Moving Cows

Greetings all!  
I wrote this post some time ago but thought I would share tonight.  We are busy at the moment with calving preparation. It also happens to be 'end of term' for Jackson, so finishing up his assignments and getting everything handed in is a priority as well.  We are doing a video slideshow for much of it, and it has turned in to a lot of work (of course.)  Seemed like a good idea at the time......   
Anyhow, I thought I'd add a few photos to this post while I'm waiting for the slideshow videos to upload, or download, or whatever needs to happen....   

 I came across some older photos recently and they are fun to share.  On the top you see my dog Ting compared to a set of little wee twins.  Ting is not a big dog and she absolutely outweighed them.  If memory serves me, the smallest was 18 lbs.  But totally healthy!  

  As it happened, we had an abnormally large calf around the same time.  Here they lie, side by each.  

Might think this was momma and baby......instead of the smallest and largest calf of the year.  

I've been asked a few times, and not sure I've answered properly, about why we seem to move our cattle so often.  It's a valid question.  Basically, it comes down to food.  In the summer time, we are constantly monitoring the cows to make sure they are not overgrazing any particular area, and that the bulls are present to do their job.  There is really a lot of feed out here and cattle tend to either a) really scatter or b) really concentrate on their favorite areas.   There are other factors that come into play as well, but good management means being in close contact as often and consistently as possible.    

Our range is very large, with a huge diversity in altitude and environment.  Not only are we mindful of the dates and restrictions provided to us by the government, but we must have a larger picture in mind and use our environment to the best advantage.  For example, it is best to utilize the farthest away grass during the summer as it is very risky to push cattle too far away in the fall.  One never knows when or if Mother Nature will unleash record cold temperatures or allow multiple feet of snow to fall at once.  If that happens (and it does!), it is difficult enough to gather cows that are within a couple of miles of home.  It would be impossible if they were scattered 15 or 20 miles away, especially up in the higher altitudes.  So while it may seem handier to have the cattle closer to the ranch in the summer,  they will obviously eat up all the forage available and you best have a big stack of hay available come fall!  It also helps that, in the fall and winter, our big swamps freeze over and feed that the cattle cannot access in the spring and summer becomes available.  So we move them, and watch them.  Or try.  It's big country and much of it is not that friendly.  

 Be a rancher they said.....it'll be fun they said......  

Now in the winter, when the cattle are all home, we are moving them for a similar reason, although not such great distances.  
I mentioned earlier that we have several ranch sites.  Of course these ranch sites are where the hay is.  And where the hay is, is where the cattle need to be.  Again, we have to think about the big picture, making sure how we are feeding makes sense.  

So, for example, we had a large amount of cattle at Three Circle earlier.  They were left there long enough to be fed all of the lesser quality hay (got rained on) as right now they need to maintain and the hay is plenty good for that.  Once that lesser hay was used up, we moved them again as we will need the remaining "good" hay there later in the year.  Now they need to maintain..... later in the Spring they need the best quality we have as it takes a lot of energy to grow that baby in the final stages, produce the essential high quality colostrum, calve out, milk well and raise a healthy baby.   

From Three Circle we took the majority of our mature cows up to a remote meadow that we have a couple hundred bales put up on.    It is a real pain to do the feeding up there, but it makes more sense to take the cows to the hay, rather than haul it all out over a long rough track.  (About a 1 1/2 hour tractor ride one way.)  We took them up there in two groups as there were too many to handle if they decided they didn't want to go.  It is rough, brushy country and not easy to get around in if things get tough.  Luckily, both groups traveled well, but it meant two very cold days in the saddle, rather than one.  We brought them all home (in one group) and finally everyone was settled at Five Mile for the remainder of the winter.

As the time gets closer for calving (first of March), almost all of them will be moved to Six Mile where our main facilities are.  (And lots of excellent quality hay.)    

Oh, and to top it off, we always keep the first and second calvers separate.  The young cows are still growing and do best with extra care and attention.  They always get the highest quality feed and plenty of it.  Really, they are kept pretty much separate (for calving and then with their new babies, on range and with specific bulls) until they are of the age to have their third calf.  Then, while still young, they are considered 'mature' and go into the main herd.

Clear as mud, right? 

