Perimeter Security for large acreage cattle farm

[evisboy]

I own a 10,000 acre cattle farm in a mountainous area. The northern perimeter is secured with a house and employees. However, the southern perimeter is not very secure at all. Barbed wire fencing is all that separates my cattle from the thieves that are sucking me dry!

The southern perimeter borders a road, and I suspect that the thieves are entering there. Unfortunately, the border is over 3 miles, making it difficult to secure. The thieves are stealing so much cattle that my numbers are actually SHRINKING! I also suspect that my neighbors are involved, but it is proving tough to implicate them in this, due to the remoteness of the farm.

My question is: how should I proceed? Should I create a post with a person watching at all times? That seems prohibitively difficult. Is there any high tech solution available for such a large farm?

Let me add that the police have been notified and have done absolutely nothing to help. I don't think that they will do a thing, so I'm on my own.

I need some ideas!

[mysticokra]

Anyone who owns 10K acres should be able to afford a laser or radio frequency security system. Perimeter breaches could be broadcast to a central monitoring station. You could also put subcutaneous tags on the cattle that would act like RFID's when they pass a gate.

It would help to know where you are, what kind of cattle, how many, etc. Our ranches in Idaho comprise over 40,000 acres and we rarely lose a cow. But we know where our cattle are at all times. They are constantly monitored. Fences are kept up and we have someone riding herd all the time. The fact that you say cattle farm makes me suspect you are rather new to the cattle business.

[JoeR]

Are they driving vehicles onto the property then loading the livestock onto a trailer? I ask this since perimeter dectection can be with laser, vehicles sensors, or IR motion detection. The problem with IR motion detection and Laser is the number of false alarms since Deer, or other animals can trip the sensor. At my front gate I have a vehicle sensor that detects metal objects passing over it. It is buried in the road and sends a wireless signal to the house that someone has approached my front gate.

Driveway Alarms

People are creatures of habit, if it is the same people they probably steal the same day and time. Once you determine that, you can sit and wait for them. Have the cell phone ready to call your local law enforcement.

My property is adjacent to a 360K acre ranch, and I have people who like to poach at night. The deer seem to travel on my property line and cross into the big ranch. I would find their beer cans on the edge of my pasture. They hunt with a crossbow and a spot beam. I called the ranch manager of the 360K ranch, and he was spread too thin to deal with poachers. I ended up buying a military surplus night vision and used that to watch for the poachers. The poachers were arrested and charged with armed tresspassing. The poachers would sit on the 360K ranch side of the fence and setup a field of fire across my clear pasture. Luckily, the ranch manager of the 360K ranch pressed charges. You know who the poachers were? My neighbors at the end of the road!!!! The best part is they never knew I was watching them. I let the local law enforcement do the work and kept on good terms with them until my wife shot their dog for killing our chickens. (Another long story, but their previous behavior tells you what kind of people they are.)

Joe

[Pat]

There are also video image based motion detectors which detect changes in a video image. These can work well beyond the range of the typical IR motion detectors and can be adjusted for the "amount of change" in the picture required to constitute a detection.

This permits automated monitoring of video images. One way it is implemented is a network of cameras that are monitored for motion or changes in the image. Whichever camera has a "detection" passes its video to the monitoring station to be recorded or viewed by a person who determines what response, if any, is reguired. This tremendously simplifies the job of monitoring the feed from multiple cameras.

Surveilance cameras are often sensitive to IR and can make good pictures in the dark, some wth the help of IR lighting (invisible to animals and people.)

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

Possibly a grizzled, unshaven, bowlegged cantancerous old fellow with a 30-30 winchester and a good dog riding the night shift fence lines would make a difference. Give him a spade to cover any incriminating evidence.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

egon probably has it exactly right!! I don't know for sure since the poster never re-posted but the kind of technology you guys are talking about won't happen. I'm thinking he probably has a remote ranch out in the foothills or desert ground. It takes alot of ground to feed cattle in these areas. On some of that ground there isn't a person around for a hundred miles. No electricity, running water, and usually too mountanous for any kind of radio signals. I know on any of our ranches it would be almost impossible to do anything like suggested.

I'm also curious about the law enforcement deal. If it's anywhere in the west, and it would almost have to be unless you have Ted Turner type money, they take rustling extremely serious. Rustling is probably taken more seriously than murder in alot of cattle country, especially the ranges like I think this place is in.

[Pat]

Egon, Why not skip the spade, the old fellow might do him self an injury will all that digging. Instead give him some binder twine to help hang the corpse on the fence like with the 4 legged coyotes as a warning to others.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[mfaley]

"Rustling is probably taken more seriously than murder in alot of cattle country"

Ok......no kidding! Unless you have a "cattle farm" near the San Francisco bay area/LA type areas, you better believe that they take is seriously. And the same goes for horses.

Personally I think those signs that say "Animals found worrying livestock may be shot" are pretty clear and I know how I define "Animal".

I know a lot of city folk think ranching is a Ted Turner sort of deal. Sit on the porch of your 8,000 sq ft log home and watch those cute little cows munching away. But if those same city folks had to run a small to medium size family ranch you would sure see rustling become a hanging offense real quick.

Mark

[egon]

Ahh - We gotta keep things looking natural. Besides; that old cantancerous fellow may be a lot more sturdy than we think.

Do not underestimate us old folks. We got nothing to lose!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]