Hunting "Steer"

[Ironbear]

What would you use to "hunt" a steer? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't start with buckshot. I don't think I would try the AR-15 or service pistol either unless I didn't have any real choice. Sound like a good way get his dander up.

Roseville Review
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

http://www.rosevillereview.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=2473
Running with the Bull
South St. Paul officers pursue animal through streets

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

It's not uncommon for police to be called to pursue escaped fugitives. However, it's more likely that those fugitives are human, rather than nearly a ton of angry beef.

On Friday, Jan. 18, South St. Paul police responded to a report of a loose, aggressive bull on the Central Livestock property at 310 Market Lane. When they arrived, employees informed them that the animal had already made its escape by jumping the outer fence.

"The fence line around the perimeter is about 6 to 7 feet high," said Bob Young, the operations manager at Central Livestock. "Usually they're put in a pen and not a problem, but this one liked to wander."

The bull fled onto the westbound portion of Interstate 494, where traffic quickly halted. A tow truck driver was pacing the bull with his vehicle, attempting to keep it away from other cars.

"The bull weighed 1,895 pounds, so if a car hit it ... there was potential for quite an accident," Police Chief Mike Messerich said.

While some cops made sure motorists stayed out of harm's way, Officer Wayne Mincke exited his squad car with his shotgun. Young said Central Livestock had requested that the bull be put down before doing any damage, and Messerich agreed.

"For public safety reasons, the only choice is to put the animal down," he said.

But this runaway wasn't going down without a fight. It charged Mincke, narrowly missing him, and rammed his squad car, damaging a fender and passenger-side mirror. Then the animal jumped the center median, ran across the freeway and sprinted into a residential area south of I-494 between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Police shut down neighborhood streets and notified the staff at Kaposia Elementary School, while Mincke tried again to get a clear shot on the bull. When he did, he took it, but the weapon seemed to have little effect on the furious animal. He shot it again, and this time the bull charged Mincke, forcing him to scramble over a 6-foot residential fence to avoid being mauled.

"The more (bulls) are antagonized, the more aggressive they get," Young said.

Eventually, Mincke, Officer Brian Wicke, and Sgt. David Greengo were able to herd the bull into Harmon Park. The area was deserted, so the police felt it would be safe to use solid shotgun "slugs." Greengo fired, hitting the bull several times, but it took shots from Mincke and Wicke as well before the animal was dispatched.

Young said the bull had jumped several retaining fences to get loose on the property, and at that point authorities had no choice but to kill it.

"I'd have like that done before it even got to the highway," he said. "We're very fortunate nothing else happened."

Messerich said that although calls like this aren't common, they're certainly not unheard of in South St. Paul.

"More often than I'd like," he said, "we've had to deal with loose livestock in the past."

The bull, one of nearly 5,000 farm animals Central Livestock sees pass through its corrals each week, was worth about 60 cents a pound, or roughly $1,100. He said the carcass now will likely be sold for dog food.

This is the second time this past month that police in northern Dakota County have had to deal with large livestock on the run. On Jan. 11 around 6:50 p.m., officers responded to a steer that had jumped out of an trailer, which had an unsecured latch.

The animal was wandering along Concord Boulevard, and the owner asked officers to shoot it so it wouldn't cause any damage.

Two Inver Grove Heights officers said it took an AR-15 assault rife, shotgun and service pistol to take the animal down.

Sam Stewart can be reached at sstewart@lillienews.com or 651-748-7815.

Content © 2008 Lillie Suburban Newspapers

[mnglocker]

There was a situation like this 3 years ago in Independence, except it was 6 or 7 bulls. (pissed off ones at that) One of the city council guys made a few calls to get a couple of good shots from town in to dispatch the beast, after they were hearded into a swamp. Well word got out and about 75 guys show up with some high powered shooting iron and made the bulls holy.

And my addition to this story is that .45/70 > 000buck or .223 (Think one shot drop.)

