Fall round-ups windy affairs
Moving cows along Harper Meadow Lake gets to be quite a procedure as the cows head for the water from the steep hillside. Luckily riders have good cow dogs who are eager to jump in the lake and chase the offending cows back on the trail. Here Evan Howarth slows up to let the cows back on the trail as the good working cow dogs chase them out of the water.
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: October 16, 2009 12:04 AM
River Ranch, Wineglass Ranch and the Riske Creek Ranching Ltd. began fall roundups on the upper end of Riske Creek at the end of September.
Riders from three ranches began rounding up cows, calves bulls and yearlings from the Raven Lake area, moving them down the road to Harper Meadow where some of the bulls are cut out and left in the pasture and the rest of the herd all get pushed into Dexter Ridge where they will stay for about a month.
Warm weather is a blessing, although the wind blowing fiercely will have riders grabbing their hats just before being ripped from their heads.
In some places riders are forced to ride with head cocked against the wind so their hat doesn’t get blown off!
In the morning riders meet at a designated spot and discuss which riders will go in one direction and which ones will go in the other direction to search for cows.
Myself, I’d rather ride with someone who has a good dog that will chase the cows out of the their hiding spots in the trees!
After pushing the cows on the north side of Highway 20, those who arrive first get to rest and visit while waiting for the rest of the riders bringing in cows.
After chowing down lunch everyone mounts up again and regathers the cows in the small pasture and moves them across the road to Harper Meadow and around to the other side and into the gate to Dexter Meadow.
This roundup consists of three days riding as will any other roundup we have during September and in October.
v2
