Welcome to JKs Rough String Ranch

Welcome to the Rough String, and thanks for stoppin' by!! Grab a hot cup of coffee and sit a spell!
10/22/18 You will see a name change on the blog. Lots of things have changed in my life in the past few years, and I feel compelled to share my story.

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Friday, November 4, 2011

Farm Photo Friday~A Day In the Saddle

~Young 'uns are better off farmin' than schoolin'.~ 
~Pauline Hunter 1910~


Yesterday was a good day in the saddle helping the 3J Ranch gather, sort and move cows. The calves had already been weaned off and moved to their other ranch.

Fall Grass
Ty on Cole...the dried grasses and the sun shining through
 the low, thin clouds make for a pretty photo.

We gathered over 150 head and brought them to the corrals. Then the fun part begins...sorting! Cows like the red one below are old and not productive for the ranch and need to be culled out. Colt got to use some fancy moves on those old, wise cows that didn't want to go out the gate.

Trailing Along
My fav view. You can see by Colt's mane that the wind was blowing.

After sorting out the culls, taking them to a field by the house, it's time for lunch...and warm up! The wind was unmerciful and eventually drives the cold right through your winter clothes.

Then it's time to move the herd to a winter pasture where they will stay until it's cold enough and the feed is too sparse to sustain them and their unborn calf that they're carrying. They'll then be driven back to the ranch and be fed hay.

Keeping the Numbers Straight
Counting...the cow boss always does a lot of counting...
it's important to know how many cows you turn out to a field.
When they come back a few months later, you hope you have the same amount.
It's not always the case. There are predator and illness deaths...and cows
seem to think the grass on the other side of the fence is better.

The whole trip was probably only 2 miles. But the cows had never been to this field before. Cows have an amazing sense of direction once they've gone there before...they will draw a line across the desert in their mind and start walking...most often they're right on.

So, we had to keep adjusting their course when they wanted to go left and they needed to go right.

Up & Over the Ridge
Across the flat...up and over the ridge.

At the top of the ridge it was an awesome view, but the cloud cover was increasing...and the temperatures were dropping.

Family Work
Father and son...and a few good workin' dogs.
Notice the butte in the background?
That's Hat Butte from the SE...it's out my kitchen window from the SW.

Cows love to run downhill...they do it every time!! Behind the little rise there's one last downhill stretch where the water source is. If you don't show the cows where the water is, they'll tear down the fences back to where their last known water source was.

The Downhill Race!
It's a downhill cow race!

We arrived at the ol' homestead where the water trough had lots of cool, clean water...I wish I could have tied Colt up and explored the old buildings...but, there wasn't any time to dally.

Old Homestead
The ol' homestead...imagine what it looked like in the early 1900's.

Water...everyone takes a turn...

The Water Flows
Ahhhhh...good stuff!

We left the cows milling around the ol' homestead and the water trough...hoping they decide to stick around there and not try to come back home...you never know with a cow!

Happy Friday everyone...have a great weekend!!!

Linking into Farm Chick's Farm Photo Friday and Farm Friend Friday ~

15 comments:

  1. Those pics make me want to move there so bad... sooo gorgeous. And you have WEATHER. This year has been so hot and dry, it's depressing. Hat Butte is beautiful. Great pics, as always :)

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  2. Great post -- loved the pictures -- all of them!

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  3. So interesting!! Great pictures/post!

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  4. Absolutely wonderful stuff!.....Great, cold looking pictures, loved it!

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  5. Looks like an awesome day......and.....NO SNOW!

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  6. Awesome. Takes me a back down memory lane. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.

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  7. Love the views! My favorite is the wind blowing Colts mane, and the cows running down the hill.

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  8. Great photos :) I would love to work on a ranch like that with Poppy.

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  9. Cool shots and it looked like alot of fun..:-)

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  10. Hi Gtyyup, Looks like you all had a good, sure like the photo of the cows with the old building.

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  11. I love checking out the old homesteads when I have time......... Not that I ever have time when we are moving cows.

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  12. I love the photo that shows your view from the back of the horse. Maybe(?) it's easier to take a moving photo on a horse than a 4-wheeler, which is how we move our cattle. (But then again, what do I know?) Thanks for sharing the glimpse of your cattle drive!

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  13. I would've love to have been able to snoop around that old homestead. I love that stuff! I had no idea that cows were so instinctual, I find that very interesting. I swear, I live vicariously though your blog. Sorry I've been away so long, what can I say, life happens. It's all good. Thanks for the ride!

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