Cow Killings Spark Two-County
Effort To Corral Perpetrators

MOSES LAKE, Wash. —(AP)— A range war of sorts has broken out in the arid Potholes area south of here, with ranchers trying to track down snipers who have killed at least 17 head of cattle since early July.

Deputies in both Grant and Adams counties are working on the case, Grant County Sheriff Bill Wiester said late last week.

The investigators had no strong leads and no one has been arrested, he said.

Wiester said the motive does not appear to be for meat, as the animals were shot with a small-caliber weapon, causing them to wander for two or three days before dying.

"When we find the shooters, we should use some good old-fashioned justice," said rancher Buddy Hampton, who has lost at least eight head of cattle. "Of course we can't lynch anyone, but right now I'd sure like to."

The shootings have increased in frequency in the past week with the deaths of a bull, several cows and some calves. Some appear to have been run over by a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Searching for evidence is a grisly task. After carcasses were discovered off Seeps Lake Road, Grant County sheriff's Deputy Courtney Lunklin headed to the scene and counted bullet holes.

"I see two; no wait; three," he said while examining the neck of a calf.

He then walked to a dirt road about 50 feet away, where he found 15 .22-caliber spent shell casings. A few feet away was the bloated carcass of another calf. The remains of a cow were up the road.

"In some cattle we're counting up to six or seven holes," Lunklin said. "Whoever's doing this is just unloading on each animal."

Wiester said Hampton and others have suffered losses of at least $25,000. The ranchers are offering a $1000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions.

Sheriff's deputies joined a group of ranchers and a state Department of Fish and Wildlife official on Seeps Lake Road last week to try to come up with strategies to bring the sniper or snipers to justice.

"Whoever is doing this seems to be making the rounds every couple of days," Hampton said. " We think the shooting is happening early in the morning or late at night. We also think the killers are shooting the cattle from the road, perhaps from their vehicle."

Deputies have been patrolling the road 24 hours a day, and will continue to do so, Wiester said.

Some ranchers say they will move cattle from that area near the road to safer ground. Others suggest closing the road.

"It would be a shame to have to close the road because so many hunters, fishermen, campers and all sorts of good people use it for access to the 60 lakes around here," Hampton said. "But it just might come to that."

Parties, indiscriminate shooting and other rowdy behavior prompted state wildlife officials to close a nearby lake during the summer.

Robert Kent of the Fish and Wildlife Department said closing the road may be difficult because it runs through both private and public land.

"But these ranchers are right," he said. "They shouldn't have to be taking these losses."

The eight-mile road is not a through route, and sheriff's deputies hope they can catch the sniper or snipers by boxing them in.

"It would be a shame to see this end without catching them," Lunklin said. "They (the killers) need to make restitution for what they've done."