Guess it would have taken more time because burning the cabin would have required environmental assessment work and if you know anything about environmental assesment that can take years. I don't think that they have that much time.

Burning the cabin would not have made much of a dent in the pile of carcass in there. The cabin would be gone in less than an hour, and tons of rotten flesh would still be sitting there... just slightly charred on the outside. Also, there are many more cows outside the cabin... up to 29 in the area This is by far the best solution. I don't know why people want to criticize the federal government for this one. The are taking the cheapest, low tech solution and they are doing it fairly quickly. The crew going to do the dirty work will be walking through snow, and they probably couldn't have gone up there much sooner.

The bears and birds are going to be fat and happy.

Cows are dumb. Make the rancher pay for all of it. At least his employees are helping.

And this is a story? Why?

Raised on the farm, when cattle died we took care of it. I don't remember Dad calling up the local newspaper to ask everyone what to do.

Because this is in a US Forest Service area, they can't just drive a waste disposal truck up to the cabin and dump the carcasses into it. There are limits imposed by federal regualation on what can and can not be done in the area. Its not just disposing of the bodies, its doing it within the regulations.

Too bad Jeffrey Dahmer isn't still around, he could told them how to get rid of them.

Anybody check out the width of the cabin door? Musta been some skinny cows. Just sayin.....

I can't belive that it has taken all of this time to come up with the idea!!

I guess some one lost count of the cows when they were herded down for the winter.

I'm a fan of the pun they plugged in there.... "They'll be using a "Wyoming Saw" -- which looks like a beefed up hacksaw."

if they had blown it all up it would have made a new recipe for beef tornados.

Coming to a McDonalds near you.

One imagines they came to this conclusion a while back, but nobody wanted to be the ones hiking out there and slicing up rotten beef in bear country for a couple days.

\

Not exactly a project I'd put the rush on for myself, anyway.

They probably read the postings from the prior article... and used my recommendation!

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/17/11249907-what-to-do-with-frozen-cows-stuck-in-cabin-at-11200-feet

They should have sent 1 large excavator in with just the right sized bucket. Here in Akron they demolished a 100,000 Square foot school in just a couple of days. 1 day and one of them can wipe out an abandoned house with no problem.

DB - Perhaps you missed this part:

"happens to also be within a federal wilderness area, which means no motorized vehicles to shuttle the team."

It does tend to help when you read the article.

It also means you cannot disturb mother nature at work. I have read this article and one I was directed to from face book. I can't understand for the life of me, that we just let mother nature clean it up she has done a pretty good job so far and I read some one saying the animals would be happy and fat by now, my comment to that is ((((( exactly))))).

How, exactly?

Meaning how did you draw that conclusion? It has almost nothing to do with their stewardship of the land, besides the fact that regulations prohibit some of the easier solutions, so they had to come up with something else.

"and potentially foul the nearby creek as well as a hot springs."

They don't want to foul the creek or spring but a rancher has cattle on the land?

If the cows weren't "escaped" cows from a nearby ranch then the rancher should be charged with neglect or abuse for not providing shelter for his livestock, cows aren't prepared to live at that elevation in the winter and is obviously why they packed into the cabin.

The regulations are designed to protect the area....you're not making any sense.

Capt...shall we say Agenda 21......shut down the forest service!

I was thinking the same thing.

Udderly ridiculous.

HA! completely agree, I started cracking up.

And you human beings thought you were the only ones who had raves! Oh yeah baby! Check out that heifer in the corner! Man, this music is sick! Hey man call up your friends! We gotta pack this place! Twitter my ass! Stuck your head out the door and MOO, Baby!

They make such a device, it looks like a big bow chainsaw but it's electric not gasoline. It's used to split the cow in half at the slaughterhouse.

That's enough of the B.S., Meathead.

Maybe Biden will make an appearance at the funeral.

Perhaps the Westboro Baptist Church should show up and protest because everyone knows the cows were killed because God Hates Fags. At least in their minds anyhow.

