Someone or something likes my efforts at gardening. Back in February I had a gallon pot with a blooming geranium near the house, and when I returned from Texas it was gone.

In March, someone had dug up all my blooming yellow primroses and put them in a bucket when I returned in evening from the CattleWomen meeting. Next morning the bucket and flowers were gone.

The other day my new, rolled up 50-foot Costco garden hose and 25-foot soaker hose disappeared. They had been by the tubs of flowers in the yard.

If it had been mutilated cattle I would have known what was happening because Bill and I lost 32 head in 10 years starting in October 1995. We have had dead cattle in previous years but always assumed the coyotes had been there before we found the bodies.

My Christmas letter of October 1995.

On 15th, Bill and I rode Eagle Lake shore, and found cows near Gallatin Beach. Drove cows up Papoose Creek and alongside the outside of Papoose Meadow fence, and put them in corral. Left horses in corral and made a trip to Red Bluff with heifers.

Morning of 16th we made a round trip to 101 ranch to get some cows that had come to Dye Creek Ranch. Arrived at Papoose at 1:30; Elwin and Emily were there with a portable loading chute. Bill helped set up the chute, and I took the horses out on the meadow to get a drink of water after being in a dry corral.

There was a dead cow out by the old fence rails, directly east of the corral. She was laying on her right side, and her left ear was cut off. Looked closer and her teats were cut off, flat with udder. But no blood dripping. Her left cheek was removed and it was a clean jaw bone with no flesh or blood on bone. The tongue was completely gone. The rectum and vulva was gone in a large oval. She had been dead a couple of days because she was bloated, and flies were buzzing.

Bill brought out the pickup, and rolled her over. It was a 4 year old black/white cows with number brand 135, ours.

Went to Marina and called Sheriff office; J. D. Hemphill, the brand inspector; and Joyce Coakley at USFS.

Within a half hour Deputy Mike Schmidt, the deputy at Eagle Lake arrived. His first words when he saw the cow was: “The same thing. Cut the same way. I wish I could find a fresh one.” Seems that he has seen a couple this spring. It is common in Big Valley (Bieber-Adin) and Ravendale area.

He took some pictures, and I took pictures. Then he asked if that was the only one we lost. Said we hadn’t looked for more. So, he left and we saddled the horses and rode checking the cows.

Over in the tall grass, on damp ground near the old cross fence, in south-east corner of Papoose we found a Hereford cow. Dead. Laying on right side with left ear missing, tongue removed, cut upper and lower left lips, and the entire udder was missing. You could see the stomach and no blood. The rectum and vulva were an oval.

There were no human foot prints in the damp soil. No car tracks on either side of fence. Bill used his horse and pulled her over, and it was 749, an 8 year old cow.

Both cows had calved within the last two or three weeks, because I noted their bull calves on Oct. 2nd when we rode checking cattle. We found their calves with the other cattle over by the spring.

Next morning Bill and I stopped at Eagle Lake Ranger District and saw the acting chief, Joyce, Randy and told them about the two cows. But no one was interested in seeing it, or sending out the forest investigator — he was out of town.

Decided to do a letter to the editor, because this wasn’t rustling for meat.

Every publication except California Cattleman and Sacramento Bee published my letter. It was nationwide in Western Livestock Journal, Livestock Market Digest, Nevada Rancher, and Northern California newspapers.

Faxed a copy of letter to Billie Roney and after Wally read it, he phoned Bill. Billie sent it to other media, and I was amazed at her results. Mother heard it on KPAY radio at 7 a.m. on the 18th. Billie did a talk show with Bruce Session in the afternoon, too.

Art Bell, Las Vegas, late night Talk Show Host (11 p.m. to 4 a.m.) talked about it on affiliate KOH-Reno on Wednesday night to Thursday morning. A man in Susanville heard it. I had to ask “who is Art Bell?” (We heard the program one early morning as we drove to mountains, and it is nationwide.)

Channel 12 in Chico and Debbie Cobb, assignment director, sent Mike Donnelly to Papoose to do a story. Well, Mike did a beautiful job filming the cows in soft focus with buzzing flies. We saw the 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, 1995 news on a 6-inch screen powered by a generator at Roney’s Clover Valley summer place.