Oysters and Desert Ranching

The rambling is back and gearing up for some summer travel… We had the opportunity to go to my uncle’s ranch in southwest SK this past weekend to participate in their annual branding. Errol has been excited about this trip since I first suggested it well over a year ago. We packed his saddle, loaded up the SUV, picked up my parents and headed to the far reaches of the province. If you stand on some of my uncle’s hilly pasture land, you can see Montana on a clear and sunny day. We’re used to trees, but I remember living in the SW, and remember how barren the place can look, if you don’t have an appreciation for its rustic beauty. Part of me misses it, and then the wind kicks up and blows dust in my eyes and makes massive knots in my hair, and I remember why I’m glad I don’t live there anymore.

We arrived late Friday afternoon at the ranch and spent the evening getting the food ready for the next day, warming up the horses, practicing (or in Errol’s case, learning) roping and visiting.
We were up and at the house for breakfast by 6 Saturday morning. The first of the crew were coming to round up and sort out the calves at 8, so we had to be ready for them. By 8:30 we were in the truck heading to the pasture lead the herd of 200 in with a hay bale, in a sort of pied piper fashion.

By 10:30 everything had been sorted, the cows vaccinated and turned out to bawl and wait for their calves. Since the rest of the neighbours weren’t showing up until 2:30 to start branding, we chilled, visited and put the finishing touches on the big supper.

Over 50 people came to take in the first branding of the season. Since our branding and vaccinating is much less formal and takes only a couple of hours, this was an event that was totally unique and fun to watch for us. My uncle had jobs for my parents and Errol, but wouldn’t let me wrastle, vaccinate or handle the branding iron, so I was the official videographer.

The branding starts off with the first group of calves being let into the branding pen. A few riders (ropers) ride around the pen looking for a calf to snag with the rope. Once caught, they pull them to the wrastling area, where 2 people (most often guys, but a few girls were in there too getting dirty), flip the calf on its right side and release the rope, sending the rider for another calf. Then a flurry of activity begins with a vaccinator, castrator (if needed), brander and marker coming in at once to do their job. Once the calf is worked over, they are let up, run away and wait in the pen until the entire batch is completed and they are let out to reunite with their mothers, and head off into the hazy distance.

Each job is necessary. The riders can more easily spot and catch the calves that need to be tended to. The wrastlers immobilize the calves so that the rest of the crew isn’t being kicked by the 200lb feisty 4-legged creature. The branding so that when the cows and calves are let out into the community pastures, the pasture manager can quickly tell which cows and calves belong to which rancher. Most important for when they are sorted and returned to the ranch in the fall. Vaccinating is necessary to keep the herd healthy through the summer and immune to things like the common cold and insects, which can do serious harm. Since only a few bulls are needed to keep the herd going, castrating garners a higher price in the fall. And the marking, well… the big yellow strip means you only pick on a calf once, reducing the amount of stress it goes through during the day.
My dad did the branding (and singed all sorts of hair on his neck, beard and around his ears), my mom vaccinated (and even managed to stick herself with the end of the needle during the last few calves) and Errol wrastled and then roped. He heeled (caught by the back legs) 3 calves. Pretty good for a rookie, having only had a short practice session the night before, and never on a horse! With all the neighbours helping, everything was done by 5 and through supper by 7. Many neighbours stayed for the first “nut feast” of the season. A tradition long held in the south… they batter the bull calf testies and fry ‘em up. Some circles even consider them a delicacy. Everyone gathered in a giant semi-circle around my uncle and the BBQ like a bunch of hungry coyotes, waiting with their toothpicks to snag as many as possible as the bowl went by. Given I’ve tried all sorts of crazy foods, I would have tried on in a heart beat IF I wasn’t pregnant. But I figured it wasn’t a good idea to introduce possibly hormone rich foods into my diet, so I avoided them. Errol tried one, even chewed it a little, before swallowing and chasing it with a coke.

If you want to play cowboy or cowgirl, I recommend checking one out. They are worth the drive, and definitely an exciting experience! Make sure to have an oyster for me.