My reading of the Bundy tea leaves:

First, as of right now despite the appearance BLM got what it wanted. That the negotiator was the county sheriff doesn’t make him Bundy’s buddy.

BLM sold a bunch of the cattle they seized. Bundy is getting about half that money back. The rest is being applied against the delinquent fees. The remaining cattle are being returned to Bundy.

Bundy agreed to have his cattle off federal land within 30 days. (A reasonable time, I think). That’s where the tea leaves come in.

See, I don’t think he’s going to follow through on his agreement. I think he really believes he got one over on the federal government and all he has to do is whistle up his supporters and keep doing things his way.

And that’s when it’s going to turn interesting. That’s when various liens get served for what amounts to the interest and added collection expenses. That’s when the de facto probation for kidnapping and threatening federal officials in the performance of their duties expires. If’n I were a betting man I’d happily wager that BLM, NPS (which was also involved), and a few other agencies are drafting a contingency plan for this confrontation to try to avoid excessive bloodshed.

Hopefully I’m wrong about Bundy. Hopefully since it was a (relative) local with whom he made this agreement, he abides by it. It’s just that his behavior for the past 20 years leads me to believe otherwise.