Pap testing and buying bulls

[Wyoming Wind]

Been some interesting conversations on here lately about different bull producers; now I want some opinions! We run our cattle here STARTING at 7700 feet. All the way up to 10,000 feet or higher depending on how much the girls decide to travel on our forest allotment. So regarding buying registered angus the number one thing we look at is their pap score, then calving ease/and birth weight and then how well they gain and so on. So if there are any of you out there in the same position as us, who have you had good luck getting bulls from? What bloodlines are consistent for being good high elevation cattle? Thanks!

 

[leanin' H]

Our cows run from 6500 to 9500 in the summer. We haven't had problems with brisket disease even though we havent kept track of PAP scores perfectly. We do use them but don't totally discount a bull we like if his number is a little high. Now as far as buying bulls, there are many, many differing opinions! :shock: :lol: :wink: And some folks must have lots of trouble purchasing a bull without getting their tailfeathers burnt off, atleast i've heard some stories. :? But Yardley Cattle Company in Beaver Utah has been wonderful to us and many other outfits throughout the west. I love the bull I have from them now and my cousin has two that sure make great calves. They have a website if your interested. Good luck! Whatever you decide, find an honest and successful seedstock outfit (LOTS of them around) and you'll be fine.

 

[Ned Jr.]

We're at 8,200 feet and last year ran up to 9,600 but the bulls we sell are Hereford.

I think the angus herd that's done the most to develop low pap's that I know of would be Tybar. http://www.tybar.com/home.html

It's to bad Parker sold out I think he may of had the best high altitude angus.

 

[WyomingRancher]

I feel your pain! It seems like no matter what we do, we can't completely escape losses from Brisket. We've used a lot of Weaver Angus bulls in the past, and they've worked good for us. You can't beat their calving ease and dispositions, and they aren't ever locked up in a lot, always out on grass. In a decade we've not had one with bad feet. This fall we purchased a few heifer bulls from Redland Angus for an outcross, and I'm anxious to see how they'll do. You might check with Lucky 7, they are elevation cattle. They've used Parker's genetics (Shamrock Angus), but I'd be a little cautious with that. We purchased 40 Shamrock influenced females a few years back, and they had way too much size and milk for this place, but were decent cows... just never looked very good. Another source to check into would be Juan Reyes/Keith Russell. Perhaps we've just been incredibly lucky, but we've experienced nothing but good purebred breeders to work with, and we're certainly not volume buyers, or purchasing the high end bulls :wink: . Good luck, and let us know what you find!

 

[Angus 62]

Weavers produce about a tough an Angus bull as you can find if you are looking for two year olds. Russel/Reyes and Tybar are good sources for PAP tested yearling bulls.

It seems to make a lot of difference whether cattle run at high elevation for only a part of the year or are there year around.