11/19/05 Saturday

I took Gambler out today. He was a nut for the first couple hours, too much grain and too much standing around. He was really on the muscle, walking out at probably 8 MPH, head swinging from side to side looking for monsters. He saw them every where and was spooking every couple minutes over nothing. I took him up onto Canyon Creek mountain and about half way he started to settle down and from then on he was perfect.

I know I’m missing a big bunch of cattle some where. They are with an old bull of our we call Motley. He’s a smart old son of a bitch. He was around when we were first gathering and weaning in October and took off knowing what was coming. I saw him late in the month in Pine canyon but haven’t seen him since. I figure he’s up on that Mtn. Nate and Brian saw a group of cattle the last week in October and I figure it was Motley and his gals. I hit a lot of cow sign above Pine Tank and rode all around that country. Cattle had been in there a bunch and recently but I rode all damn day and didn’t find a single one. We got home after dark. It was really cold and I was sure happy to get feeding done and huddle around the fire. I still have four cows in the corral. I was hoping I’d find more to put with them before I pushed to Incognito gate but I guess I’ll just take those four up there in the morning.

Hi was 40, sunny lo was 11.

11/20/05 Sunday

It was really cold last night, well below zero. I was slow getting going. I fed the horses and the four cows about 6am but then went back to the cabin and drank coffee and read a livestock journal until about 9am when it had warmed up enough to feel like getting going.

It was Dakotas turn to work today. We headed out with the four head towards Incognito gate. It was a lot of trouble to start. The cows had been in the corrals for two days and were glad to get out and ready to eat. As I have said so many time it’s easier to push 50 than it is a handful. They were going all over the place one would run and another stop to eat. Dakota was just perfect. The right choice for cows like these. He was on auto pilot, watching them and always at the right place at the right time and his teeth finally made an impression…literally on all the cows. They eventually didn’t want to have him near them and started moving along. But it took almost three hours to get through the gate. We were both glad to be done with them. Once that was over we rode down into the canyon in Incognito where there is a little spring of water. Dakota ate happily while I leaned on a warm rock and ate a lunch of dried beef, cheese and an apple. My water was a bit frozen in my canteen.

As I sat there I heard some rocks clatter and Dakota jerked up his head. He spotted the deer first. There were two bucks coming down the steep side of the canyon obviously headed for the water. One of them was just huge. The largest deer I have ever seen out here. Of course I hadn’t my camera with me. Now you folks back east see Deer all the time, no big deal. Out here we hardly ever see them, the wolves and coyotes have pretty much taken care of them. We see Elk all the time it’s no big deal, kinda like seeing Pigeons to a city dweller but the Deer get me excited.

They got to the bottom of the canyon and were surprised to see us at their water hole. I was mostly behind the rock the wind was coming to us and they moved closer seeing just Dakota and no winding me. They slowly, cautiously worked their way closer and closer nibbling Oaks and keeping and eye on Dakota. I was about twenty yards from the spring and he was standing in it eating the still green grass along the banks. I watched in amazement as the deer finally were right next to him. They must have been pretty thirsty. He paid them no mind but they kept one eye on him as they drank. They filled their bellies and then just as slowly worked their way back down the canyon disappearing around the bend. They never saw me.

This all took about twenty minutes then I decided it was time to go back to Pine canyon and see if I could find Motley and his herd.

I got to the tank about an hour later and found to my frustration that cattle had water there the night before.

I started back tracking them and found a trail they were using to go up and down the Mtn. I headed up it and an hour later found myself right where I had been yesterday. In some little meadows that were filled with cow sign but no cows. Dakota was tired by now so I worked my way south in the general direction of home hoping to find them along the way. No Luck.

I got home just before dark and was glad to be there.

Hi was 35, sunny low was –3.

It’s awful nice out here. I’m writing this sitting in the cabin, the wood stove snapping making the only sound other than the low hiss of the lantern. I cooked some stew on the wood stove and enjoyed a cup of coffee with a generous dose of Baileys. After writing I crawl in bed about 8pm and read for an hour then sleep hard. I usually wake about 5am and get the fire going then back in my bag for half an hour till the place warms up. Every morning the sun has been greeted by a chorus of coyotes just up the canyon from the cabin.

11/21/05 Monday

Another really cold night. I was lying in bed after getting the fire going and heard a cow bawling off in the distance. That got me out of be din a hurry. I set coffee on to make while I went out and fed. It was soo cold out there. My fingers stuck a bit to the trailer door when I opened it to get the feed and hay out. The coffee was ready when I got back in and I quick got that down along with a bowl of oatmeal. Then went out and saddled up Gambler who wasn’t too happy missing his morning sun nap. Usually the sun is just hitting the corral after they get done eating and I give them an hour or so to nap and digest soaking up the warmth of the sun after a long cold night.

