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A guest down at the ranch here one winter was a rancher/outfitter from the Yukon. He was telling me that a couple of weeks before, they had a week or so when the temperature never got above -40 F. I asked him what he did with his cows when it was that cold, thinking that they might have put them in a barn or some other kind of shelter.

He said that they just left them in good winter pasture that had protection from the wind. He also said that in those temperatures, he had to lay the hay right at the cows' front feet because they wouldn't walk even a few steps to get to it! Not for me! eek


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mudhen;
Good morning to you sir, I hope this finds you and yours well and in keeping with the thread - warm enough too.

Way back when I seem to recall that the cattle operations on the prairies had wind break fences put up - sometimes maybe in an L shape?

Anyway I was told that horses and I want to say cattle too, are able to generate enough heat if they've got a full belly. The trick with horses was to have cold enough feed that they'd be able to munch away throughout the day and it not have an adverse affect on them.

Some of the guys fed straw even in winter as I recall - just to keep the gut going and then hay as well of course.

Sam or one of the other cold weather ranchers can perhaps comment if cows run the same way as horses that way - it makes sense that they would, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

All the best to you all this week mudhen.

Dwayne

All the best to you


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Originally Posted by BC30cal
mudhen;
Good morning to you sir, I hope this finds you and yours well and in keeping with the thread - warm enough too.

Way back when I seem to recall that the cattle operations on the prairies had wind break fences put up - sometimes maybe in an L shape?

Anyway I was told that horses and I want to say cattle too, are able to generate enough heat if they've got a full belly. The trick with horses was to have cold enough feed that they'd be able to munch away throughout the day and it not have an adverse affect on them.

Some of the guys fed straw even in winter as I recall - just to keep the gut going and then hay as well of course.

Sam or one of the other cold weather ranchers can perhaps comment if cows run the same way as horses that way - it makes sense that they would, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

All the best to you all this week mudhen.

Dwayne

All the best to you

Dwayne,
Been seeing lots of cows and a few horses in the pastures in my area and they seem to do ok? Though it hasn't been much colder than, say, -10F?


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340boy;
Good morning to you sir, I've meant to say hello and welcome back before this and apologize for taking so long.

I believe that the statement made earlier in the thread is quite on the mark in that every 10 degrees drop makes a substantial difference to anything living/working in it - man or beast.

We're spoiled here in that the coldest I've seen it in the last 33 years was about -13°F, but it's funny that one gets acclimatized to it and now even 0°F feels really cold to me when I'm out working in it.

Anyway sir I really just wanted to wish you the best and say it's good to see you posting again.

Dwayne


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I was pretty impressed that the Browning Strike Force game camera that a bunch of y'all recommended was still functioning and had only used about 20% of its battery power in 2 months. I need to move the camera up, though, before it gets buried by the snow. (P.S. Glad we passed on going that weekend.)

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U CANT , have pics of soft water WATER and say its cold....just saying... Unless u are in yellow stone


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Originally Posted by milespatton
Quote
The Bic lighter in the pocket to heat up a key is a smart move!


I never got anything hot with a Bic lighter, other than the hand I was using to shield the wind with. I know that people love them, but not me. A Zippo will work,in the wind.


You can avoid all the fuss with the lighter by planning ahead and using a little Lock-ease. I keep some handy in this kind of weather in case someone else's lock is frozen. One squirt in the keyhole frees it right up. -19f the other night, and no problem getting in the truck to drive home after a 12 hour shift.


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Originally Posted by 222Rem
Here's yesterday's view along the Snake River with Idaho on the far side of the ice. It looks much grander in person, it's ONLY this short section of road that's managed to remain bare enough for the deer and few remaining chukar. The rest of the county is buried under snow.
[img:left][Linked Image][/img]



Rem - what part of the Snake is that? I haven't been getting over to the Steck Park stretch like I used to, but I've never seen it freeze up so smooth like that. Usually, there, it's all jammed up with pressure ridges by now.


