First branding of the year

Oh man. Brings back some memories. That is old school too draggin em to the fire. I have done a few of those, I always ended up doing whatever I could to try and be helpful and stay out of the way while the real cowboys did their thing. I found I was much more suited to runnin through the chute. Good time of year to be doin it too, too late into May and the calves got a little hefty for my liking!

talk about memories. Far too many decades ago, I helped out at the ranch as a kid. There's an education there, that most don't learn today.

Brings back many memories, Thanks.

I remember helping a friend south of Bassett many years ago. Even with a lot of help 900 is a long day.

Sean the Nailer said:

talk about memories. Far too many decades ago, I helped out at the ranch as a kid. There's an education there, that most don't learn today.

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Memories for me also. Worked a couple of spring/falls at a cattle ranch in eastern Oregon. Was 14 and 15 years of age. Mac

Thanks for sharing

Old school cool...but that is a lot of work.

We do around 35 head and that's a party for us.
Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

We only did 80-100 a year.
Everything but the brand.
Still miss the round up.
Nut crimping, not so much.

R

I really miss brandings. I still train all my horses for it but here in WV no one does it out in the open. Everyone ear tags or runs them into shoots.

wvfarrier said:

I really miss brandings. I still train all my horses for it but here in WV no one does it out in the open. Everyone ear tags or runs them into shoots.

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We started doing shoots & tags in Indiana back in the mid 60's, I liked the branding times much better. However the later was easier on us and the herd.

Gunfighter14e2 said:

We started doing shoots & tags in Indiana back in the mid 60's, I liked the branding times much better. However the later was easier on us and the herd.

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Truth. Lost track of all the injuries I have had or witnessed. Still it was a helluva good time.

Oh I damn sure run mine into the chute and head gate to brand. Often times it is just me, or my wife and I. A fella has to either have a lot of help, or a chute and head gate.

I also only brand my keepers or ones that I sell as replacements. Cuts down on a lot of the hassle when I don't have to brand any that are going private treaty to a stocker, or to the stockyards directly.

sandhiller said:

@wvfarrier and @Gunfighter14e2

I think you guys are talking about what I call a calf cradle or calf table?

A small calf sized and lightweight squeeze chute

Run the calf in, catch him, squeeze him and tip the table on it's side and work the calf at waist level.

We do have some that have gone that way out here also.

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You are correct. For years prior the first drops (new cows) we would wait until the we seen the calf sucked once, and if a Bull throw it in the 4 wheel wagon and place the rubber band on, then turn them both out with the others. Once, mom decided to get into the wagon with us, man she was mad, we promptly added higher sides to the wagon. Those were fun days. Had another bust the cast iron radiator protector or a 1948 Case DC with her head, because she wanted her calf back. That same cow eat an 06 rd the next year, she went off the deep end again and the great uncle said that's it she goes in the freezer, and she did. Every once in a while we'd have one go off the deep end like that, but we always had plenty of freezer space to fill up so it was never a huge loss.

Holy hell I miss roping and dragging calves. Sandhiller, where in the Sandhills are you at? I grew up south of valentine. Have relatives with a big place south of nenzel.

sandhiller said:

Never tried crimping (burdizzo? used on horses though) but a few tried banding with sort of good success but I hated using the banding tool. Hard on hands and fingers

Much prefer to slit the bag with a knife, pull out the nuts till the cords turn white (seals off blood flow) then finish cutting the cords off.

Very little blood and you know the nuts are out and steer has been made. Quick and easy.

Of all we did, only had one bull calf that a nut did not drop and I had to make a small incision in the belly and take it out there. It was his registered stock, so really did not want a one nutted calf running around in that bunch.

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Crimping was my euphemism for clamps.
Head gate pipes and a tail puller.

R

Never done anything like that, let alone had the opportunity. Only ever seen 'em online, or read about 'em. Wish I could attend one and be useful while there. Would love an invite for a future one if there's an opportunity.

Branden

Brings back wonderful memories of working on the UU Bar in Cimarron. Did it old school just like in the pictures and would brand, castrate, ear mark and and vaccinate 400-500 calves at a time. One year we branded close to 3,000 head. Up at 4:00 am feed, groom and saddle the horses getting them ready to trailer or ride them for wherever we working that day. Be done around noon and the wives would prepare "dinner" for all hands at one of the line camps and can still taste the peach cobbler for dessert. Hard work but I thank the good Lord that I was able to experience it.

As young kids, we used to go into the calf pens and simply grab-hold of a hind-leg and pull them calves out backwards towards the crew. That is one of the things that I remember most.

Second to that, would be my grandpa thrownin' a rope. Back during his prime, when he was rodeo'ing, he was a champion "Steer Decorator". He got a Remington trophy for that, before the sport was banned for 'too violent'.

The room full of ribbons and trophy's that he had, and the memories of mine and my cousins,,,, (who still run that Ranch to this day...) oh man!

I was just a farm kid from Indiana, never a cowboy.

To those cowboys on here & everywhere I think this song is just about spot on.

Thanks for the pics, looks like a great time. Been a long time since I got to rope, brand and work cattle from horseback like that. Brings back a lot of good memories. Truly the Americana that I love.

sandhiller said:

"Steer Decorating", would that be the same as Steer Roping or Steer Tripping?
One man ropes a steer by the horns, flips the rope under his back end, rides by off at an angle, spinning the steer around and putting him on the ground, he then jumps off and while the horse keeps the steer down he ties three legs.

They still have "trippins" here although not a part of a rodeo like they used to be.
Have kind of had to go underground since the animal rights people jumped their shit.

The timing and talent of the roper and the strength, agility and smarts of the horse make that one my favorite events to watch.

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My grandfather won the Figure 8 loop ropings several years in a row in Jordan Valley back in the 50s. He could throw some insanely complex loops. I know a lot of them but am so out of practice it would take me a year to catch up.

sandhiller said:

"Steer Decorating", would that be the same as Steer Roping or Steer Tripping?
One man ropes a steer by the horns, flips the rope under his back end, rides by off at an angle, spinning the steer around and putting him on the ground, he then jumps off and while the horse keeps the steer down he ties three legs.

They still have "trippins" here although not a part of a rodeo like they used to be.
Have kind of had to go underground since the animal rights people jumped their shit.

The timing and talent of the roper and the strength, agility and smarts of the horse make that one my favorite events to watch.

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Nossir.
I can't remember the specifics at the moment, except that he'd have a ribbon on an elastic band, on one of his fingers. He'd leave his horse and wrestle a steer to the ground. While another roper was holding tension on the steer's hind legs, he'd climb aboard the steer and loop that elastic onto one of the horns. It'd have to be slid down to the base, near the skull.

If the ribbon don't stay, you don't count. (them horns are tapered)