Branding today

[Dave]

Nothing like a good January branding. No dust today. The calves being drug the fire just slide easy in the mud. The sun goes down early letting you know it is time speed up so you can get finished before dark. The calves have lots of hair to burn through so you get to make more smoke. When the sun goes behind a cloud or the hill it cools right down which keeps you from sweating too much. A good time was had by all.
B had about 150 fall calves who hadn't been worked yet. Some of them are getting pretty large so it had to be done. It started out as a nice sunny day. It got a little cool by the time we finished. I had one calf in the mess. One of last year's old cows didn't calf until mid July. As a result she didn't get shipped. The pair got kicked in with B's fall calfers. He was without a doubt he is the biggest calf we worked today. The young guys wrestling were happy when he fell over as the ropes came tight. I don't think they were looking forward to tipping him over.

 

[SmokinM]

Sounds like a good time. Wish there was more of that around me to do.

 

[Dave]

Sounds like a good time. Wish there was more of that around me to do.

A lot of that was sarcasm. Some of the horses hadn't been ridden in a few months and a couple got a bit froggy. A branding fire instead of an electric iron run by a generator would have been nice. It would have given us something to huddle around to warm our fingers. The mud wasn't too deep but it sure stuck to your boots. As usual you had to keep your head on a swivel with horses, calves, and ropes flying by. But when the sun started to set things got..... shall we say busy.

 

[C-Ranch]

I relish branding in the spring and fall, always a good time to get together with old friends and watch the young bucks argue who wrestled the biggest calf. When the dust settles or mud gets washed off we all sit down to a large spread and enjoy each others company......sadly though this may come to an end as it's getting harder and harder to get ropers and young bucks to come and brand due to old age or the young guys leaving town for work, school, marriage, etc. Not sure what we'll do except maybe put in a calf table like others around us have done due to the same issue. Anyone use a calf table and like it? Sure it would take less people, but seems to me it would take much longer.

 

[Dave]

I have been told that there was a time when everyone here used a calf table. But it was causing them to run out of people and horses that could handle a rope. The branding pen is a good school for both. And after turn out it comes in handy having people and horses with that ability when you need to doctor cattle out on the range. There are 11 by my count full time ranches in my little valley. The people from 10 of those show up at everyone else's brandings. We always seem to have plenty of help.
Gcreek uses a calf table and likes it. A man I helped in central Washington used a calf table. We went through calves pretty fast. Like anything else, being set up right and being organized is the key.

 

[C-Ranch]

It seems its just been the last few years that less and less people who rope and are actually skilled at still do it. Most are older and have hung up their spurs. Those that still do are busy as everyone seems to want to brand the same weekends. Not uncommon to have them change out horses and jump to a different ranch on the same weekend. Lot of the high school kids that Rodeo prefer bronc or bull riding versus roping. Maybe it's gets the girls...