Cheers all!
Punky

  

Winter has arrived

SO much snow!  Like much of British Columbia, we got hammered with snow.  It may not be a record for Anahim Lake, but it sure in a pain.  Especially with calving season looming around the corner.  Mum, Dad and Eli have been endlessly plowing snow and the height of the snowbanks is quite shocking.  The best photos are to be taken up at Six Mile because it is a relatively small area where the corrals are and the snow is piled as high as the tractors can get it.  I took the boys up there skiing, but my photos did not turn out at all, so I'll try another day.  

Love this one of Eli plowing snow with the tractor.  

 Not a great shot.  Was trying to get the crazy sky colors, but you get an idea of the snowbanks piled around.  Spring run off is going to be something impressive!  

Don't try this at home folks!  (I mean being so close to a moose.....try the skiing behind the snowmachine!  That's awesome.)  

I normally wouldn't stop the kids this close to a moose (they can be very dangerous).  This guy saw us coming from a long way away and calmly stopped to watch the show. We are hard to miss with me on the snowmachine, 2 kids on skis jumping snowbanks and a pack of dogs stampeding in every direction.  He didn't show any sign of being worried or aggressive (trust me, you know an angry moose when you see one!) so we stopped for a quick snap on the way by.  

My wee sheepies enjoying their morning treat.  

The 'Misfits' getting their morning treats.  These are the leftovers from last fall, ones that could not be sold due to size or injury.  They are all healthy and happy and growing well.  

I've seen more lynx in the past week than I've seen ever in my life.  So cool.  This little one was in a family group.  We saw 2 others and heard one more.  (Look up the noise they make on youtube.....eerie!)  Two days later I watched a big guy cross the meadow in front of my kitchen window, casual as you like.  So amazing how they can handle these snow conditions.  And now, yesterday and today again, I saw two young ones along the road to town.    

(Gotta brag just a little....we went into town today so Jackson could take his CORE written exam.  CORE (Conservation and Outdoor Education) is the course required to get a hunting license.  He rocked it and aced the practical part last week, so he is officially able to hunt (once we get our paperwork straightened out.)  Pretty proud boy, let me tell you what! 

Look at the snow!  We got more after this photo too.  This is Twinkie (aka "Big Momma"), with Fugly in the background.  They are wintering well.   

Hard to believe calving season is just around the corner!  

We will start moving and processing cows this coming week (retagging, vaccinating etc) and then it is basically time to start night checks.  We shouldn't start calving until early March, but somehow the cows seem to ignore the calendar.  They are jerks like that.  :)   

All the best folks.  

Punky   

The Mountains are Calling

Sitting here tonight, sorting through photos for the web site.....  I just have to share some.  More will be up in the near future on our site.  

There is a saying I've seen (recently on a t-shirt) and it says 

   "The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go."  

Fitting I think.  

All the best to you and yours.  
Punky  

Overlooking Moose Haven, Ilgatchuz

 The Lookout, Itcha Mountains  (photo credit to Kerry & Leona)

Heading for the Itcha's (photo credit to Kerry and Leona)  We are riding through summer range for our cattle.  

Photo Credit Lisa H.

Photo credit Lisa H.  

Ack, every time I see a photo of these ladies in their 'spa', it literally makes my skin crawl with cold.  I know the temperature of that water!  Purely glacier fed and said glaciers are NOT far away.  

Photo credit Lisa H.  

Can't ever get enough of this view.  

Pan Valley, Ilgatchuz

Photo credit Lisa H.  

Off to the Flat Lands

Well, the Hatch family done did sneaked away.  (And left our schooling behind us too, apparently.)

Despite fully expecting some catastrophe to fall, everything went better than to plan (pfffttt.......plan!) and we had a great week away.  We got in some lovely visiting with family and friends and a super break overall.  The weather even cooperated and stayed nice and relatively warm, both for on our travels and at the ranch.  Nice.  

The boys both did a 'report' on our trip and they are fun to read and very informative.  They've kindly agreed to let me post them.   For the record, they rough drafted out their ideas and then I typed as they spoke.  It makes for a much more interesting read if they don't have the consider the actual agonizing, soul wrenching, tear jerking, nightmare creating writing part of story telling.  The details and stories are their own and may or may not be 100% accurate.  

