The heifers head up Main Canyon - a four day ride.

Buddy is ready to go!!!

Day 1: Well today was the day that the 1st calf heifers started up to Main Canyon, where they will become moms. I was on Trotter and Roger was on Jason and then there was Buddy, Button and Rusty, we started out around 9:30 am and figured it would take most of the day to get them to the next fence line but we had Buddy! Clay is planning on it taking 4 days to move them to the house - not if Buddy has anything to do with it!!

Yes, that is the great white being naughty.

Buddy is an Akbash dog that is used for protecting sheep, but a year and a half ago Buddy was left out here by the sheep herders. Some how Buddy found me, and decided that I would make a good mom for him to have. Well ever since Rusty showed up, Buddy has had to stay home because of the behavioral difficulties that Rusty has had when it comes to herding but today I let him go. Buddy had a lot of built up hostility, because he thought that the heifers should be moving at a record breaking pace which made for a short day. We were at the fence line by 12:45 pm.

Heading back to Willow Creek.

I do have to say that ever since I bought Rusty his super charged shock collar, he has become a very well behaved cow dog. I don't think that I had to yell at him one time today, but that could have to do with the fact that I was trying to get Buddy to slow down all day. Then there is Button, she just does what I tell her, I swear it is just like having kids!!!

Roger getting Jason ready. 

Day 2 - It is freezing this morning, Roger wanted to stay home, but the heifers can't be left unattended they somehow always manage to get themselves into trouble. I left Buddy home this morning, he was licking his feet from the blisters this put on them yesterday from being in high gear all day, and I have to say that the heifers must have known that he wasn't there because they weren't moving as quickly today.

As we were riding from Trail Canyon to the end of the road where we left them yesterday, I had to do the one thing that makes me say 'there are times when I really wish I was a guy, especially when it is only in the 20ies', so we stopped. Roger gets off and looks up the cliff and there were a pair of elk antlers laying there. We have never found a pair, and we have never just came across any antler laying out in the open, but there is a catch to finding antlers first thing in the morning and that is that you have an antler stabbing you in the back the rest of the day.

Sink Hole

We found our heifers all in a bunch. Actually they were still working on their beauty sleep, so we got them up and started for Trail Canyon. In Main Canyon, there are sink holes, some are pretty small but some of them can hide a pickup - don't ask me how I know this - but cows have been known to fall in them and it takes a small army to fetch them out. Today we got lucky, one of the heifers walked right into a hole, just as she disappeared from site, the rest of the herd must have thought for sure that a monster had just ate her for breakfast. They all turned around and took off, well that scared both Boss and Jason because they took off and were running in front of the heifers!!! I was caught by surprise, Jason never loses his composure, but he quickly realized how foolish he must have looked because he stopped and watched  Boss and the heifers run back down the road. I was thinking that I should have had the camera instead of Roger!! While I was waiting for Roger to get the herd under control, I went back to see where the heifer was at, she was standing in the hole looking around trying to figure out were in the heck she had just went to. I climbed in behind her and pushed while she climbed and got herself back on solid ground, I think she was fully awake by the time she got out of the hole. 

Time for a fire.

Button and Rusty on the go!

After our rough start to the day, the sun came out but the temperature stayed about the same and the wind was blowing very hard. We decided to stop and take a lunch break and warm up, so I pulled out my always handy toilet paper and matches to start a fire. Just about the time I got a  fire going a full blown snow storm came over the cliff and put out the fire, so we climbed back on the horses, quickly regathered the heifers.  I let Button and Rusty pick up the pace for us. About that time I asked Roger, 'Did you shut the gate at Crows Roost?' You should have seen the look he gave me, then he informed me of the distance back to the gate, the current weather condition, and that he didn't want to go back. Well I don't know what he was thinking, I already knew all of these points, but I sure wasn't going back because Jay had made what he calls a 'Princess Proof Gate' which I can't close, so the gate couldn't possibly be my problem.
 
By the time Roger caught back up with the rest of us, we were making our way around the last corner to Trail Canyon, but he didn't seem to appreciate the fact that our day was over. I was thinking that it might have had something to do with the snow that was stuck on him, but I was thinking about a warm cup of coffee and getting warm. That was before he got us stuck on our way back to Pine Springs, so I made him lead the horses while I used my Book Cliffs off road mud driving skills to get the truck back on the road and headed home. Just an average day in Main Canyon.

Heading to Pine Springs Canyon.

Day 3 - a very easy day. The herd of heifers waited for me at the Trail Canyon Loomix tank, and it was a good thing because I waited around the house this morning so I could call Ty Evans and see how Fergie is doing.

Julio, he is quitting tomorrow!

Roger went to Willow Creek to get a load of hay, so I went solo today. That was until Burt brought Julio down to help me, I appreciated the thought but Julio was not much help. He was whining worse then I was yesterday from the cold, so I let him stay behind at Pine Springs to wait for Roger to come by and pick him up. What I didn't know, was that Roger was stuck down the canyon and the wait would be for 2 hours and I had the matches so he couldn't start a fire!!!


Tomorrow we bring them home, only 7 more miles to go.

Jason, Button and Rusty warming up.

Upper Main Canyon

Day 4 - I drove the truck and Roger walked behind the heifers, easy way to finish off a long trip. We were told that we couldn't do it, but the heifers had been practicing on Willow Creek since they wouldn't stay where they were suppose to be, and practice makes perfect. Now the calving process starts, long days and nights ahead!

Our 2012 1st calf heifers, and 2 stray steer calves!