Sept 4 - 10, 2006: Fall Ranch Week

9/4/06 Monday

I spent the weekend working on the cabin out at Canyon Creek. Blue had done a great job getting the bunk room finished off, there were just a few odds and ends to do an the bunkbeds to finish.

It rained both Saturday and Sunday, I just got out of Canyon Creek before a big rain hit there. That road becomes impassable fast with just a little bit of rain making the roads slick.

Nate went to Kingman Az. to see family. It’s way over on the west side of the state. He drove all night to get back to work today at 7am.

Jay did the Albq. run taking Tom back and picking up Frances from S.C. Frances is one of our longest running quests. Shes been here every year since ’97 I believe. She’s a great hand and the year just wouldn’t be right without her here the first week of every September. He also picked up Larry, also from S.C. but until now he and Frances didn’t know each other.

We were supposed to have the Burnetts here last week and this week but ol’ “Smiley” had some medical problems and we sure wish him the best and hope they make it out for their two weeks next year.

So just two guests last week and this and a lot of work to be done.

We are gathering out of Pitchfork pasture this week going into Canyon Creek pasture. The big plan is to gather everything and get them moved, leaving behind only pairs to be branded which we will do next week when we have some strong fellas to help.

Today Nate rode out to camp with Frances and Larry. Checking on the horses there along the way. In Ewe canyon they came across all nine wolves of the Luna pack eating an elk calf.

They got to camp at about 2:30pm in a pouring rain. Part of the job assigned was they were to find the working horses in Pitchfork pasture and get them into camp. With the rain coming down Nate left Frances and Larry in camp and took the four wheeler horse hunting. We hadn’t seen them since last Wednesday.

Jay and I stayed home and worked on some fence and other chores till about 4pm when we loaded up all the good stuff Maggie had cooked and headed to camp. We got there just as the rain ended and unloaded the supplies. About the time we were done Nate called and said he was 20 minutes out with the horses.

They came into camp on a run and were hot and steaming in the cool damp air. Nate said they had been buttheads all the way home trying to take off every chance they could. We were going to bait them with grain and catch the ones we would use in the morning but being so hot I decided to wait a bit before feeding them. It wasn’t two minutes later they all took off at a run and left camp. Nate was after them but it took another hour before he got them back to camp. With just enough light to see we caught up the ones we need and penned them in the electric fence corral. I just hope they are still there in the morning. They are all pretty wound up tonight.

It was mostly cloudy all day with a high of 55, over night it was a balmy 50.

9/5/06 Tuesday

It was cloudy most of the night making a pretty warm morning. I crawled out of my bunk at 5:30am and was pleased to see Frances was already up with a nice fire going.

We saddled up and were riding by about 8am. It was my first day horseback in almost 6 weeks.

The morning was beautiful with patches of bright blue sky mixed with low hanging angry looking clouds.

We started gathering the north side of the pasture and picked up little bunches here and there.

The footing was terrible. In places you wouldn’t expect horses were sinking in deep mud. The ridge tops and mesas are the worst, it’s not as bad if you can stay in a draw.

By the time we got to Doubtful tank we had a hundred pairs and picked up 30 more around Incognito.

We put them thru the gate there about 1pm and took a short break.

We headed home by going up and over T Bar Ridge and coming down by elk tank. There were a few cattle there that we will get in the morning. Coming into camp at about 3:30pm we found our electric fence scattered all over and a bunch of cattle lazing around camp.

After a snack break Frances gathered firewood, Larry split it, Nate went horse hunting for the morning mounts and Jay went to H.Q. to get a load of water to replace what the cattle drank. With all the water around here they had to tear up the fence to drink out of a steel tank. I hung around and tried to stay off my knee. The last half of the day riding wasn’t a lot of fun.

The weather held for us with just a light sprinkle at Incognito. It was kind of cool with a high of 55 after a low of 45.

9/6/06 Wednesday

I woke before light but with the full moon I could see just a white haze. Fog lay thick in the canyon camp sits in. Frances and Larry were already up and had a big campfire going which from where I was appeared it to be soft orange glow in the fog.