I'd say they pretty much summed it up!  I didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have, but I'll share a few anyhow.  

Just outside of Jasper, Alberta 

 Eli's 'new to us' pride and joy.  He has managed a couple good rides on it already since we've been home and it is working out perfectly.  

Ski Hill fun in Red Deer....more a big gully than a mountain, but great fun!

And we think we have 'big skies'....  on our way to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan 

I'm actually a bit shocked at my own lack of photo taking.  I didn't realize I was doing such a poor job of it.  Nevertheless, it was an absolutely wonderful holiday and I truly enjoyed it.  Its so rare that we get away with the only item on the agenda being to visit friends and family, that I truly appreciate it.  Luckily for us,  we have outstanding (and understanding) family and friends that accept our random and unplanned visits without qualm.  "Hey, we're here!"        

I do have to say, that despite the hugely potential and accessible land we drove through, not to mention the beauty, Ben is right.  There is no place like home.  I was anticipating my own view when I drove down our snowy driveway and wasn't disappointed when I turned my favorite corner. 

Our 'easier' time of year is soon to come to a crashing halt.  Hard to believe it, but calving season is just around the corner.  

Cheers all,

Punky  

Wow folks, I'm a bit flabbergasted at the response to the blog lately.  Thanks everyone, I totally appreciate your support.  Wow.  But now I've absolutely got writers block and have no idea of what to talk about.  I am going to just post a couple of photos for tonight and maybe call it good.  Get my composure back together for the next one, you guys have me all flustered and discombobulated.  :)    

Long ol' line of moo's.  

Too bad it was such a flat grey day.
  But it was WARM!!!  Can't hardly remember the last time I was able to ride for several hours without frozen feet at the end of it.  Delightful treat.  

Oh, also wanted to mention for those of you that have recently joined in, that earlier in my "blogging career", I did do some copying from my Grandma Dorsey's unpublished book, and from other books and articles as well.  I'll just attach a link here (hopefully), which should take you back to where you can read a bit from her amazing life here in the Chilcotin.  Back when things were a whole lot rougher than they are now.  My goodness, she was one tough lady!

A Taste of Grandma Dorsey's Life

Cows trailing from the feed ground to their favorite bedding grounds at Five Mile.  Has turned cold again, but they are looking and feeling sassy still.  So nice to see.  

My Uncle Dave was up at the ranch the other night and I sure enjoyed having a visit with him.  His memory for long ago events is amazing.  I jotted down some notes and will put them together for you one of these days soon.  One of his conversations that we all really enjoyed was about cutting fence rails with an ax.  He cut rails for and built a crazy amount of fence in this area; there is still some standing fence left here on our ranch now.   I am still amazed when I ride by some of the old fences and see that they were ax cut.  Phew, tougher than me and then some!!  They cut logs for fence the same way, and that is just mind blowing.  If you've ever had to handle the weight of a green pine tree, you'd understand instantly and wince in sympathy.

Anyhow, back to the story.  Uncle Dave said that he was decent ax man in his day and could make good money at it too.  "I could swing an ax pretty good, when most guys didn't want to do that any more.  Too much work, but it was good money.  I could usually do over 100 rails a day, cut and piled.  And sometimes they wanted them 21 feet long, that's tough on a man.  Hard work, really hard work.  But they needed the fence so they kinda needed me, so I had them where I wanted them.  I could make good money at 8 cents a rail, way better than normal wages.  That rancher wanted to pay the usual 100 bucks a month, but I made good money by the rail." 

And earned every single penny of it.  

 We are going to have to start charging for room and board to Momma Moose!  She moves about the ranch almost at will (these photos were taken at about 3pm) but is sure fun to watch.  She was with us last winter as well, but nice to see her with a fat healthy calf this year.  I can hear your question already, but we are quite sure it is the same moose as she is blind in the right eye (it is almost completely white....you can almost see it in this photo).    

Cheers to you all folks!
Thanks for keeping in touch, I much appreciate it.
Punky  

Cold Rides, Now and Then.

Well, some more photos of cow rear ends for ya.  That's what I've been seeing lately, so it's what you get to see too!  Too bad you can't feel the frozen feet too, just to get the whole experience!  Haha......living the dream.  

