Posted by Preston on November 30, 2005, 3:40 pm FALL GATHER
2006 DESCRIPTION
SPRING GATHER AND BRANDING
The month of May is spent gathering cattle off the winter range and branding calves then putting them all on the spring pasture.
We will most likely be camping at Fence Tank Corrals most nights. Each morning we will roll out of our bedrolls as the sun comes up feeding the horses at first light then ourselves.
After taking care of camp chores we will saddle up and ride out in pairs or threes gathering cattle. We will bring them to Fence Tank where we will use the corrals to hold them while we sort and start branding mid to late afternoon.
We do our branding the old fashion way. We rope the calves and drag them to the fire where a couple folks throw and hold the calves while we brand, tag, worm, and castrate.
You will get a chance to learn to rope from the ground then if your getting good we’ll start ya on horseback roping. We will also be doing a lot of sorting and cutting in the corrals and will give you a chance at that as well.
At camp we will be staying in tents or out under the stars.
Food is good basic camp grub consisting of pancakes, eggs, bacon and gallons of good cowboy coffee for breakfast, a bag lunch and stews, chili, maybe a Dutch oven chicken or roast for dinner.
The weather is changing all the time in May. Early in the month the days will be in the 50’s and 60’s, the nights still pretty cold down in the mid 20’s. As the month goes along it quickly starts getting dang near hot with days nearing or just above 80 and the nights a bit above freezing. It rarely rains in May.
SUMMER RANCH WEEKS
This is a great time of year. The summer rains start (hopefully) and things green up, the cattle are fat and happy.
The two main jobs this time of year is being out with the cattle to protect them and branding calves.
The wolves that were introduced here six years ago really start getting our calves this time of year so we must be out with them as much as we can. This means days of riding some big country seeing as many of the cattle as we can.
Some days we will split into two or three groups of a couple riders in each, ride till dark and sleep out on the trail. When we do this we will be traveling light. Just a light sleeping bag, tortillas, a couple cans of stew or something and some coffee.
The real deal of cowboy life on the range, it’s good to sleep with no roof over your head once in awhile.
We will also be hunting for unbranded calves and pushing them to one of the small corrals we have around the place where we will sizzle and whittle them. Once again you will have the chance to try your hand doing everything.
The weather is great here in the summer months. Days rarely get over 85 with wonderfully low humidity. On the other hand there are frequent summer thunderstorms. They usually start up mid afternoon and continue for several hours. Often we can ride around them but just as often we get caught in them and let me tell ya it can be a religious experience. They are usually over about suppertime leaving behind a breathtaking sunset.
Nights are pretty chilly, in the 40’s even on a July or August night.
FALL RANCH WEEK
In September our cattle are usually way over on the east side of the ranch so we stay out at Canyon Creek Camp. Here there is a new bunk and cook house and a good set of corrals all sitting in a beautiful canyon. We head right out here on Monday and stay the week.
Like every week we are up and out riding early. Looking over the cattle, hunting strays and doing some late season branding. Like every week you are encouraged to try it all.
A few folks may need to go out for a night or two checking for strays in pastures we have moved through over the summer. Our main job is getting every cow we own into one pasture and every calf wearing a brand.
The weather is special this time of year. Our first frost is about mid month but the days are still in the 70’s and the thunderstorms are generally over at the end of August.
Throughout the month of October we are gathering all our cattle and weaning our calves. This year we will be weaning at Canyon Creek camp so we will be staying there most of the time.
Earlier in the month we will be riding and gathering thirty or forty head at a time getting them in the corrals, cutting the calves off the momma cows and hauling the calves back to the main headquarters.
As the month goes along we will be driving the momma cows over to winter pasture and hunting strays. It’s a big job getting it all done in just a month but with a good crew it works out.
Like every week we will be up early and as the days get shorter working till dark and beyond. Plenty of riding and driving cattle and more cutting and sorting than any other time of year but not too much roping or branding.
By October the weather can be getting pretty chilly. The days are USUALLY pretty nice, lots of sun and highs in the 50’s to 60’s. But it can get cold at night with lows early in the month in the 20’s and often way down into the low teens by the end of the month with a dusting of snow here or there.
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