You're so right about the odd ducks. But,I have to point out, it's Littlefield, not Littleton. And I was there just a couple of months ago and didn't see any cattle for miles. But there is sooooo much desert around (see pics up thread).
My head was somewhere else when I posted :scared: "Littlefield".
Ranchers rotate their grazing areas with the seasons, rain, snow, breeding, calving, nutting, tagging, vaccinating, branding, and roundup for processing. You'd be surprised how well Herefords, Hereford crosses do in the desert.
State Land Trust, BLM, and National forests all have quotas and lease agreements per head, and overgrazing just causes problems down the future and a possible moratorium on the lease for the rancher. Arizona is an "Open Range" (no fence) State.
Think about the desert conditions Clive Bundy was running his cattle on............now that's pretty sparse.
So..........one month no cattle, the next month they're everywhere.
Note:
1. I REALLY think it was over-kill with the bounty hunter or whoever having "guards" with assault weapons. Sure, we're an open carry State, but that was over the top. Looked like "showboating" to me, did they expect to be in the middle of a war zone?
2. Why didn't they get ground imaging devices to scan the property instead of digging wherever?
3. Wondering how they could ascertain anything about the "bullet holes" in the shed. In a desert area, many times it's hard to tell what's recent, and what's been there for a year or more. Even more so with weathered T1-11 or composite siding material.
4. The so called re-zoning would not have caused any issue with firing weapons as long as it was 1/4+ from an occupied building (hunting) or on the owner's property. This is an unincorporated area, not a city or municipality. 1/2 mile away is a mute issue..........just saying. Both sides are pretty ridiculous. (IMO)
With one news article stating that there was a "spoiled pork roast" in what seems to be left out to thaw, and all the other observations at the house, I would have to believe something, or someone attracted the McFalls' attention outside and they went to investigate. If they believed it was something dangerous or threatening, one would think they would have taken a firearm and cell phone with them.
*Just all my own opinion*