I have been doing some writing, trying to explain exactly "why" we move cows so often.  My computer, or this site maybe, has be arguing with me about posting or adding photos lately.  It seems to be working tonight (so far), but I'll finish up that other post later.  For tonight, some photos of recent days of riding.  

Well, I don't know about you, but just seeing this photo makes my shoulders instinctively hunch against the cold.  There is something about cold grey days.  Could be the same temperature on the thermometer but a blue sky and sunshine just makes it that much more bearable.  

I used this photo as a background on my fb page and a friend commented about the lovely 'red ribbon'.  I like it!  Especially with the beautiful snowy Itcha's as a bow over top.  

These next photos are all the same day.  

Cold and snowing.  Lovely way to start out.

But then the sun started coming out.  Isn't this a wild photo?  Magalie took it and apparently the camera was on some sort of funky setting.  Pretty darn awesome anyhow.  She sent it to the Beef in BC Magazine so maybe our cow bums will be famous!  Photo credit to Magalie Steiner

Turned out to be a beautiful day.  But still not to be considered warm.  The weather warmed up AFTER we had all the cows moved.  

 This was pretty neat to see, although the photo does it no justice at all.  The sun was shining on ice crystals in the air (above the cows) and there is a 'sun dog' as well.  That is the rainbow you see to the right of the photo, right over the tractor feeding the cows.  

My very much appreciated Christmas present....  it is a slicker that is fully designed to fit over the front and back of your saddle.  It fits right over my horn and front of the saddle and you can see it fits well over the back.  (I had actually taken one of my jackets off and tied it on my saddle).    Mum has one of these and she refers to it as her "tent".  They are huge to walk around in, but absolutely lovely to ride with when necessary.  So awesome not to have snow in the saddle with you!  Photo credit to Magalie Steiner

I've been reading a handful of memories lately, from a guy that came into this country from the Kelowna area many years ago.  He came into the country in 1938 and although he does refer to himself as "Don" a few times, I can't even find his last name in the pages.  Someone in my family will know though, and I'll try and find out more.  It is quite fascinating as he talks about working at Three Circle Ranch and the surrounding area.  

He says at one point, something along the lines of "When the good Lord made Anahim Lake, He surely forgot to turn the thermostat up!"  

Here is one of "Don's" stories.   

"I had a long ride now every day to feed the cows, about eight miles a day, there and back.  That wouldn't have been too bad if the weather hadn't turned cold, really cold.  Shilling's sixty below thermometer wasn't doing us too much good in telling us how cold it was, as the red was right to the bottom.  We estimated it at around seventy below zero.  Riding up to Four Mile and feeding the cattle was a real trial.  I was happy I had those home made wool socks that Mrs. Smith had made for me.  Those and my buckskin moccasins kept my feet fairly warm.  I had my calfskin chaps over my overalls, my long johns underneath, a flannel shirt, and my buckskin shirt over that.  I had an old flannel shirt that I made a hood out of by sewing up the collar, pulling it over my head, and zipping up the front until only my eyes were showing.  Then, on top of that, was my big cowboy hat.  Even at that, when I'd get to Four Mile, my hands would be so numb I could hardly move my arms, even with a pair of moose hide gloves on.  If you ever had a button come undone, no way could you fasten it up again, so a fellow sure needed to keep his pants buttoned up!

     I'd get an armful of hay pulled out of the stack and it took a sheer effort to get a match struck, but once I got a light into that dry hay, I'd soon have a fire going.  Once I got my circulation going once more, then I'd have to harness up the team and haul out a couple of loads of hay.  Then I'd have to chop open the water holes and give the the team a drink and feed them in the big hay corral there.  Then I'd have the ride home: once in a while a Jack Pine would split, just like a rifle shot."  

  Not gonna lie, it makes me feel kinda wimpy to whine about riding in mere -25 or so.  I haven't seen the kind of temperatures he talks about since I was a kid (and I'm not sad about it either!)    

One of our resident moose (there is a camera shy baby there too).  So nice to see them around this winter, even if they are hard on the hay pile.  They are quite choosy about their hay so when we need a particularly good bale (to feed the colts for example), you always find the "moose approved" ones.  

Anahim Lake style quality control!   

