leanin' H
Well-known member
My good friend and neighbor was pretty desperate for "help" and asked me to help him. We cut 150 head off from his winter permit and trailed them from the desert to his place to work the calves and vaccinate the cows. Spent saturday getting them home and then sunday working them. It's always a pleasure to help good folks and hang out with the RR Fitzgerald ranch crew. Strung out and headed south.
They are an equal opportunity outfit that goes out mounted on horses and wheelers. They have 4 fine sons that are pretty good hands. Thankfully the boys made up for all the faults presented by myself and my pal Larry (thier dad). Funny to see dust after the cold, snowy winter we had, but we kicked up plenty. Dry here but can always be worse.
We trailed them about 13 miles following a road built along an old abandoned railroad grade. Every calf made the trip unassisted this year. Ther have been trips when we had 20 head of young stuff in the stock trailer when they got tired.
The bunch strung out pretty well except for the folks out driving the roads who would get em' all bunched back up again. :? With the young calves, following the road works best and the road is a bee-line from the desert permit to home. The joys of public land and the public that accompanies it. When we got here, we kicked them out in the brush to head for the last 2 gates and the destination.
We had them strung out a ways so i rode ahead aound a kind of a blind corner/hill to keep traffic from wiping them out. Of course, since i was there i never saw a car.
Beats the alternative.
Got them home about 4 pm. Started putting them in the corral about 8 sunday morning. Cut the calves off and worked them first. The calves looked good to me. They run a mostly angus cowherd with angus, simmy, and maine cross bulls. The youngest boy took grand champion market steer at last years stockshow with a home raised steer.
They summer a third on the high desert mountains over east of me about 20 miles and the rest go to the high mountains in central utah and thier home ranch by Strawberry resevoir. Calves like him oughta really put on weight this summer.
I think i might of worked a deal for little H to show this steer next year at the stockshow. He is sure showy with all his chrome. He's out of a maine bull and a angus cow. Hopefully he turns out by weaning time. :wink:
I like how stout the calves are. They just are put together the way feeders like em' and they sell well every year. Hopefully Larry doesnt read this or his head may get so big he'll need a new hat. :lol:
We worked the calves using a calf table. A couple of the boys kept the alleyway full of calves and the other two ran the table and helped work calves. I tryed to keep up with shots and Larry branded and earmarked and turned bulls into steers.
Electric brands sure make it easy. I have mixed feelings about wheelers and electric irons but whatever works right.
Woodfires heating irons and horses have thier place too. To each his own. :wink:
The finished product of said electric iron. The "Cogwheel" brand. I call it the walking zero which matches the owner's husband's IQ. He in turn, calls my brand the cork-eyed H. It was a fun couple of days and we got a lot done. Cows will head for the mountain tomorrow. The rest will trail home and get worked in a week or so. Maybe more pics to come. Have a fine evening!

They are an equal opportunity outfit that goes out mounted on horses and wheelers. They have 4 fine sons that are pretty good hands. Thankfully the boys made up for all the faults presented by myself and my pal Larry (thier dad). Funny to see dust after the cold, snowy winter we had, but we kicked up plenty. Dry here but can always be worse.

We trailed them about 13 miles following a road built along an old abandoned railroad grade. Every calf made the trip unassisted this year. Ther have been trips when we had 20 head of young stuff in the stock trailer when they got tired.

The bunch strung out pretty well except for the folks out driving the roads who would get em' all bunched back up again. :? With the young calves, following the road works best and the road is a bee-line from the desert permit to home. The joys of public land and the public that accompanies it. When we got here, we kicked them out in the brush to head for the last 2 gates and the destination.

We had them strung out a ways so i rode ahead aound a kind of a blind corner/hill to keep traffic from wiping them out. Of course, since i was there i never saw a car.


Got them home about 4 pm. Started putting them in the corral about 8 sunday morning. Cut the calves off and worked them first. The calves looked good to me. They run a mostly angus cowherd with angus, simmy, and maine cross bulls. The youngest boy took grand champion market steer at last years stockshow with a home raised steer.

They summer a third on the high desert mountains over east of me about 20 miles and the rest go to the high mountains in central utah and thier home ranch by Strawberry resevoir. Calves like him oughta really put on weight this summer.

I think i might of worked a deal for little H to show this steer next year at the stockshow. He is sure showy with all his chrome. He's out of a maine bull and a angus cow. Hopefully he turns out by weaning time. :wink:

I like how stout the calves are. They just are put together the way feeders like em' and they sell well every year. Hopefully Larry doesnt read this or his head may get so big he'll need a new hat. :lol:

We worked the calves using a calf table. A couple of the boys kept the alleyway full of calves and the other two ran the table and helped work calves. I tryed to keep up with shots and Larry branded and earmarked and turned bulls into steers.

Electric brands sure make it easy. I have mixed feelings about wheelers and electric irons but whatever works right.


The finished product of said electric iron. The "Cogwheel" brand. I call it the walking zero which matches the owner's husband's IQ. He in turn, calls my brand the cork-eyed H. It was a fun couple of days and we got a lot done. Cows will head for the mountain tomorrow. The rest will trail home and get worked in a week or so. Maybe more pics to come. Have a fine evening!
