Is the disappearance of nearly 200 head of cattle from Montrose County a paranormal event or a case of good old-fashioned rustling?
Picture this: a crisp fall day in the rugged wilds of Colorado’s Uncompahgre Plateau, where nearly 200 head of cattle, mostly tender, juicy calves, graze lazily under tranquil skies. Fast forward a few weeks, and poof—they’re gone. Not a hoofprint, not a bone, not a single moo echoing through the pines. As of today, April 9, 2025, the mystery of Montrose County’s missing herd remains unsolved, leaving us at ParaRational to ask: is this just a case of old-school cattle rustling, or are we dealing with something out of this world? Could aliens have developed a taste for veal?
Mystery of the Missing Cows
The numbers alone raise eyebrows. Around 180 cattle, mostly calves tipping the scales at 500 to 700 pounds, vanished from the Uncompahgre National Forest late last year. Ranchers like Kelly Burch and Mont Snyder, who’ve been herding in these parts for years, started their usual fall roundup in 2024, only to find their herds suspiciously light. We’re talking a financial hit of $300,000 to $400,000, enough to make any cowboy cry into his Stetson. The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sergeant Chuck Searcy, logged the first report on November 24 with 29 cows and calves missing. Then came more. 46, 38, 31, 43, like some eerie countdown to zero. By the time the snow piled up, the trail was as cold as a Martian winter.
Maybe Predators Had A Buffet
When it comes to missing cattle, predation is the first thing to consider, especially with freeranging cows. Bears and mountain lions prowl the plateau, but 180 kills with zero remains? Wolves? Not a pack in sight, and besides, they’d make a mess. While investigating the missing cattle, the sheriff’s helicopter sweeps turned up nada. No tracks, no sign of carcasses, bones, or any other remnants to be found.
Could it have been poisonous weeds? Possible, but you’d expect a more than a few bloated carcasses or sickly survivors, not a mass vanishing act. It’s like the herd stepped off the edge of the Earth.
What About Rustlers?
Enter the human angle: cattle rustling. With beef prices soaring, those calves are prime loot, small enough to herd into a trailer, branded but not impossible to offload on a shady market. Except… the Uncompahgre’s a logistical nightmare. No semitrailer is hauling 180 calves over those rutted trails without leaving a tire track or two, and no one’s spotted these branded bovines at sale barns from Colorado to Kansas. Rustlers would literally have had to do it old school and used horses to herd the cows out of the area, without being seen of course.
The multiagency task force—complete with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, forest rangers, and a $10,000 reward—hasn’t sniffed out a single lead. Governor Jared Polis even threw his hat in the ring, vowing rural justice in his January address. Yet, here we are, months later, with a crime scene locked under snow until May. Convenient, right?
Have Aliens Moved From Cattle Mutilations to Intergalactic BBQs?
But what if the answer isn’t down here? What if we look up, way up? The UFO crowd’s buzzing, and it’s not hard to see why. This isn’t the first time cattle have gone weird in the West. Remember those 1970s mutilation cases, cows sliced up, organs missing, no blood in sight? This time, there’s no gore, just absence. Maybe the little green chefs upgraded their recipe: why bother with messy surgery when you can beam up the whole herd for a galactic barbecue? Those 500-pound calves, prime cuts, if you ask us, might be the perfect snack for an alien road trip. And the snow? A perfect cover for a saucer’s landing lights.
Skeptics will scoff, where’s the proof? Fair point. No rancher has reported a glowing disc or a chorus of “moos” fading into the sky. But the lack of evidence cuts both ways. No tracks, no bodies, no rustler getaway cars, just a big, fat nothing where 180 cattle used to be.
Were they just lost in the vast plateau? Experienced ranchers say that’s a stretch for so many.
Secret government ops? Maybe, but why snatch calves and not, say, tech secrets? The mundane theories strain harder than a UFO tractor beam.
So, ParaRational readers, what’s your take? Are we dealing with a slick band of rustlers dodging drones and snowdrifts, or is something hungrier, and not of this Earth, snacking on Colorado’s finest?
Drop your theories below. One thing’s for sure: until that snow melts, or a calf turns up on a UFO diner menu, this mystery’s got more questions than a close encounter. Stay curious—and keep an eye on the skies.
Have You Seen A UFO?
If you have seen a UFO or some other crazy thing you can’t explain? I want to hear about it. Either send me an email at Reports@ParaRational.com. I want to hear all about what you have seen or experienced!
