It's that time of year again!

justallan1 · February 23, 2013, 03:32:52 PM

You saw what out the window of your cramped office yesterday?
That's nice.

fishpharmer · February 23, 2013, 03:38:14 PM

Gotta like that!

WDH · February 23, 2013, 03:57:16 PM

That's what is it all about!

drobertson · February 23, 2013, 03:59:56 PM

Great picture and great point! We had a nice surprise yesterday as well, at the machine shop, kinda in the woods ;D well it is, but a nice shop, David's son walked in holding his dogs new chew toy, about 70"s of deer horns, right side only, they are starting to shed, pic on cell phone, no way to get it on the lap top. david

justallan1 · February 23, 2013, 05:52:12 PM

I do really enjoy my job, it's very rewarding any way you look at it. I don't think there are bad days on a ranch, just some are great!
David, we'll start finding the elk sheds here in about a month. I spend a few sundays out riding the 4-wheeler just for that.
Allan

chevytaHOE5674 · February 23, 2013, 07:45:13 PM

Hopefully we don't have any calves drop for a couple more weeks yet as its still mighty cold and snowy and having them this early can often be a challenge UP here. But the way time passes it will be here before we know it.

drobertson · February 23, 2013, 09:35:38 PM

Allen, I will head out back tomorrow to look for some around here, I will post the ones I find, if you can post some of the elk horns, david

justallan1 · February 24, 2013, 08:36:54 AM

Chevy, we had a bit of a wreck last year and these are early, thankfully only by a couple weeks and that we are having a mild winter.
David, here's some of the sheds we find:

I found 5 of these on Easter Sunday last year while out goofing off.

Here's some that a couple of the guys picked up while out gathering and moving some cattle.

And here's where a bunch of them end up. This guy came out from western Montana and bought everything he could.
I generally trade mine off for meat cutting to a buddy or sell them individally, but I did real good on selling this guy all of the junk and old, white, busted or chalky ones.
Allan

thecfarm · February 24, 2013, 08:41:41 AM

That is some sheds. We only have white tail deer and really not that many either. I'm out in the woods alot and have never found a shed. I know other small animals will chew on them too. White tail drop thier antlers the last of the year too.

chevytaHOE5674 · February 24, 2013, 09:06:43 AM

I would love to calve this early but our weather is just too unpredictable this early, usually with tons of snow on the ground and cold wet weather.

Ive been thinking of switching over to an early fall calving heard as the weather is more predictable and the demand for weanlings in the spring seems to be better, but it would take a bit more feed to fill all them mouths through the winter. Maybe this year I will breed a few in the middle of November, that way I can have a couple of calves early fall 2014 and see how that works out.

justallan1 · February 24, 2013, 03:02:22 PM

I've worked for 2 ranches in the last 9 years and don't know all the reasoning, but would guess that along with the weather, we are dealing with the timing of everything else. I have a bunch of new farming to take care of as quick as I can, possibly some of the hay meadows that burned, a BUNCH of new fencing before branding, branding, etc.
Right now is my easy time. I feed in the morning and luckily I am already caught up in the shop, other than losing a throwout bearing this morning. :D So I get to work for the next couple days.

drobertson · February 24, 2013, 05:16:57 PM

Wow! mercy sakes! thats' a pile, $$$$? just wondering, david

justallan1 · February 24, 2013, 06:16:53 PM

The brown elk sheds from this last year go for $8.00 per pound, the bleached or white seems like it was $6.00, the old or chalky ones were $3-4.00.
Most of the ones leaning against my truck would have been called brown #1s. The couple of larger ones probably weighed 10 to 15 pounds each.
Deer sheds are worth a bit more and I think white tail are more yet, or it seems that's what I've heard.
The picture of the ones in the trailer weren't all from here, but between the 6 of us, we probably get half that many.
Happy shed hunting,
Allan

WDH · February 24, 2013, 07:27:10 PM

Allan,

Those two on the far right, in the first pic of the sheds leaning against the truck, still look alive :D.

justallan1 · February 24, 2013, 08:47:03 PM

That grey one gets any fatter, he's going in the stew pot!

