Shooting an animal on your own property

[Naterater]

I hope some people can help me out here. What would you do in this situation and is it legal?

I live on a dairy farm. We are a disease-free farm and that's how we make our money. Our cattle are contained. If we get diseases, we're in a lot of trouble. Somebody's cattle got out and there is a good chance that they have diseases and they will spread to our cattle if both animals come into contact (through fences, etc.). There is one of the calves (from someone we don't know) that is on our property and in the immediate vicinity of our cattle.

It is impossible to scare the calf off because it keeps coming back. You also cannot catch it. Not only is the calf a threat to our cattle, it's a threat to people driving on the highway. Someone almost hit it already. Even if my cattle get sick, I cannot sue whoever owns the calf because "everything is circumstantial."

Can I legally shoot and kill the calf when it's on my property to protect my cattle from possible diseases?

 

[BSA1]

I am surprised that someone that claims to a a dairy farmer doesn't know the answer. Around my parts itis called Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up.

 

[Salmoneye]

What am I missing?

Is Iowa a 'Free Range' state?

 

[mljdeckard]

I'm surprised that someone who owns livestock fails to keep better track of them.

 

[tyeo098]

Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up.

If they wanted their calf back, they would have came for it. This seems to be the answer.
I fail to see how you cannot catch a walking piece of veal.

Set a snare.
Inspect snared calf
???
[Depending on condition of calf] PROFIT! [As in free cow]

 

[Naterater]

well you can set a snare... but the problem is if it ever gets nose-to-nose with my cattle, the diseases have already spread and then the catching would be pointless. It's unlikely that the wild calf would go right to the snare without messing with my cattle.

And I agree with the S.S.S., but I wanted to know what's actually legal. Then I wouldn't have to shut up.

 

[Texan Scott]

my guess is the legal answer varies by state, and noone outside of Iowa will have much of a precise legal idea.
FWIW (if anything), is the calf marked? ear tag, branding (hot or cold)? If not, and it's on your property, i'd think anyone wanting to complain would bear the burden of proving the calf was theirs to begin with. if they can't prove they owned it, they can't demonstrate legal standing to sue/ charge you for anything. if they can't prove it wasn't YOURS, possesion is 9/10ths of the law, right?
Is this thing a newborn stray, or more like a yearling? My guess is if it A) appears newly born, B) isn't marked and C) noone's come looking for it, they may not know it's missing, or even that it was BORN...
If I knew I was missing a piece of livestock, even if I had hundreds, i'd look for it. that's a rancher's livelyhood. TX sold off so much livestock last year due to drought, beef is too expensive for some TEXANS to eat as often as we used to... i can't imagine that calf wouldn't be worth something to someone. If they aren't tagging/ keeping track, I say run it through the burger machine and put it in the feezer.

 

[marksman13]

Shoot it and never post another thing about it afterward.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Animal husbandry -- not gun related.