King County Killing Field: Part I
By: Mitch Carr
Updated: January 25, 2010
Edmond Casillas is the foreman of the QB Ranch in King County near Guthrie. He says he heard a rumore about some dead buffalo, but he didn't believe it. QB is home to about 120 buffalo, each selling for around $5,500 apiece. Or, at least it was the home of 120 buffalo. In early january, a few dozen head wandered off the ranch. When Casillas went to find them, he made a horrible discovery.
"I thought it was gossip, that somebody had shot a bunch of buffalo near Asprmont," Casillas said.
A ranch hand at a neighboring ranch knew exactly where the buffalo had gone.
"I said, how many are we talking about? 51 head."
"He told me that he'd taken care of them. And I said well, uh, what did you do? Did you sell them? What? He says, no. I shot 'em," Casillas remembers.
51 American buffalo massacred on a ranch adjacent to QB. Their rotting carcasses wasting away in the west texas sun, prey to scavengers. One baby buffalo had been picked clean by coyotes by the time we got there. Casillas says it was a haunting sight.
"Just to see all that many. Just to see 'em in that one spot. Dead," Casillas shakes his head
The longtime foreman also says it just doesn't make sense.
"I didn't know what to think. I can believe a man shooting one or two, to make a point. You can eat them, they wouldn't go to waste. But 51 head? That's a lot of animal," Casillas says.
The ranch hand in this case has not been charged, although authorities are looking into it. Casillas said the Aspermont man admitted to the killings and what's worse, he's proud. And he even took a souvenier.
"I think they said, one of the big bulls, he cut the head off of it. He was proud of it, ya know? To me, it sounded like he was braggin' about it. You know, he said, 'I shot 'em!'" Casillas says.
QB Ranch was a place where these majestic creatures roamed freely. Not any more says Casillas.
"They had the whole ranch to run on. Now they're going to be penned up in a small pen
As we left this killing field in King County, all involved asked one question. How could someone do such a thing?
