Fifty-one stray buffalo property of QB ranch and Wayne Kirk in west Texas were shot by neighboring Niblo Ranch foreman Jackie Doyle Hill.

Over a two day period, Hill shot and killed all 51 of the buffalo and left them to rot. Hill admitted to killing the animals and is now being charged with criminal mischief and damage to property. Hill has confessed, but pleads 'not guilty' to the charge.

"Hill's lawyer, Regan Wynn says, 'The real question in this case is not so much, 'Why did Mr. Hill shoot 51 buffalo?' It's, 'Why did a landowner bring 200 head of wild animal onto his property and not fence them in correctly?'" NPR.org

Ranching Rules
Most say Hill should have let QB Ranch know about the loose buffalo rather than shooting them. Visitors to the ranch pay about $3,500 to hunt a buffalo, a significant financial loss. Kirk calls the death of the animals a 'terrible injustice'.

On the other hand, some ranchers say that Hill was in the right because buffalo are large creatures and can be destructive so it was self-defense and protection of property in the wild west.

Buffalo are considered indigenous animals, so they do not fall under the same laws as livestock. Under Texas law, Hill might not have broken any laws by killing the animals and might be convicted with little or no penalty.