Cattle rustling is the act of stealing cattle. It often takes place at night, and poses problems for law enforcement because it can take several days for loss of cattle to be realised and reported.
History of cattle rustling
Mexican rustlers were a major issue during the Civil War, with the Mexican government being accused of condoning the habbit. Texans likewise stole cattle from Mexico, swimming them across the Rio Grande. These cattle were called 'wet stock'. Failure to brand new calves facilitated theft The transition from open range to fenced grazing gradually reduced the practice of rustling. In the 20th century so called 'suburban rustling' became more common, with rustlers anesthetizing cattle and taking them directly to auction.
It sounds like an old western movie, but cattlerustling is very much a modern day crime and is becoming a major problem in Utah.
In an age where most Utahns' cattle experience is limited to the car window, herds blend into pastoral landscapes, stretching hundreds of highway miles.
The return of cattlerustling in the west is tied to another trend, rising methamphetamine use.
Cattle theft by Indians was a common hazard of early settlers in Texas.
Rustling was not entirely stamped out, however, and in the 1930s it broke out in a new form.
The extent of this rustling and the fact that the thieves often crossed state lines led Congress in 1941 to pass the McCarran Act, which provided a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and five years in prison for transporting across state lines stolen cattle or meat from such cattle.
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