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Originally Posted by 458 Lott


My motivation for outdoor tasks seems to end at -20, other than grabbing another arm load of firewood. I've been in -45 ambient, just no fun and have been in -30 ambient with the wind chill dropping it to -90 and I understand why the native peoples have multiple names for cold. You can also appreciate that extreme cold is a palpable dangerous force not to be trifled with.


+1. As much fun as it is to prove how tough you are... it isn't.

Been stuck in colder and it is doable, but simple things become problematic quickly. Thank god for bunny boots!

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What are you guys wearing for boots? I went snowshoeing this weekend and spent the night woke up to -10 temps. I was wearing an old pair of Rocky pack boots that had froze solid overnight. Looked like I was wearing high heals until they thawed enough to allow my feet to slip the rest of the way in.

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Originally Posted by tcb22
What are you guys wearing for boots? I went snowshoeing this weekend and spent the night woke up to -10 temps. I was wearing an old pair of Rocky pack boots that had froze solid overnight. Looked like I was wearing high heals until they thawed enough to allow my feet to slip the rest of the way in.


I wear a set of mountaineering boots with the really cold overnights. These have liners, which I can remove and keep in my sleeping bag at night. They are usually completely dry by morning(my feet really sweat). Much better than dealing with frozen boots.

EDIT: I have heard that some guys will put those chemical foot or hand warmers in their boots overnight, supposedly helps dry them out?

Last edited by 340boy; 01/17/17.

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Petes propane shoe dryer is your friend...


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Originally Posted by BC30cal
mudhen;
Good morning to you sir, I hope this finds you and yours well and in keeping with the thread - warm enough too.

Way back when I seem to recall that the cattle operations on the prairies had wind break fences put up - sometimes maybe in an L shape?

Anyway I was told that horses and I want to say cattle too, are able to generate enough heat if they've got a full belly. The trick with horses was to have cold enough feed that they'd be able to munch away throughout the day and it not have an adverse affect on them.

Some of the guys fed straw even in winter as I recall - just to keep the gut going and then hay as well of course.

Sam or one of the other cold weather ranchers can perhaps comment if cows run the same way as horses that way - it makes sense that they would, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

All the best to you all this week mudhen.

Dwayne

All the best to you



Mudhen and Dwayne, wind protection is critical. Whether it be man made or natural, if you're going to winter cattle around here you should absolutely provide them with a place to escape the wind.

Our little feedlot has 'miles' of windbreak for the calves and the cows winter in the river or creek bottoms where there is plenty of coulees, brush and trees.


The horses get all the grass hay they can eat out of a round bale feeder. The cows are fed once a day and I try to match the tonnage to the temps.

There are formulas for feed requirements and temp changes but I basically give them all they can eat. If I find leftovers the following morning I'll cut back the amount of round bales.

And of course you have to factor in the feed value/TDN(total digestible nutrients) of what you are providing them to eat.

Alfalfa and hay barley are gonna have way more protein/TDN compared to grass hay or straw.


It's amazing how much more they will eat when it's cold.


We put out around 20 ton of feed and straw one day during an extreme cold snap and they pretty much ate it all. That's almost double what they'll consume now that it's warmed back up

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Around here, there are few natural trees and thus few windbreaks for cattle.

But that is cured by creating windbreaks with stacks of round bales either two or three layers high. Butted end-to-end, one can create as much windbreak as needed anywhere you want it. Either using junk bales that end up as bedding by springtime, or with good hay bales that the cattle chew on throughout the winter.

By spring calving season, much of the stacks have been eaten or knocked down, and it gives the calves dry bedding areas right up next to the falling-apart bales. The calves stay dry, warm, and out of the wind that way.

The only issue I see is that those bale areas become weed beds the following couple of years because of weed seeds in the bales dropping to the ground.

