Longhorns and Cattle Drives

[cass]

How are cattle thefts in your area?

The Non-citizens from south of the border are wearing us out.
They steal goats and sheep. Their are some reports of cattle being killed and their hindquarters removed in the pasture. The rest in left to rot. You can't have a stocked deer camp cabin anymore. They come across and steal it all. It is worse than what you are seeing or hearing on TV.

Cattle and horse theft is a huge problem in my area. Many of the area ranches are owned by wealthy folks that live in the Dallas / Ft Worth area and only get out to their "ranch" a couple of times a month, if that often. By the time they discover that their livestock is missing, they've been gone for some time. The thieves are country smart, often locals, that know the owners' activities and can move around without drawing attention. It was some of them that stole all my deer feeders, and broke in to all the hunter's cabins. Thieves make good buzzard chow.

 

[tops]

Thanks, OLDNAVYMCPO... that was great advice. I'm an avid reader... mainly cause I spend a lot of time alone with my friend and brother... my good horse, Cowboy. Gatherin' up a bunch of books for my saddlebags... to read durin' this fall's horse-ridin...

Since you pointed 'em out... just bought these on Amazon...
Tales of Old-Time Texas
The Longhorns
A Vaquero of the Brush Country: The Life and Times of John D. Young
Cow People
The Mustangs
Up the Trail from Texas

Thanks again, Pard... I owe ya.

You have bought some interesting reading. He is one of my favorite writers. Larry

 

[Old TexMex]

This is a great thread... and good timing for me. I'm studyin' up on the history of the cattle drives, etc... of Texas.

Plan on going on a ride there next spring...
~ Comanche Moon ~

Fred Gipson (Gibson?) wrote "Fabulous Empire" read that one.

 

[Old TexMex]

Too much ear also denotes cattle with Brahman blood, just as tough and nasty as longhorns.

I'm from Santa Gertrudis country, and I'll concur-- bramer makes it tough, alive or dead.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Speaking of Mexican cows- when I was down on the border, we used to go out to eat in Mexico. And I used to eat that good old Mexican grass fed beef. The tenderloin , sometimes called the blackstrap, is tender no matter the feed.
But in the Mexican cows the tenderloin was so small that they usually served two filet mignon cuts, called Twin Tornados. I expect that the Mexican cows are closer kin to the original longhorns than most of our US cows. Some of our better cows especially Angus- Angus crosses have tenderloins which are several inches across.

 

[X Ring Ranch]

Last Chance

If you like cattle, horses, oil wells, and big ranches with history this is it.

510,000 acres
23,000 momma cows
6,000 head of horses



The largest ranch in the USA under one fence for sale.


Waggoner Ranch, among US' largest, listed for sale - Houston Chronicle

 

[Iggy]

Dayam that would be a lot of fence to fix!!

 

[keith44spl]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yup,

There're bustin up all the big outfits.......

The MC up at Adel, Oregon....All split up, over 1500 sections.

They even sold the horses........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-Oqy3MhaI


.

 

[Iggy]

Sad to seem them big places busted up.. There's a lot of history there.

 

[X Ring Ranch]

Sad to seem them big places busted up.. There's a lot of history there.

What is really bad down here in Texas is going to a sale barn.

You look around and don't seen anybody but old geezers like me buying and selling cattle. Probably the average age of the crowd is 60 plus.

I guess you can't be a cowboy forever


Dwight

 

[X Ring Ranch]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yup,

There're bustin up all the big outfits.......

The MC up at Adel, Oregon....All split up, over 1500 sections.

They even sold the horses........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-Oqy3MhaI


.

When my great uncle died in the 1960,s they split up his ranches. He had an own son of Joe Hancock that he bred mares to for ranch horses. As I type I can look out the my window and see an old mare and two fillies that carry that lineage. If the Lord gives me a couple of more years maybe I will have them broke out and ready.

Dwight

 

[cass]

Sad to seem them big places busted up.. There's a lot of history there.

Me too. Considering where that ranch is located, even with the best management, it's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to justify that large of an investment.

 

[Iggy]

What is really bad down here in Texas is going to a sale barn.

You look around and don't seen anybody but old geezers like me buying and selling cattle. Probably the average age of the crowd is 60 plus.

I guess you can't be a cowboy forever


Dwight

Don't tell me about sale barns. My Grandpappy went to sleep sittin' a sale barn and din't git up when the sale was over. He was 83. They were use to him sleepin' in his reserved seat and din't git concerned until the last critter went through and he din't buy any.

My Pappy sat in the same seat for 20 years doin' the same thing, and when he got tired of it, I served for 10 more years, but I turned in my number and hung up my spurs a couple of years ago.

The family keeps suckin' me back in to do "administrative stuff" which is worse than climbing windmill towers.

People seldom git out of ranchin' alive.

 

[Cyrano]

Nice pictures !

Did your cell phone work out there?

Yes, it did. Cell phone coverage is pretty good in Texas. However we used to go to Phoenix a lot, and there was no cell phone coverage on I-10 between Las Cruces, NM and Tucson, AZ. That may have changed by now.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Yes, it did. Cell phone coverage is pretty good in Texas. However we used to go to Phoenix a lot, and there was no cell phone coverage on I-10 between Las Cruces, NM and Tucson, AZ. That may have changed by now.

It's pretty well covered now. Even the Hatch- Deming cutoff has coverage most of the way. That would be on Verizon, which usually has the best boon-dock coverage out West.