I don't much care about the advisability of trying to put down a bull with a 9mm pistol (although I think it's a dumb move). I think there are two issues which affect people in the northwest. The first is, of course, the possibility of overreaction on the part of deputies which resulted in the killing of an innocent, law abiding, citizen. The second issue is the danger posed by free ranging cattle on a major highway (and hwy 95 is a major highway by Idaho standards). Al though the owner of livestock has no obligation to do so, I think I would be inclined to try and make my cattle more visible if they were going to be on the road. A black cow on a black roaf, especially on a rainy night, might be on your hood before you see it. The owner is compensated but the driver can be killed and there is no compensation for that. Still, ranchers, generally speaking, do not want to lose cattle. As traffic levels increase, it may be time to re-visit the whole open range concept. Another point is, while locals are likely to be on the lookout, travellers passing through might be a little surprised to see cattle on the highway. In a situation like this, I think it is a good idea to try and identify the root cause. In this case, the root causes may have been (a) cattle on the road or (b) inattentive driving. Of course, the police response, commencing at the time of Yantis' arrival at the scene, seems to be the cause of his death but if the bull had not been hit and the passengers in the car seriously injured, none of the rest of the tragedy would have occurred. On another aspect: Reporters who reported this incident as a "shootout between armed rancher and police" should be taken out and flogged. There should at least be an effort made to report facts. A question for those who live in the area: It is plain, from the photos, that the barn is right next to the highway; how far back is the house? Also, what is the usual response time for emergency responders? GD
