June

June 4-10 Spring Gather

Tuesday, June 6, 2000
A hot day at the lower range. we were in the brush busting out cattle by 8:00am driving them down to Ghost Ranch. By noon we had about 70 head penned. After a quick bite to eat John and I sorted them according to brands and then as the day was at its hottest we built a fire and started branding. We did 17 head but in that heat it was enough to let everyone know they had done some work. For the first time in the branding pen everyone did a great job. We had our usual grins and laughs. Rhonda from Pa. is a natural, she made a great two heel catch on one calf and another almost got up as it was being tied and she was right in there to grab it and hold the squirmy thing till we could get a good tie on it. Chris from Va. having been in the branding pen before was a lot of help. By the last calf it was going pretty smooth. I rode Gambler my big tri-color paint horse, he worked great. All the riders were seeking shade as John and I sorted so we had to work our own gates. I must have mounted and dismounted 30 times in an hour. You can't work them from horseback because the corrals are so old and broken down none of the gates swing, you have to hump and drag them. I could drag gates with my horse Mangus who died back in March, he was the rare horse you could even open and close barb wire gates from his back. Every day I miss him. I've got some great horses but I still compare everything to Mangus. As I sit outside my tent in the sweltering shade I am watching the thunder heads over the mountain and the upper range. They have now turned a deep shade of blue black and it is almost a constant rumble of thunder. I watched one lightning strike about 2:00 just as things were starting. As we were driving home about 5:00 I saw a tower of smoke rising from one of the highest peaks. Just a moment ago a forest service water bomber flew over and dumped a load on it. But it is pretty major activity going on up there now, I bet there are going to be a dozen fires cause I see no rain yet, just lightning. Yikes! Well, time for a cerveza on the veranda.

Wednesday, June 7, 2000
A long day on the range. We were riding by 7:30 moving 65 dry cows and heifers to Charlie Moore Cabin in Arizona. They traveled well as it was a pretty cool morning after yesterdays heavy rain that came down about 7:00pm, almost 1/2 in.!!! The only tough part was a steep rocky canyon but we got them moved on through and out without too much trouble. We got to the cabin about 1:00pm had a long lunch. We then headed back looking for pairs along the way. After about an hour with only a couple pairs all but two of the riders went ahead saying they were bored and tired leaving Lyndsey and I with Chris from Va. and Linda from ID. We kept finding more and more cattle and going slower and slower.

As we were headed down Sunflower Mesa we watched the thunderheads build over the mountains and it swept toward us. When it was a gray wall about two miles away the wind picked up and was gusting easily over 50 mph. I stopped to try to get my slicker on as did the others and it was a 5 min. job with the wind. When we were all covered up and in the saddle the first few drops of rain hit us....and the last few. It spent itself on the slopes of the mountains and when it got over the open country it dried up.We should never have put our slickers on!

Finally about 5:00 we pulled into the Ghost Ranch corrals with 35 pairs and two heifers. Chris and Linda were feeling pretty proud of themselves as we rode in giving the others a hard time about not sticking to it. Like I told them DUDES quit when they are tired, COWBOYS quit when they are finished.

We got a fair amount of rain here at the lower H.Q. which sits at about 6,000 ft elevation on the side of the mountains in a real pretty canyon. There were puddles as we drove in this evening.

We had a new Veterinarian at the upper ranch, our old Vet moved to Va. A great loss. The new one was to geld 6 yearling colts, I guess he botched one and wants us to just zip him into his office 3.5 hrs away tomorrow. Our stud horse was kicked in the balls last week by a mare. (He just didn't think she really meant No!) He is badly swollen, we have been keeping him on bute and banamine and ice packing 3x a day. But this new vet wanted to geld him right away! It may come to that but I am definitely getting a second option and taking the colt and stud to Silver City tomorrow. Maggie said the guy was just out of high school.

Looks like the storms are building again!

Thursday, June 8, 2000
A hot day again. We were at John's H.Q. by 7:30 and riding. We went up to Ghost Ranch and gathered about 25 pairs and drove them about 3 hours to the river corrals where we penned and sorted. We got done with this about 1:00pm. The sun was beating down and all of the riders except two decided they had enough. Tanya trailered them home and I took Chris and Jeff back out to Ridge Well where we gathered 8 pairs and moved them into the Hicks Trap a small (600ac) holding pasture. It was a tough trip over there, each momma cow had her own idea as to where to go, We had to cross a canyon bottom of slick rock then up a mesquite covered slope. Once in the trap we had to take them to water. Whenever moving cattle to new graze you have to get them to water or they will remember the last place they watered and try to get back to it. In this trap the water is a windmill on the far side down in a canyon. Finally getting them there we decided to ride to the trading post for ice cream. The guys got a kick out of riding in horseback with tourists taking pictures. After that we decided to ride home. It was a long trip up through the badlands, country of broken pink sandstone cliffs and washes. We finally topped out on Stout Mesa and crossed that then walked down a steep slope into Mineral Creek. Mounting again it was up and down over header canyons till we finally pulled in to the H. Q. at about 9:00pm just ahead of a thunder storm. A long 13 hours in the saddle.

Friday, June 9, 2000
All the riders went to the upper ranch with Lyndsey for an enjoyable day of fence riding and checking water. I stayed down low and worked with John getting some cattle off the neighbors and moving more into the Hicks Trap.

Hopefully we have a load in there ready to go up top early Monday.

June 11-17 Spring Gather

Monday, June 12, 2000
We have a great group this week! Four are many time returnees, Avirille and Katie and Carol from Texas and Kim from England. They come every year with a group which usually numbers a few more but this year it seemed a few of the Gals are having babies or some other silly reason for not making it. we call them the "cupcakes" and they are anything but. We also have Wayne and Phronsie from Fl. and Vince and Denise a father-daughter couple from Connecticut. Today I had to work with John down below. All the cattle we had in the Hicks Trap escaped so we spent the day gathering stuff up and finally got a load up the mountain late in the day. Alan stopped by and let me know they had a good day working around Snow Lake till he found two dead calves. Then a plane was circling overhead and he figured out it must be the wolf project plane and the wolves must be close. They "introduced" (a lame description because they were all ready here) wolves late in the spring and now of course as soon as we get calves on the ground the wolves come to dinner. The "expert" checked the dead calves and decided it was a "possible, probable" wolf kill. So what that means is they were killed by wolves but we won't admit it and we won't pay for it. They are sooooo damn ignorant! We told them we were moving our cattle to new graze and the wolf project manager actually said he wished we wouldn't so they could find out if the wolves were going to be cattle killers. I told him he was mighty free with my money and he should go buy some calves and leave them out there for his little project. It is all so stupid, there are all ready wolves here adjusted and adapted and not really any trouble, but they want a specific man-raised wolf so it is legal to kill the ones that are here but the penalty for killing a radio collared wolf is more severe than killing a man.

I better stop before I get too mad.

Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Got to the upper ranch about 8:00 and found the crew ready to ride. We headed out into the traps around the H.Q. where we had about 150 head sitting after being trucked up. We started the long push across 7HL pasture. We had plans of leaving them at Elladeane Tank but got there and there was no water. So as the day grew hotter we continued on. A bit later I saw smoke on the ridge about 2 miles away. Within an hour there was a major fire happening and we spent the rest of the day watching the fire aircraft work dumping water and slurry on it. Pretty interesting to watch. We got to T Bar Tank about 2:00 with some very tired calves but to our disappointment there was not enough water there. So we were looking at at least 5 miles more and calves too weary. I went on a scout and in a few minutes got back with the good news there was water in the stream above the tank so we happily drove them to it and headed home. A long day. Alan went to meet with the wolf people and so far I have not heard from him.

Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Most of us went to Snow Lake, a few riders just did a pleasure ride on their own. We went and gathered all the cattle in that pasture near the lake, about 200 head. The riders held them while Alan and I sorted out the littlest babies and Curtis trucked them back to the H. Q. in horse trailers. We worked all day getting ready for tomorrow when we will get up at 5:00am and be ready to ride at 6:00 so we can get an early start pushing them up over T Bar Ridge and hopefully onto safer graze. We did not ride a lot of miles but got a lot of work done and our help was the best. There was not a complaint one about holding cattle for hours in the sun. It was just what had to be done. The Cupcakes have been here enough where they knew the urgency of the situation. They know or recognize a lot of the cows and were ready to do whatever it took to get them to safe country. At least the scenery was great to look at, we have an awesome office! After we were done they all had a happy hour under a tree waiting for the truck and trailer to return and soon the laughter was echoing off the distant hill sides. We all got home about 6:00.

Thursday, June 15, 2000
Up way too early with a 5:30 breakfast, trailered to Snow Lake and were in the saddle by 7:00. We gathered all the cattle we had in the trap from yesterday and started driving. We had over 275 head of mother cows, calves and bulls. The first 2 miles were tough, up a steep slope out of the lake canyon and the cattle did not want to go. It was lots of hollering and yahooing but finally got them up on the top. All the riders did a great job keeping the babies bunched up and only a few breakaways which Curtis and I had to bring along after lots of fast riding and cussing. We hit the top of T Bar Ridge and held the herd for about half an hour letting everything pair back up and rest after the hard climb. After we started moving again all the cattle lined out beautifully. It was really a wonderful sight, at one point we had cattle stretched over a 1/2 mile. About 1:00 we came off the ridge into T Bar valley and fresh water and grass. We rested again for 30 min. or so then moved up the valley another couple of miles and let them drift. Tomorrow we will gather them up again and move on across 7HL pasture into Pitchfork pasture and leave them there. This pasture is about 12 miles out so soon we will set up a cowcamp to stay as we work the cattle in the next few months. All in all it was a very good day and I can sleep a little better knowing we are that much farther away from the wolves. Everyone has been in bed the last two nights before the sun was down. Long drives and Tanya's good cooking does it every time.