greybeard
Well-known member
Maybe they used freeze branding as a calf and fire branded later?
Branding iron size
- Thread starter Hoover
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greybeard
Well-known member
Sooo many things I'm going to miss......
Some years ago, wife and i were visiting her mother in North Texas. Sitting outside, I could hear men's voices and mommas and calves bawling up the road. I just couldn't stay away and left the family group and went up and watched weaning and vaccination for several hours. good times.
Dave
Well-known member
Last I heard we are branding at B's today. I haven't heard the time yet. This is sort of the last clean up branding. Several hundred pairs will head up the canyon past my place tomorrow.
OP
OP
Dave, that sounds like a sight I'd like to see one day. Here in Kansas there isn't much to drive them to, roads everywhere. I always tell my wife I want to go to Montana or the likes and get into a big ol fashion cattle drive.
Dave
Well-known member
Went to B's for a late morning branding. This was a clean up branding. Most of the calves in this herd had been branded earlier. This bunch goes to the high country tomorrow. We did about 60 calves based on how much vaccine I went through. We broke for lunch and then went and branded the calves in his registered herd. 160 of them.
Fairly early in the branding a big Angus bull calf (300+ pounder) struggled. He slipped the heel rope, and escaped the cowboys. He still had the front foot rope on. He came my way. No time or way to escape he ran my down knocking me on my butt. In telling the story I think I will leave out the word calf. It sounds better that I was run down by a big Angus bull and escaped unharmed.
But we had more drama. A 9 year old girl was helping. At the morning branding she put ear tags in all the calves we worked. She got horseback and helped gather the registered cows. Mid way through the branding she drug a calf out of the pen. Stopped and then turned her horse the wrong way. The horse didn't like the rope on his butt and went to bucking. She did good and tossed the rope away. I thought she had him covered but he bucked her off. She bounced right up. She got back on and went back to a guy who had picked up the rope. She took the rope and dallied off holding the calf. She ended up roping 5 or 6 more calves. But from the look on her face you could tell she was toughing it out. Ranch kids are tough.
All is well that ends well. But I was run down by a big Angus bull.
Fairly early in the branding a big Angus bull calf (300+ pounder) struggled. He slipped the heel rope, and escaped the cowboys. He still had the front foot rope on. He came my way. No time or way to escape he ran my down knocking me on my butt. In telling the story I think I will leave out the word calf. It sounds better that I was run down by a big Angus bull and escaped unharmed.
But we had more drama. A 9 year old girl was helping. At the morning branding she put ear tags in all the calves we worked. She got horseback and helped gather the registered cows. Mid way through the branding she drug a calf out of the pen. Stopped and then turned her horse the wrong way. The horse didn't like the rope on his butt and went to bucking. She did good and tossed the rope away. I thought she had him covered but he bucked her off. She bounced right up. She got back on and went back to a guy who had picked up the rope. She took the rope and dallied off holding the calf. She ended up roping 5 or 6 more calves. But from the look on her face you could tell she was toughing it out. Ranch kids are tough.
All is well that ends well. But I was run down by a big Angus bull.
CowboyRam
Well-known member
I use a 2" letters on calves. This year we are going to shake things up and pull the calves to the fire. What type of material does everyone like for the branding irons? I had a local welding shop make me up a couple irons, and they used regular steel. I'm not sure how well they are going to hold up.
