Still missing

I counted the cattle again today.  Spice is still missing.

This morning I let the local livestock brand inspector know I am missing a heifer.  I also let the sheriff's department know in case someone sees Spice and calls. After talking with a few more neighbors about my missing heifer, I went to search for her again.

I walked through deep snow on both sides of the river upstream and downstream looking for tracks.  I only found a few deer tracks.  I looked down in the river where Spice may have fallen in.  Again, under cloudy skies, it was hard to see below the water surface unless looking straight down.

The temperature today got a little above freezing and I noticed the ice was less. I used a sledgehammer to break some of the ice where the cattle come to drink as I seen fresh tracks today.  If tapping with a sledgehammer would break the ice then a cow's weight would also. 

The only cattle tracks are located in the north pasture and corral.  None in the neighbor's property or my middle pasture or across the river.

So... still no idea of what happened to Spice and where she is.    Maybe aliens did take her.


Cow number #40 was in the corral drinking from the water trough when I returned from my search.  What excellent timing!  She is still limping badly.  I barely had to herd her to put her into the south part of the corral to be by herself.  I put out a whole bale of hay just for her, and as she ate from it I cleaned the manure from under the lean-to next to the barn and spread out a bale of straw for her to lay on and rest.  Now she doesn't have to walk far to get water to drink.

The spot

Downstream

Upstream

See how quickly the river gets shallow downstream.

Yesterday when walking to the river's edge to look for the missing heifer I saw an animal's head just above water a short distance upstream and along the ice.  Initially I thought it was the heifer's head barely coming out of the water.  Then I realized I was looking at a large beaver.  The beaver was lollygagging in the area as I watched.  As Donna came to the river I spoke to her.  Once I did the beaver quickly dove under the water with a loud noise and disappeared.

Below are a few signs of the beaver.  I noticed quite a number of other branches or trees chewed through as I walked upstream.

Overnight the beaver must have caught something and ate it here near where the cattle come to drink.