Gathering and loading four bulls, a pictorial account

[Radar]

[BRG]

Nub and Dave's last name is "Long".

[the real jake]

I would never try to diminish what Soap and Saddletramp are accomplishing in any way, but I do notice that these are younger looking bulls that don't have such an aversion to being in the same vacinity of each other. We gather our bulls in the same manner sometimes, but you usually need more trailer compartments to get those old codgers ( the bulls ) loaded.

We run bulls to 6 years old occasionally, and just normally trail them several miles when we pull them from the cows. The fight into corrals or a trailer just isn't worth it most times.

If it wasn't for bulls, ranching could be fun.

I admire anyone with an original thought and getting it done horseback.

[Jinglebob]

[the real jake]

Jinglebob, I can't argue with anything you said!

We pulled our bulls out of our cows last saturday after 49 days with the cows. I think that is plenty of time to get a cow bred, and I would like to get down to 45 if we can keep our conception up.

We had great luck that day, and had bulls out of 4 herds by mid afternoon. Most of the bulls we trailed a ways, but did haul one bunch home from aways away. The youngest bunch of bulls we locked in the corral for a couple of days till they forgot about the cows a bit. That seems to help, and they normally don't fight much with each other. Once in a while those youngest bulls can be the toughest to do anything with.

We seldom have an old bull that will take a horse, and I attribute that to moving them horseback their whole lives. I don't use birdshot or a bullwhip, but I have a steel honda on one of my ropes that gets their attention if you can get 'em on the end of their nose. That really works.

[Rowdy Ranch]

That is a great way that Soap and Saddletramp handle those bulls-yes that is what we are thinking of doing-running more yearling bulls as they are much easier to handle and probably will market fairly well after filled up. WE have to sell at least 6 older bulls this fall and will wait til spring to replace them. That still leaves too many of the bulls around for winter care-have to remember that they need to be feed pretty good even when not working them. Have to keep several around for breeding the fall calvers,but really am considering the yearling route. But different ways work for different operations.

[Jinglebob]

Jake,
I read a poem by Ross Knox one time and in it he was lamenting about the fact that so many people trailer there horse to the pastures and then ride. And in this day and age, you got to do what you can to get all the work done and make a buck. But his one line was about how horses that are trailered can't even walk or trot a straight line. I think he might be right.

Saddle Tramp and I were wondering how $3 gas was going to effect some of these ranches. Maybe some will go back to feeding with teams and maybe more will trot to the pastures instead of hauling. If a feller is scattered out, trailers can be real handy, but we are guilty of too often jumping in an outfit to check something when we could just as well ride out on a colt and get the job done and be making the colt a better horse.

Maybe high priced fuel will help the cowboys out!

[the real jake]

Ross Knox.

Isn't he the guy that packs in the Grand Canyon? I believe I saw him perform at Elko once.

Our outfit is too scattered to not haul back and forth, and it seems lately we have been trying to get by without xtra help, so we do what we have to, like you mentioned.

BTW, I have a couple of big saddle horses that I have ground driven that might make a decent team if anyone is interested. Maybe I could post a picture of them sometime. They are 16 hands or so, and gentle. I already have a light team, so don't really need two. And both horses are broke to ride. One is a heck of a calf dragger, but not the best mouth in the world.

[Jinglebob]

[sw]

Back a few years ago we did some experiments with Piedmontese bulls. We bought these bulls in Canada. They all had attitude and I don't think they ever saw a horse until we unloaded them here. When it came time to gather them up, they were in a pasture that was pretty rough and thick with trees. I had my son and daughter with me, they were in their early teens but decent help. When we located one of those bulls and you tried to move them, they would go aways and then start hammering on your horse. did not want to get anyone or any of the horses hurt but we had to get those buggers gathered up somehow. Had the truck and trailer close by and a set of corrals a couple miles away. We came up with a plan. This was about fair time for us and there was a long show stick in the back of the truck and the lead ropes from our halters. I would ride up to one of those bulls and he would come after me. All of these bulls had nose rings and now we knew why. When they would come at me, I would hook the nose ring with the hook on the end of the show stick and pull hard. My son would then ride up and snap a lead rope into the nose ring and I would lead them upto and in the trailer. They just hated being that close to a horse but unable to do anything about it with their nose dallyed to my horn. Tears flowed down their cheeks. It was fun getting even with those jerks. The next year we had a new one with no nose ring, couldn't get him out of the cows at all, that is until I pulled out my Contender.
Now since we fall calve and gather the bulls in January, I have the wife gather them with a bucket of cake. Is way easier but makes for a boring story

[Hanta Yo]

WOW! , sw,

I can't imagine hooking those nose rings and forcing those bulls into the trailer. Talk about "cowboy up" to do what it takes to get the job done!!! YOU deserve a medal!!

[Faster horses]

That's for sure!!


Soapweed's method looked WAY BETTER TO ME!!!