Great Divide ranchers lose cattle to suspected rustlers

Brad Ocker got the first call in October 2008, as cattle ranchers across Moffat County brought their herds off summer pastures and began to count their stock. Three ranchers near the Little Snake River northwest of Great Divide were missing cattle, as many as 50 head of mature Black Angus all together. The suspected cause: rustlers. This year, Ocker, Colorado brand inspector for Moffat County, and Gary Nichols, Moffat County Sheriff’s Office deputy, are preparing to head any potential thieves off at the pass before they can strike again. Whether it’s known as cattle rustling or its modern equivalent of livestock theft, the Old West lives on in the country’s remote places, Ocker said. “As long as cattle are running out on the range and they’re worth money, and the economy is the way it is and people are out of work, you better watch your livestock,” he said. Nichols has seen other rustling cases before, but nothing like this...SteamboatPilot