[EAJuggalo]

There are still quite a few stockyards in S. St. Paul so this doesn't surprise me, what does surprise me is that there was almost no damage or injuries from this. I work about 3 miles south on concord from where these took place and hadn't heard about either of them until I read the paper, makes me think I might need more power in my EDC setup.

[cobb]

Does anyone seem amazed?

My question is, what kind of bullet placement was there? I mean a slug or buckshot in the hind quarters of anything about a ton, yes would antagonize it.

The animal was probably neutralized because of blood loss from it's multiple wounds and not shot placement to vitals that would have had a more immediate effect.

[Aceq2jot]

Does anyone seem amazed?

My question is, what kind of bullet placement was there? I mean a slug or buckshot in the hind quarters of anything about a ton, yes would antagonize it.

The animal was probably neutralized because of blood loss from it's multiple wounds and not shot placement to vitals that would have had a more immediate effect.

Now we cant teach L.E.O'S to become hunters As i can just here the comments from a certain crowd if we trained them as hunters, as it is bad enough they get bent out of shape over body armour and assault rifles

[cobb]

it is bad enough they get bent out of shape over body armour and assault rifles

No, wear the body armor, there are too many nuts out there with guns. But a shotgun slug will take down that 1 ton bull, but the slug has to be place in a vitals area to get it's job done and not in the choice cut area.

[Ironbear]

No, wear the body armor, there are too many nuts out there with guns. But a shotgun slug will take down that 1 ton bull, but the slug has to be place in a vitals area to get it's job done and not in the choice cut area.

The underlying problem is the 10:1 body mass ratio of a steer vs. the normal problem police deal with. What's suitable for one will be non-optimal for the other.

I finally got around to looking a map. They put down the first bull less than a mile from my buddy's house (The only person I've ever met who admitted to serving up road-kill). Given a chance, he would probably have dressed it out. It would be a little weird though, sitting down to a big juicy steak and being warned to be careful and pick the shot out!

[onebohemian]

When I was a kid, my family would butcher its own steer each year on our farm/ranch. It took 1 .22 bullet to the area just above and between the eyes to drop the animal to the ground. If you missed the spot and "he" didn't drop on the first shot, you very, very quickly placed another bullet where it was supposed to go. I can only remember one time where the animal didn't fall after the first shot.

[westhope]

onebohemien wrote:

22 bullet to the area just above and between the eyes

We always shot the steers just behind the ear with a 22 LR. The skull in the area between the eyes was just too thick. When I was young and my grandpartents were still on the farm, my father, his brothers and my grandfather would get together once or twice a year and butcher a hog and steer. Everyone helped butchering and packaging the meat.

We knew where meat came from, something people today do not really understand.

[Pinnacle]

it is bad enough they get bent out of shape over body armour and assault rifles

No, wear the body armor, there are too many nuts out there with guns. But a shotgun slug will take down that 1 ton bull, but the slug has to be place in a vitals area to get it's job done and not in the choice cut area.

Keep that lead out of the loins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back in 1998 there was something like this on 394 near the 494 interchange - I saw this one go down - interesting.

[hammAR]

Back in 1998 there was something like this on 394 near the 494 interchange - I saw this one go down - interesting.

Is that the one where a dozen cops circled the steer and ALL commenced firing..............

[Pinnacle]

Back in 1998 there was something like this on 394 near the 494 interchange - I saw this one go down - interesting.

Is that the one where a dozen cops circled the steer and ALL commenced firing..............

Yes it is.

[hammAR]

Back in 1998 there was something like this on 394 near the 494 interchange - I saw this one go down - interesting.

Is that the one where a dozen cops circled the steer and ALL commenced firing..............

Yes it is.

Great training film, I know about Linear, L, and V, but I never got the theory of O myself..............

[Pinnacle]

I watched that go down - from a distance.

I had a 308 in the trunk too. I could have ended the problem with one shot from a good safe distance. I opted to boogie out of the area.

[Ramoel]

onebohemien wrote:

22 bullet to the area just above and between the eyes

We knew where meat came from, something people today do not really understand.

When I asked on of my grandsons where milk came from he said "The store" and looked at me like I was stupid.