ND rancher · February 25, 2013, 08:59:47 PM

justallan1, I started on the 19th,last 2 days only had 1 calf so getting caught up on the Fourm.Hope they start back up tonight.

justallan1 · February 26, 2013, 08:16:36 AM

ND rancher, we shoot for just after the 1st. Luckily we've had a mild winter and these cows are good moms.
Allan

ND rancher · February 26, 2013, 11:30:10 AM

Here's some of mine.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 26, 2013, 11:41:13 AM

Are those Santa Gertrudis ?

ND rancher · February 26, 2013, 11:47:02 AM

Wrong shape and color.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 26, 2013, 12:34:26 PM

Quote from: ND rancher on February 26, 2013, 11:47:02 AM
Wrong shape and color.

I don't recognize them. We use to have Charolais....but no red ones.

ND rancher · February 26, 2013, 08:56:54 PM

They are Red Angus! With a touch of a few other breeds here and there.

Roxie · February 27, 2013, 06:36:08 AM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on February 26, 2013, 11:41:13 AM
Are those Santa Gertrudis ?

No they aren't, but your mentioning them brings back a flood of memories from my childhood. I grew up on the northern King Ranch that was located in Doe Run, PA. Richard King's daughter still has an estate there, and I read in the paper that the Texas King Ranch had sent a few hundred back to her ranch to keep safe during the drought in the south.

To say it was an idea place to be a child would be an understatement. The cowboys would let us ride in the Jeep Wrangler that pulled the feed cart through the field, and they let us pull the lever that would drop the feed pellets. We had genuine cowboys ride by on their horses, and we spent hours exploring, swimming in the creek, and sitting on the fence watching the steers.

Heaven on earth!

thecfarm · February 27, 2013, 10:58:03 AM

ND Rancher nice picture of Momma and baby. :D

justallan1 · February 27, 2013, 08:14:22 PM

Good looking pairs, ND Rancher.
We have angus cross here, which seem to be a good animal to work with.
Granted I've only worked these, piedmontese and charolais. You can have both of the latter.
Allan

WDH · February 27, 2013, 08:41:07 PM

Roxie,

That is a very special story. Made me think of my childhood, too.

ND rancher · February 27, 2013, 09:52:56 PM

Allen, agree with you on the pieds, but I do have a few char/rangus cross and they are verry good animals. I sell at the same time as a char/rangus breeder and he brings 2-3 pots of strs. and 2 pots of hfrs. and they are nice. You can't find one that is 50# lighter if you tried. Keith

justallan1 · February 28, 2013, 08:13:23 AM

I guess I shouldn't be to hard the the charolais. The only time I was around them was in a feedlot down in Wyoming 15+ years ago and the only thing I remember about them is it just seemed they would rather go through you than around you.
I suppose experience is everything. After playing on a couple ranchs for the about 9 years now I can USUALLY tell which ones don't want to be nice :D
Allan

reride82 · February 28, 2013, 05:20:53 PM

NDRancher,

My sister and her husband raise registered Red Angus out of Chinook, MT. I believe they start calving next week, so far no early ones. They had to do some reconstruction on a calving shed due to a wind blown cottonwood this fall...

Quote from: justallan1 on February 28, 2013, 08:13:23 AM
I guess I shouldn't be to hard the the charolais. The only time I was around them was in a feedlot down in Wyoming 15+ years ago and the only thing I remember about them is it just seemed they would rather go through you than around you.
I suppose experience is everything. After playing on a couple ranchs for the about 9 years now I can USUALLY tell which ones don't want to be nice :D
Allan

Allan,
This time of year, I have found any cow can get 'cranky' but the bad ones only get worse. The bad ones I remember were Simental cows, but they may have just been a bad batch. :D

Levi

ND rancher · February 28, 2013, 09:14:03 PM

Hi reride82, Are they purebred breeders? If so which one? Just got call that my new bull is coming tomorrow,hope he looks good as I've not seen him yet. Allen and Levi, Had one get ornery on me last nite,not why she got bad this year,but it will be her last.I'm getting slower every year and I don't want one to catch me. I calve indoors (or try) so I'm in close quarters to everything. Keith

justallan1 · March 01, 2013, 01:15:21 AM

Yup, I expect them to get cranky this time of year. I had one try to climb up on the truck with me a few years ago when I was skinning her calf for a graft. She took the new calf in a short bit and she's still a good cow. Some of them you remember.
It's when we are preg testing in the fall and one wants to run you over that I'm talking about. I'm getting better at spotting some of the dingy ones, but definately still get surprised.
Allan