I know, its a silly thought. That's why I thought of them. LOL

At 11000 feet I'm guessing they are still frozen solid at this time of year. They did mention in the article that they want to dispose of the cows before they begin to decompose -- and it's been over a month since they were discovered.

Although the Cows were not the ones that build that structure, at least I never knew any cows that could. This leaves a mystery, we'll never know who or what built that structure. But just hold a convention of cows, and let them vote on a plan to hitch several volunteers together and with a rope attached remove the offending structure. As for those who may have built that structure, well, lets just say, they can complain until "the cows come home."

Those who created in this hazard could suffer the same fate, but that would offen even the cows who don't think.

(3,000 lbs lean beef at $3.33/lb is about $10,000 loss, but not one penny's worth of thought.)

Agree. Raised them. They are one of God's sumbest creatures.

@RichMJones: This leaves a mystery, we'll never know who or what built that structure.

The very first sentence in the article states:

What to do with the carcasses of six cows inside a U.S. Forest Service cabin at 11,000 feet elevation?

Does that clear up the mystery for you?

Can't take a joke?

Sorry three choices: human, cows or forest service creatures, but are we sure humans are not dumb?

Grammar police... oh wait, I do the same thing :) Quite funny.

You can blow a bull, but not a cow. Although, I wouldn't recommend it.

Blowing up dead six cows might make as much of a mess as blowing up a dead whale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65CcRtjtjQY&feature=relmfu

Whoops, the CaptBrngDwn had the same idea.

Supposedly there's more dead cows buried under the snow too. I don't remember where I read that though, so don't quote me on it.

First thing that came to my mind. Stupidest idea ever. Of course all you have to do is mention "dynamite" and everyone just wants to see a cool explosion, doesn't matter that nothing is actually going to be incinerated, just blown into bits. This REALLY shouldn't be that difficult... chop it up, pack it out.

Whale meat again, don't know where, don't know when.

And this is news???? Sad, very sad, indeed.

You mean this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65CcRtjtjQY&feature=relmfu

Don't get me wrong Preceded, I like a good explosion just like anybody else, but this is ridiculous. Dynamite causes stuff to go up and out. One of their main concerns was to avoid the decomposition from leaking in to the water supply/hot springs. Sending rotting flesh and bones flying will do the exact opposite of what they want to avoid. The matter will land EVERYWHERE.

I can't believe these people get paid the big bucks.

Got any idea what it costs to operate one of those things per hour of flight? It's a whole lot cheaper to walk in and hack 'em up.

Even cheaper to let the Grizzlies take care of it!

Ok there going to hike in 8.5 miles and hack em up and scater the pieces in a nearby forest. By packing out 6 hacked up cows 8.5 miles to a helicoter perhaps to dispurse the parts. I have seen helocopters dip water out of a lake in a huge bucket to fight fires. I'm sure they could hover and pick up the cows. Cost! how much do you think it would cost to pack 6 cows 8.5 miles in the snow. Remmember this is wilderness, no motorized vehicles.

I've seen dead cow and deer carcasses out in the woods. It takes about a year for them to be eaten/rot/decompose, and it still leaves the bones around for a while longer.

Elk Meadow? I know that is not an indian name, I don't know what woods you wander around in but in the ones around here a deer will turn into a pile of clean bones in just a few days, and we don't have bear or wolf.

I don't know why people are talking about hauling the parts out of there. What I read is they will just scatter the meat around the area and let nature take over.

Some backpackers probably left the door ajar.

It takes at least a year. In the meantime, the nearby stream and springs would be polluted, and the hiking trails in the area closed due to predators.

Horses, in the forest, on a mountain, in the snow? These aren't mounties, why do you think they even know how to ride?

Capt. they're forest rangers in a wilderness area out west. I would bet with a 99% guarantee that they can ride a horse. If they can't they need to move back east & find another line of work.

Isn't that the dang truth stc1993.

"Cutting up rotten beeves with hand saws would gag a maggot, sounds like a good community service project for someone busted for poaching game or cruelty to animals."

I think that would be a perfect job for poachers!! The more rotten, the better.