Bill intended to crack down on rustlers, trespassers wins Oklahoma House approval

Hunters and neighboring ranchers and farmers may have to get the owner’s permission to go on private land and retrieve hunting dogs, wounded prey or livestock if a proposal becomes law. The House of Representatives passed a measure Thursday that would delete language from existing law that allows people to go on private property to fetch livestock or other animals. Rep. Wade Rousselot, author of House Bill 1249, said the measure is intended to crack down on cattle rustling. “This legislation will make it a whole lot better for the DA to prosecute,” Rousselot said. “We’re addressing people that are using the law to come onto your property to steal things or to tear things up.” The measure passed 80-11 in the House. It now goes to the Senate. With a 500-pound steer bringing about $700, rustlers are finding it worth the risk to steal a trailer or truckload of cattle, said Rousselot, D-Wagoner. A common ruse is for a rustler to bring a cow onto land where cattle are kept and start rounding up the cattle into a truck or trailer, Rousselot said. If a law officer stops by to inquire, the rustler can say he’s trying to retrieve the cow. Rousselot said most neighboring farmers and ranchers have standing agreements to go on each other’s land to round up stray cattle...more