Ranchers Trade Cowboy Hats for Other, More Lucrative Industries

From the cows grazing in the wilderness, to something else, like wind turbines or the sounds of a rifle. 

At least that's how it is at this ranch. 

"I've sold all but three or four now," said Jerry Beaird who owns a ranch near Merkel. 

Beaird used to raise cattle here on his 1300 acres.

That is until the drought.

Feed prices more than doubled, making the career hard to profit from.

"The grass quits growing, the cattle don't have anything to eat," he said, "the corn even in the Midwest isn't growing so the prices of corn has skyrocketed so all the feed is corn based and it's doubled in the last few years." 

So its on to plan b.

He's trading in for another set of four -legged creatures.

This time, they'll be hunted.

"Well I just concentrated on my hunting operation," said Beaird. 

Beaird has opened his doors to hunters who for $450 a night can hunt all the game they want.

That's a little more secure than depending on rain.

He's not the only one trading his cowboy hat for another kind.

"There are a lot of ranchers around but they're also interested in profitability so there are other options that they can use their resources for when its costing more to keep cows than to sell them," said Ed Brokaw, chairman of the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences division at Abilene Christian University.

In fact, we're seeing the fewest numbers of cattle in the U.S. than in the past 60 years.

"Most ranchers are going to be eternally optimistic they expect it to rain," said Brokaw.

Just not Beaird, who for now he'll continue to set his stakes on another type of meat.