Responsibility for plac- ing and maintaining the cameras has been trans- ferred to Border Patrol.”
Activities on the Vickers Ranches “Linda was recog-
nized early in the Op- eration Drawbridge pro- gram for her ability to conceal cameras where they are not noticed,” Vickers continued. “She maintained cameras on several ranches within the Falfurrias area and has trained others on her techniques.” I can attest to the de-
Vickers has built guards over fl oat valves and plumbing on his water troughs, otherwise coyotes break the pipe at ground level to get water.
veloped expertise for hiding cameras. Several times during a ranch tour, I was told not to take photographs from where I was standing. Mike Vickers explained that I was standing close to a hidden camera; however, I was unable to detect any of the cameras in these areas. “Prior to Operation Drawbridge, rancher con-
frontations with smugglers were almost a daily event,” Vickers said. “Even though the number of clashes has decreased, dangerous situations still occur on a regular basis.” About 18 months ago, 2 ranch hands on the
Vickers Ranch were checking windmills when they came upon a previous deportee. The man
the ranch and produced a small blow torch that he used to light a fi re. One of the ranch hands called Linda Vickers
on his cell phone. She loaded her 4 guard dogs into her SUV and drove to the site. Her dogs ran the perpetrator up a tree and she used 2 gallons of water, always carried in her vehicle, to douse the fi re. She then called Border Patrol and the man was apprehended. “We try to respond to circling buzzards
promptly, because it often signifi es a dead per- son,” said Vickers. “It doesn’t take long in our South Texas heat for a body to start decompos- ing. Bodies are also torn apart by buzzards and
Operation Drawbridge uses game cameras to record the presence of illegal traffi c. These cameras are monitored 24 hours, 7 days a week.
asked the ranch employees if they could charge his mobile phone so he could call his brother at Walmart. When the ranch hands refused, the deportee threatened them with a club, so one of the hands grabbed a rifl e from the truck. The trespasser then threatened to burn down
tscra.org
other carnivorous wildlife.” Three donkeys have been added to the stock-
ing rate on one of Vickers ranches in Jim Hogg County. It is suspected that they were used to pack drugs across the ranch and then turned loose when the narcotics were transferred to
September 2016 The Cattleman 95
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