Poem: The Tagging

[Brush Popper]

Since every one seems like their calving thought I would share this poem
The Tagging
Ole Mamma sneaks off for a drink
My chance for bravery has come I think

I move to the top of the hill for a better position
Getting close to her calf is my mission

Little one, just a laying there, soaking up the sun
Name of this game not for it to get up an run.

I slither off my horse, with tagger in hand
In calving time its the law of the land.

From generation to generation to present to past
The proudful art, of tagging the calf

I swoop down with tagger in ear
But my sixth sense says there's something to fear

Mom takes a drink, with one eye on the hill
One large gulp, and she's drunk her fill

There's movement from the bottom I can see
Cows are parting, just like Moses did the Red Sea

Mama's eyes on me are carefully trained
She's acting like , she's mentally deranged

In a split second the hill she has topped
My Tag in the middle of the ear has stopped

I try to pull it, with my gloved hand
But in the struggle I come up with a handful of sand

She comes a barreling in hits me, right square in the fannan
I rocket off that calf, like I've been shot out of a cannon

I look for help from my faithful horse, Buck
But he's gone south, like the geese and the duck.

I grab the Tag thru, just as I'm derailed
For I know my mission has not failed.

Another Mamma has snuck off for a drink
My chance for bravery has come I think.

I wrote this in February of 1999 while working on the McMurtrey Ranch helping calve out 900 cows.

 

[Soapweed]

Good poem. Heck, we were practically neighbors when you worked on the McMurtrey Ranch.

Saddletramp and I spent this morning sorting heavies, and had come in for dinner. We were just arriving at the barn to unsaddle our horses, when a cow in the corral dumped out a big old calf all shrouded and covered with a sack. I gave my horse to Saddletramp and moved swiftly to rescue the smothering calf. The momma was even swifter, and stuck her head viciously over the top of the floundering calf. Time was of the essence. Fortunately I was near the barn door, so opened it to see what I could find. An aluminum scoop shovel was handy and also a sorting stick. I used the shovel to distract the cow. While she was attacking the shovel, I was able to poke a hole in the sack and remove it with the stick. The calf gulped a couple times, and was soon back amongst the living. All is well that ends well.

 

[Brush Popper]

Sounds like you had some fun. On that ranch it took 3 to tag 2 to run the cow off and 1 to tag those cows were mean - neaner - and meaner yet. but they raise the best calves. I don't know how to do all that fancy stuff like save what you wrote.

 

[ranchwife]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
sooooooo, why was I able to get a visual of my hubby while reading this poem????!! :lol: :wink: :wink:

 

[Faster horses]

When I was new to this whole thing, back in 1965, I always rode along when there was something to do. I had a really good horse and that is when I learned to sort pairs out. Well, the horse pretty much did it, but it was fun being a passenger. It was at that time we were notching ears instead of tagging. Jack convinced me that a cow wouldn't take you if you were sitting on top of the calf.

I beleived this for quite awhile. Til the day a cow knocked him off her calf. Then I didn't quite trust what he said so much any more. :wink:

Scared the dickens out of me. And, nope, it wasn't an Angus, it was a hereford...but I witnessed an Angus do the same thing years later.

 

[Brush Popper]

Faster Horses: Speaking of trust. My ole foreman told me all the time if I'd keep that calf between me and that cow she won't get me. I was tagging a Saler cows calf,had it between my legs. The cow came over the top of the calf I let go. She had me pinned up against fence but her head stopped at my chest. Why she didn't drill thru the fence only the Lord knows. Didn't trust my Foremans advice to much after that.

 

[Faster horses]

OUCH!! Good thing she gave it up.

The closest I ever came was a heifer that was on the fight, and Jack had her roped and dallied up to the saddle horn. I don't rightly remember what I was doing, but she took me, and I jumped for the top of the corral pole (that is back when I could jump) and the pole came off and I landed on the ground right in front of her. I thought I was dead. She hit the end of the rope just then and it stopped her. Whew! That was close. That was before 1973 and I can still feel her breath and her snot...

 

[PPRM]

Well ya blew it brush popper, till you came along, that cow didn't know she could get away with running a guy over, now the bluff is gone, LOL.....


PPRM

 

[Rowdy Ranch]

Great tagging poem! So real-I do the tagging around here and yes, there are handful that don't get tagged every year because seems the cow never leaves and by the time she does,I cannot hang on to them -so wait til branding time. Last week during that cold weather a heifer had a rather small calf and it was chilled so thought I would bring it in to warm up. WEll when I grabbed the calf she rolled and rolled me-man I was stiff for a day or so. So went and got another hand and a steal post -she still doesn't like me.

 

[Brush Popper]

Rowdy Ranch: Getting rolled around isn't no fun. For the really tough ones. The little Mrs's and I use the tag team method. I carry 2 ropes on my horse, I rope the calf she comes up in the pick-up. Gets right by the calf I throw the rope to her and take my other rope down. And chase ole mamma off, meanwhile the Mrs's is giving a shot and tagging the calf. She lets the calf go and back to its mamma it goes and everythings cool.

 

[Rowdy Ranch]

Brush popper: Sounds like a great plan! I am the Mrs. around here-so that heifer just thougth I was fun to roll-now if it would have been the Mr. or son-she'd had had twice as much to play with. WEll, welcome aboard and you are in some GOOD country!!! 8)

 

[Rowdy Ranch]

Should have stated GOD'S COUNTRY!!!

 

[Brush Popper]

Rowdy Rancher: Sorry about that! You never know who your talking to on this thang. Hope your doing Okay now. My wife got hit by a cow last spring her shoulder still hurts her some today. We used to work on a ranch between Asland and Buckin KS. It is pretty country by the river Thanks.

 

[Hanta Yo]

Welcome aboard, Brush Popper, thoroughly enjoyed your poem. Been rolled around once or twice, we now use the 6-wheeler with a bucket of cake in the back, and a hook. I catch, sw tags, bands and vaccinates. Cows see the 6-wheeler any more and they start drooling. :wink: