Caribou Gear

Do you own a ranch?

If I aspired to the tireless lifestyle of ranching, I'd consider this one:
 
If I aspired to the tireless lifestyle of ranching, I'd consider this one:
or---

The Deseret Ranch in Florida. These old bones like warm weather (-: Florida-Hawaii, Hawaii- Florida --either or---wait, I just remembered Hurricanes. Hawaii, good choice Elkduds (-;
 
On the highway between Montrose and Ouray there several beautiful lush spreads with large tall big bale tin roofed open sided hay shelters stacked to the rafters. My wife asked if I'd like to live there and own one of the properties. I answered, that hay doesn't cut, bale, and stack itself...let's just visit.
 
We have nearly 50 acres in the Back Country bordering Stanislaus County. I never called it nor considered it a "ranch". It's a great place to raise kids and be insulated from THEM! It's also a great place to walk around with your favorite rifle and pop the occasional piggy when the freezer runs low. View attachment 214668
You could sell pig hunts on a “private ranch” for 600 bucks a pig lol
 
On the highway between Montrose and Ouray there several beautiful lush spreads with large tall big bale tin roofed open sided hay shelters stacked to the rafters. My wife asked if I'd like to live there and own one of the properties. I answered, that hay doesn't cut, bale, and stack itself...let's just visit.
The Uncompahgre river valley, God's country. Also winter range for thousands of elk and deer from the San Juan mountains to the east and the Uncompahgre plateau to the west.
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Internet pic
 
Who cares what people say to impress.
Bothers me more when people have some acreage (say 5 acres) and keep their two horses confined in a corral standing in shit.
I live in a sub-division of 2 ac. lots. Neighbors have horses. I have lived there for 10 years and I have seen those horses leave their corral a total of one time and that was to bring my son home on horseback one day. They started with 3, now down to 2. Put the 3rd one out of its misery in the middle of the street. For the life of me I cannot understand why they have horses.
 
The Waggoner pretty much owned the small town where I was born and raised. Over a half million acres. The owner of the Super Bowl champ LA Rams, Stan Kroenke bought it in 2016, built new digs. Whole new "ballgame" now.
I didn’t realize Kroenke bought the Waggoner. He owns one of the biggest spreads in our valley, along with many other ranches. Must be nice to marry a Walton.
 
Weather is the wild card for ranchers, and farmers. A working cattle ranch, at least in past years, were always discussed in cow/calf terms, not just cow.

It has been awhile but in the not too distant past, people would ask me about "how many" and "type" they should/could run, but had a blank look on their face when I ask them,----how many acres are they setting aside for holding pens, weaning, castration , breeding or were they going to line breed ? What type of squeeze chutes, grain storage, hay storage, hay fields, tractor, tractor equipment, backhoe, spray, fertilize, equipment shed, irrigation equipment, water tanks, salt blocks, fencing, cross fencing, horses, tack, branding or ear and of course----a hat---little things like that ???

Ken you are very close to Waggoner, do you know them or does your SIL know them ?

Hank, how close are you to Ladder ? Is it still considered a grey wolf sanctuary ?

Hank, let me know the next time you have another "right" year . I will bring the wine, or whatever adult beverage you prefer (-;
April, I'm about 150mi northwest as the crow flies or more from the Ladder. Great Western, York, Farr, McPhaul ,Hubble are some of the bigger ones here. And not wolf sanctuaries.

I go with the flow. My place is for wildlife now. I watch elk & antelope graize now.
Building the porches this year to sit & watch them.
There could be a spot for you to watch.
 
I live in a sub-division of 2 ac. lots. Neighbors have horses. I have lived there for 10 years and I have seen those horses leave their corral a total of one time and that was to bring my son home on horseback one day. They started with 3, now down to 2. Put the 3rd one out of its misery in the middle of the street. For the life of me I cannot understand why they have horses.

Are you trying to rationalize the behavior of horse people? That'll get you nowhere fast...
 
If I aspired to the tireless lifestyle of ranching, I'd consider this one:
The place behind us growing up in Madera County, CA was owned by a cattleman and horse breeder named Jack Schwabacher. He was connected with the Wyoming Schwabachers in the Tetons.

His live in foreman was a legendary working cowboy named Sam Fancher. Like many oldtimers, Sam had dallied off his thumb years before I met him. His daughter was named Sammy Thurman. She was the greatest rider I've ever seen. (although her daughters were impressive, too. ) She was a riding stunt woman in Hollywood, and a champion rodeoer in many disciplines. Her three daughters went to school with us. In those days the fences were tight but the access was not. We roamed all that country at will.


Sam Fancher the dad and grandad of all those gals used to run off many winters and work on the Parker Ranch on the big island. I'm told he worked on the Wrigley out of Sedona as well.
 
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Regional nomenclature is interesting stuff. I’m pretty sure I’ve used the r-word incorrectly more than a few times in the west, judging from other people’s facial expressions.

IA there are no ranches. I know a lot of farmers that “run cattle” though. A farm is a working farm. Also may refer to a recreational property of 10+ acres, otherwise called “property” or “ground”. A hobby farm isn’t any particularly size, but rather that isn’t a major source of income. “Acerage” is usually 2-10 acres, sometimes more. Anything under 2 acres you have a yard.
 
It's not the same but it fits. Whenever I hear someone say there buying a cow for there freezer. I can't take it drives me crazy
People used to call me when they wanted to order half or quarter of a steer (some times they were heifers). "How much for a cow?" I don't know why but I felt the need to correct them and that just snowballed into something else.
 
It's not the same but it fits. Whenever I hear someone say there buying a cow for there freezer. I can't take it drives me crazy
People used to call me when they wanted to order half or quarter of a steer (some times they were heifers). "How much for a cow?" I don't know why but I felt the need to correct them and that just snowballed into something else.
 
Paints all 12 fence posts around the place fluorescent orange and a no trespassing sign every other post even through the property is like 150 yards across in any direction.
This is funny but very true. That’s how I know when a new Transplant just bought 5 acres around here. They Post the heck out of it. I don’t know how to tell them nobody wants to hunt on their new “ranch “ . Most “livestock “ on these ranches seems to be chickens 😂 I was excited to see in the original post that 6 acres is now a ranch and that means I have four ranches!!! You guys really burst my bubble explaining that I actually have a horse ghetto.sometimes I hate this site. I do have 2 cows and 2 heifers though. Can I wear a cowboy hat or not?
 

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