BLM follows Nev. cattle seizure with horse impoundment at McDermitt

Associated Press - January 25, 2008 7:05 PM ET

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Federal agents who seized more than 100 cattle from Nevada ranchers accused of trespassing on public rangeland this week have confiscated 200 horses from an American Indian and his son they say were grazing the animals without a permit near the Nevada-Oregon line.

The Bureau of Land Management's roundup of the privately owned horses near a reservation at McDermitt, Nevada, yesterday followed Monday's impoundment of 107 cattle near Winnemucca, Nevada.

Larry Crutcher was cited by the BLM along with his father, Leonard.

Agency officials say the Crutchers ignored warnings for years that their horses were trespassing on federal land.

This week's court-ordere marks the first time in five years the federal agency has flexed its enforcement muscle against livestock ranchers who refuse to obtain grazing permits and pay fees for use of federal rangeland.