Wild Bill Elliott left Republic Pictures and moved to Monogram starting with this tale of a cattleman trying to breed the title critters with Herefords. His trek to pick up the cattle in Oregon is threatened by a band of outlaws in cahoots with his top ranch hand. Moving to Monogram meant a cut in budget for the star's last six Westerns, but there was no cut in action. With fist fights, shoot outs and a cattle stampede, director Lewis Collins kept the action speeding along for a trim 70-minute running time. Even with its lower budgets, Monogram tried to make the Elliott films memorable, releasing the Westerns in Sepiatone to give them a distinctive look (most surviving prints are in black and white). Much of the behind-the-camera talent on this film -- including director Lewis Collins and cinematographer Ernest Miller -- consisted of Hollywood veterans who had been refining their craft since the days of silent movies. The most notable newcomer was screenwriter Daniel B. Ullman, who had started out as a script supervisor in 1948. He would become a major force in low-budget Westerns in the '50s, with credits for such acclaimed films as Seven Angry Men (1955) and Face of a Fugitive (1959).

By Frank Miller