually the “low man on the Totem Pole”. The standard profile for those personality types are lack of courage and/or lack of self esteem. They will often only harass or threatened when there it poses no danger to themselves.
Make certain that you stay in public view, where any threats can be documented by witnesses.
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…and people who post in a hurry often make spelling mistakes.
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boy , i would say that watching jennifer mata on that short clip ,did you notice how she look off to the side when she commented on the trail being safe ?? what a liar , really !!! maybe jennifer needs to walk that trail more often and moniter that trail to kno if there are problems . ok ,the b.l.m. has the horse shootings in washington state that were never solved , the bundy thing never solved , the little parade through the closed canyon never solved . strong arm tactics by ranchers never solved (or that we heard about ) we have ranchers . miners , oil and gas , wildlife groups , enviramentalist with their stupid shit trying to grow flowers , then the general public with their ” oh, the media would never lie to us ” stuff . the we have our own gov. pushing all the racist stuff and pedaling hate ,pitting groups against each other , then there is dirty harry reid and all the other bozos that are so guilty of siding with the lobbyists with their hands out for more , the senate that is pushing all of this . and a congress that is just sitting back and doing nothing about all of this , stuck on the bengazihi (or whatever it is) what they really need to do is roll up their sleeves and start cleaning house . and i’m waiting for that to happen ,i’ standing here with the trash bag and broom and dustpan . i’m tired of buiss. as usual .
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“Her cows grass”??????????????? Does this mean that she OWNS the land or is it another subsidized welfare rancher announcing her right to public land? This is just wrong – allowing these criminals to run things!
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The information in the above story did say if they came onto her land, not if she had cows on the public land. So I hope we don’t distort the story to make us sound wrong. It is not right no matter what she or any the other ranchers are beginning to treat these wild horses and other animals as in this day and age.
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You’re right, Jerry – but so many times these ranchers refer to the allotments as THEIR land – just makes me wonder a bit. I didn’t intend to distort the story. Unfortunately, it still wouldn’t make it right for her to shoot a horse even if it was her land, right?
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AND what 2 individuals is the BLM guy talking about? And where is the law enforcement in this area? The last I knew – it was against the law to shoot wild horses!
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A request that the transcript from the Modoc meeting be amended and re-circulated has been made. No amended transcript has been prepared as of this date. This is the Surprise Valley BLM District office. Feel free to call.
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Someone knows who the shooter or shooters are of these wild horses. They don’t want the rest of the people of the U.S. to know. The killers should be charged with a Federal Crime of destroying property of the United States of America. Not there property? No respect for wild horses. Just care about there cattle. Pigs.
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We all gotta have lots of guns tho!!
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By saying nothing, the BLM was condoning this behavior. By doing nothing, they are encouraging it. Every one if those mouthpieces should have their leases terminated immediately in response to these killings. Make examples of them. Maybe the rest of those hard heads will get the message.
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Terri, TOTALLY agree with you!
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Have they ever found the killers of the past horses found shoot. They are not going to. (You think) Yep, I bet the ranchers probably had something to do with this. They got the police paid and bought, yep!!
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Beef prices are at an all time high…please….stop eating beef,,,,Supply And Demand…if no one was eating beef, there would be less cattle in a hurry….you’ll be healthier too.Cows, a growing source of protein here in the United States, are major emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Meat production is also a serious drain on other resources: A quarter pound of hamburger meat uses up 6.7 pounds of grains and 52.8 gallons of water. We’re paying a high price to get our protein, and all the while our population is growing at a breakneck speed. There are a lot of hungry mouths to feed. The United Nations has urged “a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products” altogether.
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have you been keeping up Patience? it seems the beef is being mixed with horse lately… taco bell was the latest
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Is that useless sack Tim Sappington still around or what rock did he decide to hide under?
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I have been beyond Furious with this news. Why? In Illinois we dont have free roaming wild horses. If we did our State would protect them. Even with a handful of proslaughter throwbacks we believe in animal welfare. Ranchers and gunmen like this who vigilante themselves a few horses dont really see themselves breaking Federal Law cause in The Old West. Well folks the slaughter issue has literally broken the old west old days attitude right down to where it belongs. There are very wonderful endearing and respectablepeople throughout the west who have brought it gracefully into the modern day using respect history and a love of their states and the heritage. A few vigilante nutballs are threatening to undo the beauty and passion the real west contains by being throwbacks to a day without government and laws. This crime against the horses is sorrowful and heartbreaking but they sumise Anyone would do the same. However while they Murder innocent horses and place a Bundy in immortality status the trade off is this….it damages the romance the characterization and the realities of the west. A few people with such a perverted sense of right and wrong are Now reflecting upon millions of people the hatred of these kind spirited horses. The view from other parts of the states is probably one of humility and shame. When will they learn? When this is online literallyMillions of people see this horrible display of animal abuse and cruelty and read the words these hatefilled people speak. This is America and last I checked we All in every state are required to follow the laws. Morals are optional but would be preferred. Decency towards animals and people is most certainly expected.
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Boycott buying beef !
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All I can say is that……….I am thoroughly disgusted! The BLM needs to start doing their job and protecting these animals. The recent threats from the “Ranchers” is to take things into their own hands; the response should have been that it is a FEDERAL CRIME if they do anything to the Wild Horses. If they want to play Wild West games then the response should have been “Bring it On”!! The ranchers are borrowing the grass by permit only, they DO NOT own it. Time to give these ranchers a reality check! take your cattle off of the land that can no longer support them! Okay thanks for allowing me to vent, I’m still disgusted……….
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There has been a great deal of irresponsible acts on the part of the BLM . Why has there not been any federal investigation into what they are doing to our wild horses. Why is our House of Representatives and Congress trying to sweep this nasty business under the rug. We the people are sick of the lack of interest in the well being of our Heritage. This is disgraceful.
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Everyone should call their Congressional representatives and ask for an investigation into every aspect of the BLM’s Wild Horse & Burro Program.
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Another disturbing aspect (there are so many) about this “battle for graze” is the fact that our wild horses and burros have only had allocated to them (what was 53 million acres) 19 million acres, out of which they are supposed to get 51% of the graze. Not only are they not getting their PRINCIPAL share, the welfare ranchers have been allocated 250 million acres for their use. It is very unfair. THERE ARE NO EXCESS WILD HORSES OR BURROS ON OUR FEDERAL LAND. There ARE excess welfare grazers on our Federal land. How would they feel if we took matters into our own hands and brought the herds into balance by shooting their cattle until we had our intended and lawfully allocated 51%. THAT would be a lot of dead cattle and sheep since they are at about 50 to one right now.
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WELL SAID, Miss Abby … although I must remind us all that it is not federal land … it is public land belonging to all the tax-paying citizens of America.
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