What more could a cow want?
Tag Archives: cows
Summer Trail
Eamon, Rhen and McCoy trailing cows and calves onto the Forest
July 1st is the on-date for our cows and calves, and ewes and lambs to enter their grazing permits on the Routt National Forest. Since there are several herds, they trail on in stages over several days. We do a lot of planning amongst our crew, with our Forest Service range conservationists, and with the neighbors.
We also work with the Range Cons regarding trailing dates to give them to opportunity to count on, if they wish, and to coordinate the trailing of other permittees who have the same on date. Since it’s mid-summer, we have to start at sunrise so that we can be on the Forest before the heat of the day sets in.
Sunrise, with sheep in the rear-view mirror.
Forest bound
Almost there
and through the Forest gate
Let the summer grazing begin!
Branding calves in the mountains and on the desert
It’s time to brand those calves which have been born this spring. We’ve been branding calves both in the mountains and the desert. We have our good crew of employees, friends and family on hand to help us with this endeavor.
Ready to gather: Cookie, Mike, Eamon and Karen
Siobhan and Dice
Taylor bringing in the cows
Mike and Tiarnan conferring
McCoy on the job
Pat and Cookie have a lot of irons in the fire!
Calves in waiting
Looking for the branding crew
Rhen and McCoy at work
David and Joe
Water is life…on Powder Rim
Cows and baby calves
The cows on Powder Rim are doing a great job calving. Thanks to Casey for “going native” and tending them. Of course, I don’t know what a cow could want that they don’t have…especially fresh water!
Springtime by the reservoir
wild horses hanging around the developed water
Solar well pumping water
blessed water
Pat checking on the new babies
Waiting for the green
Cows at Powder Flat
Waiting for the green
Snow melt seeps and soaks the roots
Of summer’s bounty
finding the burrs
plenty to eat
Winter from the air
Almost sunset over Battle Mountain
Today, we set out by air to look for missing heifers. The runway at the Dixon Airport hadn’t been plowed, but the pilot, Justin, did an amazing job of taking off and landing in quite a bit of snow in what looked to me like the Volkswagon Beetle of small airplanes. Unfortunately, in spite of several hours and lots of miles of searching, we did not find said heifers. We did see a lot of amazing country, elk, deer, antelope, wild horses, sheep (ours) and cattle belonging to our neighbors. If you see heifers with a JO brand, a red eartag and a white eartag, please let us know.
Elk hanging out on the Little Snake River, below the River Bridge
Wild horses at four o’clock (not in a Horse Management Area)
the Headquarters at Powder Flat
Here’s the Chivington Place being “reclaimed” after O&G
Eamon, as we come into the snow-covered runway
Meanwhile, back on the Red Desert, Meghan and Pepe were digging out the corn pile!
Critters on the Move
Winter sheep on the trail
The bitter cold and deep snowfall during the past week has seen critters, wild and domestic, on the move. We decided to trail our yearling ewes and old ewes from the Chivington Place to Powder Flat , where they are closer to the haystack. Likewise, the deer, elk and antelope are all on the move. Here’s some of the migrations we saw today.
Yemy heading up the county road
Yearling ewes and old ewes en route to Powder Flat
The guard dogs have their back
Yemy is keeping his adopted wild horse warm!
McCoy, Sadie and Cora moving the sheep
almost there
Feral (unadopted) wild horses on the feed line with our cows
Wild horses with the cows
Elk near Sandman Mountain
Buck deer west of Baggs
Does IN Baggs
Some of several thousand antelope on the move
Ladder Ranch