All the best,

Punky  

Merry Christmas

Greetings all!
I hope that this Christmas has found you all happy and healthy and in close contact with friends and family.  I know that in my circle of friends and family, there has been too many losses lately, and very sad ones at that.  I'm not quite ready to write about it, but my heart certainly goes out to those who have lost loved ones.  I know Christmas was a sad and lonely affair for many this year. Life can and does change so quickly.  We've had some sad reminders to slow down and appreciate the time we have.  

Lovely to see all that delicious hay in the stackyard!  I love it!  Such a good feeling to feed them quality hay.   A year like last winter/spring makes you appreciate such things!! 

On to cheerier topics, I didn't mean to start out on such a sad note!  
I mostly just wanted to say "Merry Christmas", post a few photos and thank those of you who have hung along for the ride on my blog (nope....still not used to that word...)  I really appreciate everyone who has written to me as well.  I love the feedback, and really love how this wee page has brought about a bit of connection.  It really has spread much farther than I had thought possible.  From long ago clients (and current ones), to far away family members and friends living next door (so to speak), from past residents who can't quite get the Chilcotin out of their blood to people I've never met or have any direct connection to.....  I appreciate you all taking the time to stop in.  Don't hesitate to poke me if you don't hear from me as often as you think you should.  I work best under pressure.  (I'd laugh but it's 100% true, unfortunately.) 

My friend "Squirt".  He is an absolute champion in the bush and I trust him completely in rough country.  

We started rounded up and feeding the cattle around the middle of the month.  As we had such a mild fall, the cows were quite happily pushing their nose through what snow was there to get their meals.  But with the recent cold snap, we started pulling them in.  They can't really handle being out 'rustling' for their grub, and it being dang cold.  It's been a bit of a job however, as they are more spread out than usual this year.  This is a good thing, except when it comes time to round up.  Especially if you are the 'rounder upper'!  It is hard to put enough layers on to not get cold while riding.   It doesn't take many hours before toes start to solid up, no matter how many pairs of wool socks you've piled on.  And snow in the lap and down the back of the neck is just no fun at all, no matter the temperature.  

My three amigos, Brady, Dealer and Zip to the right.  

As we round them up, they are taken to the nearest ranch site/hay base.  It would be better to take them all to one place initially, but trust me, when you finally find a group just before dark, after riding in -20 for several hours, the decision of whether to leave them at the nearest hay pile or ride with them several more hours 'home' is an easy one.
Anyhow, I think we have them all, and we are getting them into more manageable groups now.  

 Moving a small group just a short distance Christmas morning.  Everyone spread out to do feeding chores as quickly as possible and we managed to all get back together by lunch time.  Beauty day!

This was from today.  Not nearly so nice (miss that sun) and it really was quite a long ride in the cold.  We took a big group up to one of our more remote meadows to feed out the hay there.  Dad built us a big fire when we arrived and it was nice to thaw out before the return trip back to the ranch.  

My Brady dog is a real character (they all are!) and a very different way about her than the border collies.  She moves, works and thinks very differently.  It is kind of refreshing actually and she certainly makes me smile, if not laugh out loud, on a regular basis.  One of the 'trick's' she has taught herself is to open the canopy door in my truck.  It has an old style wire opening system, and she noses it gently and then, head cocked, waits patiently to see if it will open so she can see out.  If it doesn't open, she noses the wire gently again, cocks her head to see if it worked that time, and repeats until the door slowly opens and she happily sits and watches the world rush away from her.  All the dogs are well mannered enough that they do not get out unless invited, but it is still rather unhandy.  We had to run down to Three Circle today to move the heifers off of their hay bales (they are put in in the morning, and out at night) and along with the cold, a couple of inches of fresh snow fell during the day.  

We watched Brady open the back window, as usual.  I made a comment to Eli about how the loose snow swirls in the canopy when she does that and we drove on.  

This is Brady's face when we arrived.  There certainly was some loose snow swirling!  She was delightedly proud of herself, just waiting patiently to be allowed out as usual and the others were huddled up, snowy and miserable and plotting revenge.  

Alright folks, my 'quick note' has to end before my head hits the keyboard and I start snoring.  

I'll catch up to you next year!!

All the best,

Punky