Eatbeef, no offense meant from me either.  The thing to remember about an allottment from the government versus a private lease is the headaches caused by the administrator. Usually on a private lease, you make an agreement and you have almost full control of the leased ground. Not always, but usually. With the fed's they have their fingers in everything. :roll: I'd never allow a motorcycle race across my own ground and i used to desert race motorcycles. But the BLM gave it's blessing and we have to live with the consequences. Didn't even have an opportunity to voice our displeasure. Had a lady ranger ride her 4 wheeler into a pasture we had put cattle into 5 weeks earlier on a range tour. As we opened the gate she was completely amazed at how beautiful the grass and cattle looked and even commented that we were doing a "perfect" job of managing the resource. Then we rode over the hill a mile away and crossed the creek. Suddenly we were told that these cows had to be moved immediately as the grass along the creek was under 2.5 inches and we were doing irrepairable harm to the riapairing area. Never been a fish in that foot wide creek for better than 150 years but we had to leave a pasture with belly deep grass just incase. :???: All i can say is thank God the BLM wasn't around when the Grand Canyon started out or they would of tried to stop the erosion and blamed it on cattle! :roll: Government leases are less money than private ground. That is a fact. But when you factor in the stupidity, the heartburn, the not-so-hidden agendas, the pubilc access and the cost in fences, troughs, water developements, ect. i really believe NOBODY would participate if they cost the same as a private lease with more control. That is pretty sad to say, but it's sure true. A BLM/Forest service ranger with common sense, ranching in thier background and the ablility to work with folks are pretty rare these days. More and more you deal with young, bright-eyed fresh from college kids who are out to save the world from the ignorant, hardheaded ranchers trying to destroy it. And the only ones more hard core against ranching, logging, mining, ect than them are the folks that are in charge above them. The title of this post was "pretty discouraging" and that is sure true when you deal with the government.

Now with all that being said, we still get to participate in the greatest vocation on this planet! We RANCH! Beats living in an ampartment in NY, riding the subway to a cubicle everyday. I might die poor. I may die broke. I may get discouraged from time to time. But everytime i throw a leg over a horse or scatter a hay bale or stretch a wire or watch a calf kick and buck or see a sunset or listen to the crickets, i fully understand how blessed i am!!!  I hope ya'll do as well!  I may die poor, but i'll die proud and free. :wink: