After reading about Jersey's black panters, it made me think of this.
I met an older cowboy one time and we had lots of time to visit. He talked about all the places he'd cowboy'd.
Said he worked on a big outfit up in Canada in BC, I think. Claimed the guy who owned it was American and just loved to hire American cowboys.
I'll tell the rest in his words.
"They had this tribe of indians up there. Good people, but ugly. A lot of them worked on this ranch.
When I hired on, they told me, that one guy named Billy, would trade me out of any horse in my string that was a booger and bad too buck, as that was the kind he liked. And they also told me that Billy roped bears. "Yup" I said" I've roped lots myself!" Shoot, I can BS with the best of them.
I found out that Billy dang sure could ride and he dang sure liked them nasty ones. Thats all he'd ever ride. If he got a gentle one, he'd trade him off.
One day we was movin' some cows up thru' the trees and there were big openings there, kind of like a park, where there weren't any trees growing. All of a sudden, I realized that I was the only one that was pushing cattle and that everyone else was gone.
About then, one of the guys came loping over the hill, hollering, "Hey Gary, come on! Billy's got a bear roped!"
I holler'd back and told him I had 4 or 5 tied down in the trees, myself!
He insisted that Billy really had a bear roped and seein' as how I wasn't gettin' much done by myself, I quit what I was doin' and loped after him. When we topped a hill, why sure as hell, Billy had a grizzly roped around the neck and one front leg.
(at this point I asked if he was a big bear and Gary replied, "All grizzlies are big, when they're on the end of your rope!)
Billy's horse was snortin' and tryin' to turn and run and Billy had this bear on about the end of his rope. One of the guys hollered at me to ride in and heel the bear. I told him to go to hell, as I'd never lost any bears!
Now, I know you think I'm makin' all this up, but I swear it's all the truth and the only problem is, it gets worse!
Them guys went to tryin' to get their horses up close enough to throw a heel shot. Finally one did and caught a hind leg. I braved up and rode a little closer. I hollered at Billy and asked him how he was going to get his rope off. He told me, "I don't know about these guys, but I'm going to give this bear, my rope!"
They stretched him down and BRANDED and CUT this bear!
I know, your callin' me a liar and I wouldn't believe it either, if I hadn't been there and watched them do it.
We was in that neighborhood for several days and that bear just laid under a tree and rested, all the time we was workin' that part of the country. He'd just lay there and grunt.
(About that time I replied to Gary, " Yup, I'll bet he had all the fill of cowboys, he wanted!" He just smiled.)
I ain't sayin' this is a true story, but it was told to me as the truth and I've been around a few cowboys and good hands who dang sure would try this stunt, so I never called him a liar. And after all, it was a good story! :lol:
I met an older cowboy one time and we had lots of time to visit. He talked about all the places he'd cowboy'd.
Said he worked on a big outfit up in Canada in BC, I think. Claimed the guy who owned it was American and just loved to hire American cowboys.
I'll tell the rest in his words.
"They had this tribe of indians up there. Good people, but ugly. A lot of them worked on this ranch.
When I hired on, they told me, that one guy named Billy, would trade me out of any horse in my string that was a booger and bad too buck, as that was the kind he liked. And they also told me that Billy roped bears. "Yup" I said" I've roped lots myself!" Shoot, I can BS with the best of them.
I found out that Billy dang sure could ride and he dang sure liked them nasty ones. Thats all he'd ever ride. If he got a gentle one, he'd trade him off.
One day we was movin' some cows up thru' the trees and there were big openings there, kind of like a park, where there weren't any trees growing. All of a sudden, I realized that I was the only one that was pushing cattle and that everyone else was gone.
About then, one of the guys came loping over the hill, hollering, "Hey Gary, come on! Billy's got a bear roped!"
I holler'd back and told him I had 4 or 5 tied down in the trees, myself!
He insisted that Billy really had a bear roped and seein' as how I wasn't gettin' much done by myself, I quit what I was doin' and loped after him. When we topped a hill, why sure as hell, Billy had a grizzly roped around the neck and one front leg.
(at this point I asked if he was a big bear and Gary replied, "All grizzlies are big, when they're on the end of your rope!)
Billy's horse was snortin' and tryin' to turn and run and Billy had this bear on about the end of his rope. One of the guys hollered at me to ride in and heel the bear. I told him to go to hell, as I'd never lost any bears!
Now, I know you think I'm makin' all this up, but I swear it's all the truth and the only problem is, it gets worse!
Them guys went to tryin' to get their horses up close enough to throw a heel shot. Finally one did and caught a hind leg. I braved up and rode a little closer. I hollered at Billy and asked him how he was going to get his rope off. He told me, "I don't know about these guys, but I'm going to give this bear, my rope!"
They stretched him down and BRANDED and CUT this bear!
I know, your callin' me a liar and I wouldn't believe it either, if I hadn't been there and watched them do it.
We was in that neighborhood for several days and that bear just laid under a tree and rested, all the time we was workin' that part of the country. He'd just lay there and grunt.
(About that time I replied to Gary, " Yup, I'll bet he had all the fill of cowboys, he wanted!" He just smiled.)
I ain't sayin' this is a true story, but it was told to me as the truth and I've been around a few cowboys and good hands who dang sure would try this stunt, so I never called him a liar. And after all, it was a good story! :lol: