Yes, I’ve seen that to, and it’s very possible that could be true.

Morf also has a theory as to what it could be as well…a pentene

More about that here if you’d like to read. It has to do with a POI (James Owen) who if you recall was the last person to have supposedly passed by the scene on Lake Herman Rd before the deaths of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen. The part about the pentene is about 3/4’s down the page, but it’s all great reading.

http://zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=66

Welcome, David. The problem that I and many of us have with Graysmith is that he often presents speculation as fact and fills in missing information to support his case. There’s nothing wrong with that suggestion- it looks a lot like the Halloween card symbol although I have no idea what the significance of a cattle brand symbol would be for Zodiac. I’ve seen dozens of suggestions just as valid and a few probably better, IMO. Interesting idea, definitively not factual.

Great find…the symbol is really the closest I’ve ever seen. The four spots could be result from the sticks holding the burning iron. Also, the drawing reminds me a lot to the pines card. In fact I looked through some lifestock (cattle) brand books of California and even made a request to its organization regarding the symbol. The result there was negative, so it is great to find the symbol someone else.

QT

Rand proposed the cattle brand theory quite a while back. Not sure if the thread is here but it will be on the old forum. I’ll bring it over if I get the time.

Rand proposed the cattle brand theory quite a while back. Not sure if the thread is here but it will be on the old forum. I’ll bring it over if I get the time.

I know it was discussed at Tom’s mb as far back as 2007…maybe sooner. http://zodiackiller.fr.yuku.com/topic/1 … sEZ49JDuSo …and here: http://zodiackiller.fr.yuku.com/topic/3 … sEc6tJDuSo

This is the first I have seen the brand David Rayd mentions in his first post being in ZU. It IS the closest thing I have seen to the H.C. symbol!

Wow, that last cow/steer,whatever it is, has a symbol on it looks real close too. Any clearer photos of that? Was that drawn by somebody as a demo,or is that a real photo of a cattle brand from someplace? There are some people involved in ranching within the Z case. There is a RED RYDER RANCH in Lancaster CA, about 85 miles from Riverside(not sure how long the ranch has been there,or been called that)

Rand proposed the cattle brand theory quite a while back. Not sure if the thread is here but it will be on the old forum. I’ll bring it over if I get the time.

I know it was discussed at Tom’s mb as far back as 2007…maybe sooner. http://zodiackiller.fr.yuku.com/topic/1 … sEZ49JDuSo …and here: http://zodiackiller.fr.yuku.com/topic/3 … sEc6tJDuSo

This is the first I have seen the brand David Rayd mentions in his first post being in ZU. It IS the closest thing I have seen to the H.C. symbol!

Just a quick bump….the 3rd cow all the way on the right in this pic, anybody have any background info? Who found it, what ranch was it associated with,etc? Part of the cow got cut off in my repost,but in the pic in the earlier posts, you can see it.

By the way, I contacted the owner of the RED RYDER ranch in Southern CA, they opened up in 1980, a dead end apparently

Wow, that last cow/steer,whatever it is, has a symbol on it looks real close too. Any clearer photos of that? Was that drawn by somebody as a demo,or is that a real photo of a cattle brand from someplace? There are some people involved in ranching within the Z case. There is a RED RYDER RANCH in Lancaster CA, about 85 miles from Riverside(not sure how long the ranch has been there,or been called that)

I thought that was the symbol Graysmith (and D.R.) where referring to. ??

I was looking for other references to that brand. I searched "cattle brands" and "stock brands" as mentioned in the drawings. I have a feeling it was something simply created by Fred Harman for his Red Ryder series…but, I it appears the ranch did exist.

Yeah here’s a link,I forgot that he had mentioned that the identical symbol could be found on that cattle brand from the ranch in CO:

http://books.google.com/books?id=8Wm6fv … 22&f=false

Pagosa Springs,CO. How close is that to the town that had a similar name to DEER LODGE? FERN LODGE?? FERN CREEK? I recall Hartnell said it was a 2 part name that sounded like Deer Lodge,and that there was a similar one in CO.

It seems to says "FLYING VF BAK" just before the last cow. If that helps anything.

Robert Blake, billed as Bobby Blake, played Red Ryder’s side kick, Little Beaver. Blake was found not guilty of murdering the mother of his youngest child in 2005.

A better quality/larger photo of the cows.
That symbol is very close,but still off a little too. But the fact it is associated with the same guy that was associated with the wheel of doom comic Tahoe found,makes it more interesting. I think it could be still a pentene,or maybe the letters Z & F combined. Who knows. TRAV,could you maybe isolate and enhance the two symbols from the photos above and place them side by side?