Volume 16, Issue 30
Howdy Everyone!
As always, life is bustling here at the ranch with all sorts of jobs to be done. The mornings have started to get colder, with some temps as low as the upper 20’s and there is even rumor of snow in the forecast for next weekend! But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, shall we? The days are still holding on to their warmer temps and the sun has been shining all week long. It’s been great weather for riding out to check on steers up on the mountain.
My task for the week has been to take small groups of guests out to find cattle on the lower sections of Pier and to push them up and over the top to better grazing pastures to ensure they have the best chance of gaining weight before we bring them in. It really is such a treat to ride out in this country during this time of year as the aspens and larch are all starting to turn bright green and gold and all the ground cover brush is a beautiful red auburn color. The cooler evening temps have finally brought about the fall change.
Each morning we set out to check each tank and each mineral pot for fresh sign and then track where the steers might have traveled too. As we ride around our newly cut trails and paths we keep a sharp eye out and listen for anything that might give away their location. These steers are proving to be quite crafty and very clever in how they avoid detection but they can’t stay hidden forever. Eventually, when you ride a piece long enough, you start to learn and think like a steer. You’ll ride by a gully or drainage system and think, “man, that’s a pretty good place to lay low and there’s good water down there. I’d hide there if I were a steer”. Once you start thinking like a steer you’ll start finding them more and more.
It’s been such a blast riding with this group of guests. They have been so game to really jump into the thick of things and have been so dedicated to getting the task at hand done. They knew that once we had steers in front of us that there was no stopping until we got them up and over the mountain and they were all in it to win it! And the view at the top is always worth the ride.
Until next time…
Emily