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ONE OF MY BETTER DAYS OF COWBOYING,
AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A HORSE
By Steve Moreland, November 17, 2018
The exact year escapes me, but it would have been sometime in the late 1980's. I had about 200 yearling heifers that had spent the winter on the Ries Brothers Ranch south of Wood Lake, Nebraska. They would have feed to last until the middle of May, but then I needed to get these heifers to summer grass somewhere. Our home ranch northeast of Merriman was sufficiently stocked that we didn't need these yearlings competing with our cow/calf pairs. I either had to find summer grass, or take them to a livestock auction and sell them, which would only be a very last resort. These heifers were our biggest and best, and if they were to be sold, there would be a big hole in our herd absent of these good young potential cows. I really didn't want to sell them, but my back was against the wall.
On a Sunday morning with the deadline rapidly approaching, I was feeling overworked, glum, and like the weight of the world was upon my sagging shoulders. Before breakfast I went out to check the cows still yet to calve, and to do a few other livestock-related chores. Upon entering the house, Carol had breakfast ready, and the kids were showing up at the table. I announced to Carol that she and the kids needed to go to Sunday School and church without me, as I had too much feeding and other work to do to spare the time to go along. Besides, I was feeling grumpy and not in the proper mood to go anyway.
We had no more than sat down to eat, and Carol gave the blessing, when the telephone rang. There was no "caller ID" in those days, but I answered the phone. The caller was Doyle Fullerton, a rancher who lived north of Cody. We exchanged pleasantries and small talk for a few minutes, and undoubtedly discussed the current weather. He came around to the reason for his call, and asked, "You don't know anyone who would have a couple hundred yearlings they would want to put out on summer grass, would you?" I perked right up and questioned, "Have you checked out the Sandhills Cattle Feeder News, and do you realize my name is on the 'feed wanted' list?" He said that he hadn't checked out that paper, but surmised that I got out and about once in a while, and might know of someone. I did, and that someone was me.
Doyle Fullerton and the available grass on his ranch was the answer to a prayer I hadn't even uttered, but life was starting to look good again. We made a deal on price, and for me to bring 200 yearling heifers sometime in the middle of the upcoming week. A smile was upon my face, and even though there was plenty of work beaconing, I decided I owed it to the Good Lord to accompany my family to church.
During the course of the continuing summer, foot-rot in our cows and calves at home became somewhat of an issue. Kenneth Sprague was employed on our ranch, and he and I were using our horses to head and heel a few cows and calves, to doctor them for foot-rot.
One summer afternoon, Kenneth stayed in the hayfield while I drove to Cody, 21 miles away. There at the local Walco Vet Supply store, I loaded on salt and mineral, to distribute north of town a few miles away where my yearling heifers were grazing on the Fullerton Ranch. It was mid to late afternoon when I parked the pickup in the pasture to put salt and mineral in a bunk made from a rubber car tire turned inside out. The cattle were salt hungry enough that they swarmed around me. As they strung in by the water tank, I noticed a heifer that was limping from foot-rot. The whole herd was assembling, and it didn't take long to spot three others who also needed to be treated with LA-200 and sulfa pills.
I had a dilemma. We were right in the middle of haying, and the hot dry weather was cooperating wonderfully to accomplish this project. Kenneth was home driving a tractor in the hayfield. It would take an hour for me to get back home. We'd need to run in the horses, load up, and drive another hour back to Fullerton's. The time was late enough already, that the sun could be down before we could rope and doctor the four heifers. The next day was supposed to be another nice hot summer day, and if we waited until morning to doctor the heifers, we would waste a good portion of available haying time.
I was well aware that there were two lariat ropes in the pickup, and a bottle of LA-200, a syringe, a box of sulfa pills, and a steel balling gun. I had everything needed to doctor the heifers except a horse and some help. An idea hit me, and I decided to try it on at least one heifer.
As the cattle were gentle and crowded around the salt bunk, I took a lariat and flipped the loop over the heifer's head. She spooked and took off running, and I didn't even try to hold onto the rope. I got in the pickup and drove towards the heifer. Eventually I was able to drive one of the tires across the rope and stop where there was enough weight on the rope to hold it secure. The heifer was bouncing around from side to side, and I was glad to be driving an old ranch pickup that already had a few dents. With the second rope, I caught one hind leg. I didn't want both legs, because it would be hard to keep the rope tight enough to keep them caught. With one leg in the noose, I kept the rest of the rope as tight as I could and tied it off on the trailer hitch ball of the back bumper. Then I got back in the pickup and drove slowly, monitoring the situation in the back mirror. As I drove forward, the first rope came out from under the pickup tire freeing her head, but the leg rope tightened and the heifer went down on the ground. I pulled gently until she turned on her side. Then I was able to use the tail of the head rope and use it to tie the two back legs tightly together, securing her so I could give her the proper amount of vaccine and administer the sulfa pills. It was easy enough to release her after she had been doctored.
This system worked good on the first heifer, so I tried it again. By taking my time and being sneaky, I was eventually able to doctor the second one and also the other two by using the same method. It wasn't a very "cowboy" way of doing the job, but it worked. The cattle stayed gentle, and the next morning we could continue to "make hay while the sun shines."
I must make a disclaimer that although heifers were helped and not harmed in the making of this essay, two ropes came out quite a bit the worse for wear, and the pickup did sport a few dents that weren't present before. Altogether I was happy with the outcome of the day, and consoled myself that sometimes the ends justify the means.
AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A HORSE
By Steve Moreland, November 17, 2018
The exact year escapes me, but it would have been sometime in the late 1980's. I had about 200 yearling heifers that had spent the winter on the Ries Brothers Ranch south of Wood Lake, Nebraska. They would have feed to last until the middle of May, but then I needed to get these heifers to summer grass somewhere. Our home ranch northeast of Merriman was sufficiently stocked that we didn't need these yearlings competing with our cow/calf pairs. I either had to find summer grass, or take them to a livestock auction and sell them, which would only be a very last resort. These heifers were our biggest and best, and if they were to be sold, there would be a big hole in our herd absent of these good young potential cows. I really didn't want to sell them, but my back was against the wall.
On a Sunday morning with the deadline rapidly approaching, I was feeling overworked, glum, and like the weight of the world was upon my sagging shoulders. Before breakfast I went out to check the cows still yet to calve, and to do a few other livestock-related chores. Upon entering the house, Carol had breakfast ready, and the kids were showing up at the table. I announced to Carol that she and the kids needed to go to Sunday School and church without me, as I had too much feeding and other work to do to spare the time to go along. Besides, I was feeling grumpy and not in the proper mood to go anyway.
We had no more than sat down to eat, and Carol gave the blessing, when the telephone rang. There was no "caller ID" in those days, but I answered the phone. The caller was Doyle Fullerton, a rancher who lived north of Cody. We exchanged pleasantries and small talk for a few minutes, and undoubtedly discussed the current weather. He came around to the reason for his call, and asked, "You don't know anyone who would have a couple hundred yearlings they would want to put out on summer grass, would you?" I perked right up and questioned, "Have you checked out the Sandhills Cattle Feeder News, and do you realize my name is on the 'feed wanted' list?" He said that he hadn't checked out that paper, but surmised that I got out and about once in a while, and might know of someone. I did, and that someone was me.
Doyle Fullerton and the available grass on his ranch was the answer to a prayer I hadn't even uttered, but life was starting to look good again. We made a deal on price, and for me to bring 200 yearling heifers sometime in the middle of the upcoming week. A smile was upon my face, and even though there was plenty of work beaconing, I decided I owed it to the Good Lord to accompany my family to church.
During the course of the continuing summer, foot-rot in our cows and calves at home became somewhat of an issue. Kenneth Sprague was employed on our ranch, and he and I were using our horses to head and heel a few cows and calves, to doctor them for foot-rot.
One summer afternoon, Kenneth stayed in the hayfield while I drove to Cody, 21 miles away. There at the local Walco Vet Supply store, I loaded on salt and mineral, to distribute north of town a few miles away where my yearling heifers were grazing on the Fullerton Ranch. It was mid to late afternoon when I parked the pickup in the pasture to put salt and mineral in a bunk made from a rubber car tire turned inside out. The cattle were salt hungry enough that they swarmed around me. As they strung in by the water tank, I noticed a heifer that was limping from foot-rot. The whole herd was assembling, and it didn't take long to spot three others who also needed to be treated with LA-200 and sulfa pills.
I had a dilemma. We were right in the middle of haying, and the hot dry weather was cooperating wonderfully to accomplish this project. Kenneth was home driving a tractor in the hayfield. It would take an hour for me to get back home. We'd need to run in the horses, load up, and drive another hour back to Fullerton's. The time was late enough already, that the sun could be down before we could rope and doctor the four heifers. The next day was supposed to be another nice hot summer day, and if we waited until morning to doctor the heifers, we would waste a good portion of available haying time.
I was well aware that there were two lariat ropes in the pickup, and a bottle of LA-200, a syringe, a box of sulfa pills, and a steel balling gun. I had everything needed to doctor the heifers except a horse and some help. An idea hit me, and I decided to try it on at least one heifer.
As the cattle were gentle and crowded around the salt bunk, I took a lariat and flipped the loop over the heifer's head. She spooked and took off running, and I didn't even try to hold onto the rope. I got in the pickup and drove towards the heifer. Eventually I was able to drive one of the tires across the rope and stop where there was enough weight on the rope to hold it secure. The heifer was bouncing around from side to side, and I was glad to be driving an old ranch pickup that already had a few dents. With the second rope, I caught one hind leg. I didn't want both legs, because it would be hard to keep the rope tight enough to keep them caught. With one leg in the noose, I kept the rest of the rope as tight as I could and tied it off on the trailer hitch ball of the back bumper. Then I got back in the pickup and drove slowly, monitoring the situation in the back mirror. As I drove forward, the first rope came out from under the pickup tire freeing her head, but the leg rope tightened and the heifer went down on the ground. I pulled gently until she turned on her side. Then I was able to use the tail of the head rope and use it to tie the two back legs tightly together, securing her so I could give her the proper amount of vaccine and administer the sulfa pills. It was easy enough to release her after she had been doctored.
This system worked good on the first heifer, so I tried it again. By taking my time and being sneaky, I was eventually able to doctor the second one and also the other two by using the same method. It wasn't a very "cowboy" way of doing the job, but it worked. The cattle stayed gentle, and the next morning we could continue to "make hay while the sun shines."
I must make a disclaimer that although heifers were helped and not harmed in the making of this essay, two ropes came out quite a bit the worse for wear, and the pickup did sport a few dents that weren't present before. Altogether I was happy with the outcome of the day, and consoled myself that sometimes the ends justify the means.