The 800 pound steer we call Snakebite charged and knocked Indiana intern Renae off of her feet, and proceeded to trample her. He had already had enough human interaction for a day, and it was payback time. The rope, freshly attached to his neck pushed him to his breaking point, and when he turned to […]
Fires
Like many in the West, our lives are defined by fire. AUGUST 3: 1600 HOURS. There a massive column of smoke erupting from behind the Moose Creek ridge. I can see it from headquarters, even though the ridge is 15 miles away, and is a little obscured by the haze caused by distant wildfires in […]
Denizens Don’t Steal
At the crack of dawn today, I discovered myself a victim. I recognized this feeling. It was a weaker manifestation of the same sensation I had when I discovered that several antique firearms I had on display on my wall in the ranch house had been stolen. It wasn’t until the perpetrator was apprehended, confronted […]
Into the Wild after Weeds
I was the Forage Scout yesterday. What that entails is getting my 56 year old rear end fastened to a dirt bike for a rough and tumble journey of 140 miles across hill and dale and mountain and canyon and seeing what the grassland situation is across all of our wilderness range. There’s some old […]
Classy Coats on the Leaves of Grass
As I was crawling up Larkspur Canyon in my non-late model Chevy pickup, I kept my eyes peeled for the huge rocks that would roll down on to the densely vegetated two-track from the steep walls that soared above me. Only we drive this remote jeep trail smack dab in the middle of our wild […]
Comatose Cow Crew
The large lean-to tarp flapped in the cool night air and the Coleman lantern cast a warm orb over the cook tent. I eyed my crew as we sat quietly eating supper off the camp stove and grill. They were catatonic as they chewed dinner, and looking slightly stupefied. It was near midnight, and I’ve […]