We were out at 8am and it was still foggy. We split going three different directions looking for the troublesome cattle that have been tearing down our electric fence every day while we are gone. Nate and Larry found them along the west fence above camp and penned them at Fence tank. Jay and Frances came in with about ten more and we headed them all up T Bar Ridge and an hour later we put about 35 through the Saddle gate up on top.

I split off from the rest to go and look for a close to calving heifer we saw yesterday. The rest of the crew went east along the top of T Bar Ridge and started gathering in the rough rocky area around Elk tank. They were all over that country, up and down, back and forth, getting a few here and a few there. They had a long afternoon of it finally getting to Incognito at about 4pm where they put about 70 head through into Canyon Creek pasture.

I went all over Canyon Creek pasture and looped through every bunch of cows I could find out there and never found the heifer.

I had spotted raven and buzzards of the south side of the ridge earlier so I went to check it out. After an hour of looking in the thick cedars there I found the remains of a calf, just the rib cage, with tracks of one wolf around it. I found the mother cow along with about 30 others that I put through the gate. Then I went back and got ten more I had spotted this morning as I came over the ridge.

I met up with the rest of the crew at the gate and after a short break we all headed home. I took the long way not wanting to ask Gambler to go up the ridge again. On the way back Jay had to ride to the very top of T Bar Ridge to get the horses so we could pick fresh mounts for the morning. It was a long way up there after a long day. Nate, Larry and Frances waited at Fence tank to give him a hand when he came down with them. I was in a hurry to get to camp hoping Maggie had come out for dinner. When I came over the ridge I saw smoke drifting from camp and knew life was good. I was just plain beat and the thought of cooking dinner was not high on my list.

My dear wife had a camp fire going and a dinner of baked chicken and stuffing and salad.

The crew got in about 7pm, we sorted horses and called it a day. A long one it was, having spent almost 11 hours in the saddle.

The fog burned off at about 10am and it stayed a clear wonderful rain free day. There were thunderheads around but no rain. It was amazing how much the footing improved with just a day of sunshine. It was almost hot for awhile as I rode the treeless basin but all in all it was just a perfect early fall day.

Hi was 70, over night 49.

9/7/06 Thursday

We got out at the usual time with the plan being to regather the north side of the pasture and check to make sure we had no pairs split near the gate. I was out on the four wheeler going to the far and high and rough places saving the horses and lots of time. I pushed a few head here and there and the riders found several along the valley as they made their way east picking up what I pushed down to them.

By the time they got to the gate they had picked up 32 head along with both the momma cows we had seen yesterday that we thought had lost their calves. They had found them, both were just little guys.

After they got the cattle through the gate they started back and drifted all the cattle which we had been leaving behind to brand next week. They moved them west as far as Pit tank where they left them.

They were home about 2;30pm, a short day compared to the last several.

I stayed out till about 6pm checking all the cattle and finding a few on the south side of the ridge which I pushed through the gate. I also found the heifer I had been worried about, of course she was in the last bunch of cattle I looked at. She was fine.

The total count of cattle we have moved into Canyon Creek this week is 298. The rest are the forty or so pairs we have left behind to work next week.

It was cloudy all day, a few sprinkles here and there, never enough to cause need for a slicker. Hi was 57 after a low of 41.

9//8/06 Friday

The crew all went on a bull hunt today. We had been leaving them behind all week since they cause so much trouble when we are moving cows. The rest of their job was to get Gambler caught and for jay to ride him home so I can pull some blood for some lab work. He has been losing weight and out on this great grass there is no reason he should.

They rode the west half of the pasture and only came up with two bulls which they pushed through the Saddle gate. On the way back they got the horses from their usual perch way up on T Bar Ridge. They pushed them down to fence tank where Jay switched to Gambler and headed home. Frances, Nate and Larry went back to camp. Loaded up all the gear and headed home getting in about 4pm.

The day was pretty nice with some light rain after everyone was home.

Larry was the best around camp, splitting wood, washing dishes and asking what else he could do. Frances was right there with him gathering wood, helping with the cooking and just general good attitude.

I know we will see Frances back and sure hope to heck Larry comes for a visit too, both damn good hands.