Fall Craziness - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

The Last of Working the Calves

October 17, 2013 by Allison

With so much going on, I missed putting these pictures up. We have had so many days of working the cows and calves. Most days are hot and sunny but we did have one day that was overcast and rainy. Of course you already know that rain at any time is beautiful and happily received.

The Rancher’s Sidekick found creative ways to stay busy, dry, and warm. It DID include commandeering his sister’s stroller and blanket.

The Cowpuncher was willing to come on a day that he didn’t ride and was cold and rainy. That’s a pretty dedicated cowboy.

Our Favorite Cow Hand (or Paw)

October 2, 2013 by Allison

When I gave you a look at our preg checking day I neglected to tell you about some of our best men. Well, they aren’t men at all. They are dogs.

After a few days of working calves through the alley and squeeze chute, The Rancher said, “Those dogs are worth two men working out there!” And he is right. These dogs run along the alley, sticking their nose under to bite the heels of the cows. Then they will nip at the cows in the chute to head them out. It sure saves a guy having to always run back and forth trying to get the cattle to move.

First of the Fall Pasture

September 30, 2013 by Allison

This is the same bunch of cows that we preg checked and moved in my last few posts. These lucky critters get to be in all of my photos because they are actually where I can take a shot or two.

In fact I woke up bright and early to go out the with The Rancher and ride while Grandma watched the babies. We trailed these cows along the highway for a while until we could get on the back roads. It wasn’t too long and we made it to the first of the fall pasture. It was a nice move because there wasn’t any babies to slow us down. These cows walked hard and fast!

For a while The Rancher was up at the front to turn the cows so I got to be with some of the old cowboys. I LOVED it! These cowboys have such fun stories to tell. They talk about the days when they were just starting and getting things figured out. They have stories of one darn cow or another that had to be roped or that headed for home and had to be chased down. Maybe someday we will have some exciting stories on here to tell.

Here is The Cow Puncher again. A darn good cowboy, helping us out again.

Just a Mile or So

September 26, 2013 by Allison

It took a good part of the day to get all of the cows preg checked so when we were finished the cowboys took them down the road about a mile to a holding field until they were ready the next day. I decided to tag along for a few pictures. The Ranch Princess was having a nap which meant that I could go solo (because The Sidekick was loaded up with The Rancher). I opted for my bike… my pedal bike. I actually highly recommend it. Its a very good way to get some exercise while you are working, without the noisy 4 wheeler!

I finally have a picture or two of The Ranch Boss. Apparently he has been camera shy because I don’t have too many of him.

I should introduce you to The Rancher’s cousin. He has been really helpful the last couple of weeks. He has his own full time job but was still willing to come and help these cowboys get the work done. What a good little cow puncher… Ya, meet The Cow Puncher!

Where’s Waldo?

September 25, 2013 by Allison

Actually in this picture you won’t find Waldo. But if you used to read those books you won’t have any problems finding The Rancher. And can you find two other cowboys?

The Rancher’s Assembly Line

September 25, 2013 by Allison

We have our own type of assembly line on the ranch. No it isn’t putting headlights on the cows as they run past on a conveyer belt. But each man has a job along the way. There are the guys that keep the cows flowing. Without them the rest would be pointless… without cows there is nothing to work on. Once they get to the front we have the man running the headcatch. While there the cow is poked and prodded in all sorts of ways.

Preg checking is an important time for us. It when we learn how the next year will be. We can see when we will calve, who is calving and who isn’t. We can cull out the cows we don’t want or need to keep. We do maintenance stuff like vaccinations and new tags. This is the only time that we run the cows through and so it is important for us to run through them. Ans so we set up our assembly line.

I only have a picture of Rancher Sr. preg checking but he and The Rancher swapped on and off whenever their arms get tired. The Rancher’s Sidekick found all sorts of things to do. He pulled out the branding irons, syringes, and the pill pusher (that’s what I call it… is there any other name you need?). I was privileged to give shots. Gotta love getting out to help The Rancher!

The Cowboy Two Step

September 21, 2013 by Allison

The Rancher is a roping cowboy, as is most of these cowboys around here. My family, on the other hand, are cutting cowboys. I love when you see a horse that is knows what she is doing. She moves with the cow, understanding her every move. In so many ways it like a dance.

Usually I don’t see these boys just try to cut and sort out a cow- they just resort to roping her. Don’t get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with that, but this girl wants to see some cutting action once in a while. I got just a minute of it after they weaned calves.

There was an ornery cow that they were bringing in that did everything to work against them. 5 cowboys vs 1 cow. Guess who won? Well, the cowboys did eventually but she sure gave them a run for their money. In fact, they gave up on sorting her and turned to what they did best- roping. But the chase was good while it lasted!

Weaning- Mommas Out One Gate, Babies Out the Other

September 21, 2013 by Allison

Last week started the fall craziness. The Rancher has days packed of all sorts of cowboying. We started off by sorting and weaning the Forest cattle.

Random side note- the Forest cattle NEVER are in the forest… There is no forest around here. They are just called that because they are on Forest Service ground. But isn’t it kind of funny? Forest cows and no forest? Ok, sidenote over…

The best part about working these cows is that they were just down the road from us so we could zip down to hang out with our favorite cowboy. For the most part weaning is straight forward- sort the mommas one way and the babies another. It can turn into quite the party because these babies don’t want to be separated from momma. This means that these cowboys put on a good show as they cut and sort out the calves.