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Trailing Cows to Spring Range

PureCountry

Well-known member
We trailed everybody out this weekend, with the exception of the Highlands and a couple charity cases that needed to stay home. This is stockpiled grass that they only grazed a while in November/December, so it's perfect for this time of year up until we calve in the end of May. By then we'll have them trailed to the calving grounds.

Waiting to get goin'
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Crossing Maple Creek
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Almost to the Top
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Breaking over the Crest
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Down the Other Side we Go!
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About 100 head followed right along. Another 130 followed on miserable old cuss that takes off on us every time we trail. They went through a deep canyon to the west and after realizing they were going nowhere, they came back.
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The Wanderers
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Feast at the Finish Line
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The Super Feed Wagon. We had this guy bring in 2 loads for us. We just dumped them on the native pasture, cut the twines off and spread them around a bit with the tractor. Hopefully it will help the lack of organic matter.
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A Battle River Skipping Stone
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Just a little guy, even makes Molly look small.
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We're always amazed at how the deer beat a path around this behemoth. There must be somethin' they like lickin' off of it.
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Saddleback Ridge. This is from up on top. The wife took these before she followed us down with the 4-wheeler. That peaks a couple hundred feet higher than where we fed the cows.
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Overlooking_the_Battle_River.JPG


Hope you enjoy. Good evenin' all.
 

sic 'em reds

Well-known member
Oh heck, just pick that lil pebble up with Molly and move it out of your way!!

We have rock like that north of us that was deposited when the glaciers came through. Some are gigantic and it is amazing to think of how it all occurred.

"About 100 head followed right along. Another 130 followed on miserable old cuss that takes off on us every time we trail."

I hear Copenhagen is a good cure for cows like this :? :shock: :? :p
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
That or Northern's sure-fire lead trick!! The problem was that these new Galloway cows didn't know where to go, so as soon as the old crossbred cow veered hard right, they went with her.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I really enjoyed the pictures.
You have those cattle strung out well. You know, that's getting to be a lost art--getting cattle strung out like that. Sure neat to see.

Your 6th picture really shows how strung out they are.
 

per

Well-known member
Nice country PC. What are the structures across the river on the ridge in the first picture? Isn't it amazing how cows just remember where to go. It makes trailing kinda fun. I'd be willing to try on some $50. cows.
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
OK, first question - blkbuckaroo: The weather here is almost as cold as any Canadian weather can be. We've been -52C/-55F this winter, and we've also been +10/50F with a snow-eater chinook blowin'. That was recently and the reason the countryside looks so bare. Normally this time of year we're still under a 1' blanket of white. Our average rainfall through the growing season is right around 12-14", April to September.

Per - those structures across the river are oil storage tanks. There's almost 100 tanks out there now, belonging to 6 different companies. There's some smaller ones here and there, but those big ones you see each hold about 450,000 barrels of crude. Almost all of the oil that comes out of Northern Alberta comes through Hardisty before going south. At $110/barrel, you can figure out what those tanks are worth. :wink:

WyomingRancher - Out of the 270 we trailed down there, there's about 20 Angus x Galloway cross, and the other 250 are all purebred Galloway. We start calving about May 20th, so their condition is just right. I wish those Highlands I bought hadn't been bred to calve so early, I would have liked to kick them out in this pasture and see how they graze compared to the Galloways. On our winter pastures where they bale-grazed, the Highlands were out in the brush and coulees while the Galloways were eating hay. Just a different kind of feed efficient. :wink:
 

Mrs.Greg

Well-known member
I enjoyed your pics Pure. Went to Huhenden a couple weeks ago to watch a little niece and nephew play hockey,such a pretty drive,I love your area. To see our Battle River area one has to drive off the main roads.Our Battle River skipping rocks are still buried but dang if you forget and hit one while driving in pasture :?

I like your cattle,but hey its in my Scottish blood
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
I hit one of those partially buried skipping stones a few years back when I was flying down the hill on a toboggan. One entertaining crash, 3 days in the hospital and 1 cracked vertebrae later, I was ready to go home. :lol:
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Some day take a bit of time when your moving and cure that old bunch quitter-cut her out with a good cowy horse and run that old S.O.B till she hunts the middle of the bunch. I custom fed a bunch of Char cows that had a couple needed that.
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
Good for feeding, no good for hunting. If anyone ever told you we have deer, moose, elk or anything else worth tracking, they're a dang liar. Heck, there's so few critters around here for hunting we have to resort to eating grass-finished beef. No heads hanging on my walls whatsoever. :wink:
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
Hey PC, cows and country look good. Your "leaverite" looks lonely, I can send you a trainload more for company if you want them. :D :D :D
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Nice cows but where are the horses? For heck sakes ya gotta mount up and follow them cows! Your missing all the fun! :cboy: :wink: :wink:
 

movin' on

Well-known member
That's right, leanin' h. There's nothing (very few things, anyways) I like better than trailing cows like that on horseback. They just go hand and hand. I used to do it a lot more when I moved them from stalk field to stalk field and I'd sure love to do it more often than I do now.
 
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