I wasn’t sure where the cow was I had heard. In the cabin, in the canyon sound does strange things but I knew it had to be close. I rode to the ridge across from camp and glassed. Nothing. I sat there almost and hour glassing everywhere hoping to see something come out of the trees or out of a draw but nothing. Well I saw turkeys, elk, coyote, eagles, hawks, ravens, jays, flutter birds but no cattle. I mounted up and took a guess that the cow bawl I heard had come down the canyon so I rode up it. I went up till canyon creek canyon and Pine canyon split. I chose to go back up Pine canyon. An hour later I was at Pine tank and had seen no fresh sign. Son of a bitch! Where are those cattle. Gambler and I swung west and crossed Canyon creek canyon again and headed out into S.S. Basin. We rode across the north end of the Basin and then climbed T Bar Ridge. It was a long haul up there but I knew I could see a lot of country from up there. I dropped the reins letting Gambler graze while I glassed. Again I saw all kinds of critters but no cattle. I looked back to the north into 7HL pasture and that was sure a sight. Hundreds of cattle spread all over that country, right where they should be. I spent an hour up there again hoping I see something show it’s self but nothing did until I looked over into Loco Mtn. pasture. There I saw one head. I figured it was a bull that we had left there in October when we were pushing into 7HL. Hell I figured I might as well do something useful. It was a long damn ride over there having to go back down to the Basin then out to Wolf gate. The bull wasn’t too far from the gate so that made it a bit better. We rode for almost two hours to get him and only had to push him a few minutes and then we were done with him. He will stay here in canyon Creek pasture with all the other bulls.

It was getting late, the wind had come up about noon and was now blowing pretty good. Thin wintry looking clouds began hurrying across the sky. I set Gambler in a trot with no real urging and we made a good pace along the two track through the Basin. It was dark long before we got back to camp and with the wind I was pretty cold.

It was pitch dark when we got home, the clouds were now thick shutting out what little moon there was and the smell of snow in the air. I rubbed my great horse down and fed then headed in. I was starving as I had left in such a hurry I had no lunch and had been eating left over crumbs of this and that I had found in my saddle bags.

I got a fire going, set coffee to making and fried some beef and potatoes. When I went to bed at 9pm I was dead tired and don’t think I ever rolled over.

Hi 30, sun in the morning. Clouds afternoon lots of wind.

11/22/05 Tuesday

I woke early as usual and was pleased as could be to walk out the cabin and see snow on the ground. There was just a couple inches and it was just what I had been waiting for. I knew I could find those cattle I could just find one single track. I got going about 8am and rode Zane. He was the first to walk up to me when I went in the corral with my halter. We headed up Pine canyon and then to the tank. I found tracks. They were left after the snow started but had been snow on. The snow must have stopped about 3am so I figured they had a six hour led on me but I had more to go on than in the last week. They had taken the same trail I had followed the other day up the Mtn. and they led right back into the mountainside meadows. The sun was now out in full force and with the white snow it was damn near blinding. The tracks here had no snow in them so I knew I was getting close. Higher up the Mtn. we went till we were just about on top, right below where rock starts to kinda crown up forming the ridge. I was looking down watching the tracks and shading my eyes when Zane pulls to a hard stop. I looked up and there was a cow under a juniper tree in a little fold of a ridge.

Yahooooo!

Zane was excited, I was excited. We rode over the little crest and there in a bowl under some big old juniper trees where a bunch of cattle. We started getting them up and moving and more and more came out of the trees. We trotted around getting them all headed down and when they hit the first meadow I counted 26 cows, 9 calves and two bulls, old Motley and a young bull of our neighbors.

They were all feeling trotty and took of headed right to the trail to Pine Tank. By the looks of the area I found them they had been in there a lot. I had several times been close to it but you would never know that little bowl of cover was there unless you rode right into it. I’m sure it was a place Motley picked out.

They wasted no time getting down to the tank. I was way behind them but they were all there waiting. After letting Zane get a good drink we started them down the canyon. They had kinda blown themselves out on the way off the Mtn. so they traveled well and in about three hours we were in the corrals. I sorted off a trailer load and headed back to the house with them. I got home just before dark. Let the cattle out in the North Trap and went to see my wife. I had fed the horses before I had left so I had time for a good meal and a shower before I headed back to camp with a load of hay. I fed the cattle that were in the corrals and then went to bed feeling great about the day.

It was cold again but I was too busy to really notice. The sun was so bright it made you seem warm. Over night was only down to 22. Snow kept it warm.

11/23/05 Wednesday

I was out early and saddled up Dakota to sort loads. The first load I did was pairs. I first cut five pairs from the main bunch and put them in the branding pen. Then I cut off the moms and got them on the trailer with no problems as there was a bit of hay on there. I shut the dividing gate and went to get the calve son behind them. They all went one but one. Stupid little shit. She kept running around trying to get back into the branding pen…the last place she saw her mom. It took 30 minutes to get her on the trailer. I loosened Dakotas cinch and turned him out and headed back to the H.Q.

I was driving the F 350 with the bad tranny and it took a long time getting back, about two hours. I put that load in the shipping pens then went back for another. The rest of the day was spent sorting cattle and loading 8 at a time and driving them back to the H.Q. All the loading went pretty well. Dakota was great in the corrals he was really on his game. It was a fun day of sorting cutting and driving.

My last load was just before dark and I loaded the last three cows and the horses and headed home.

It was so nice to sleep in my own bed and wake up with Maggie.

11.24.05 Thursday Thanksgiving.

Lyndsey and I sorted two loads of calves and old cows loaded the trailers and headed to Albq. to the sale barn. The sale is tomm. Lyndsey went on up to Santo Fe to visit her mom after we unloaded and I went to the hotel.

Had a boring dinner in the hotel restaurant then went to bed. It had been a long week.