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Originally Posted by FreeMe
Originally Posted by 222Rem
Here's yesterday's view along the Snake River with Idaho on the far side of the ice. It looks much grander in person, it's ONLY this short section of road that's managed to remain bare enough for the deer and few remaining chukar. The rest of the county is buried under snow.
[img:left][Linked Image][/img]



Rem - what part of the Snake is that? I haven't been getting over to the Steck Park stretch like I used to, but I've never seen it freeze up so smooth like that. Usually, there, it's all jammed up with pressure ridges by now.


That's upstream of Brownleee Dam, on the 40 something mile Snake River Road between Huntington and Richland.


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Originally Posted by DakotaDeer
Around here, there are few natural trees and thus few windbreaks for cattle.

But that is cured by creating windbreaks with stacks of round bales either two or three layers high. Butted end-to-end, one can create as much windbreak as needed anywhere you want it. Either using junk bales that end up as bedding by springtime, or with good hay bales that the cattle chew on throughout the winter.

By spring calving season, much of the stacks have been eaten or knocked down, and it gives the calves dry bedding areas right up next to the falling-apart bales. The calves stay dry, warm, and out of the wind that way.

The only issue I see is that those bale areas become weed beds the following couple of years because of weed seeds in the bales dropping to the ground.



I would be worried about the upper level toppling over onto da cows.

It would block the wind but concentrate the cows too much for me.

You know the pigs would push around while feeding and step on calves laying nearby.


Twine/wrap(remove?) could create issues.

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Originally Posted by 222Rem
Originally Posted by FreeMe
Originally Posted by 222Rem
Here's yesterday's view along the Snake River with Idaho on the far side of the ice. It looks much grander in person, it's ONLY this short section of road that's managed to remain bare enough for the deer and few remaining chukar. The rest of the county is buried under snow.
[img:left][Linked Image][/img]



Rem - what part of the Snake is that? I haven't been getting over to the Steck Park stretch like I used to, but I've never seen it freeze up so smooth like that. Usually, there, it's all jammed up with pressure ridges by now.


That's upstream of Brownleee Dam, on the 40 something mile Snake River Road between Huntington and Richland.


That explains it. Little surface current there. I've never driven that road in winter. Just done the Council/Kleinshmidt/Huntington loop in summer/fall.


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Best way to function in sub zero weather is to stay inside where it's warm.

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Originally Posted by Mackay_Sagebrush


...At the gathering we started off with some pistol drills and it was immediately apparent, and discussed that the handgun ammo was not performing like it did in warmer weather. I was running a G34 and it felt sluggish, as if I was shooting .380s. I was using a mix of Blazer ball and some Federal ball. instead of the usual sharp crack of a report, the ammo was making a light "Pop" sound. Very scientific, I know, but I did not have a chrono and I doubt one would work long in the temperature anyways. The G34 seemed to be barely cycling. I had a single failure to fire, and in examining the round, it had a very light primer strike. On a second go-round, the cartridge fired.

On a personal performance note, I noted that my speed was restricted by clothing, and overall I felt like I was losing 15% or so on the combo of speed and accuracy. On the positive side, I have a fiber optic front sight, and it was so bright, due to all the snow, that it looked like it could have been battery powered...


Rifles...

I ended up pulling my BCG, and using a leatherman, I held it over some red hot coals in the outdoor stove. After heating it up, I disassembled it, wiped almost all of the lube off and re-assembled it.

After that the rifle ran flawlessly.

I also noted, and multiple people discussed that the rifle ammo/powder did not seem to be affected hardly at all by the extreme cold.



Great report, Mac!

While I have a fair bit of cold-weather camping/outdoors experience behind me, I've done little shooting in truly cold weather. I think my coldest hunting was done as a kid, hunting snowshoe hares on snowshoes with a .22 rifle, in Alberta and on the farm back in Saskatchewan before that. My uncle taught me to clean the bolt/firing-pin and raceway with varsol when winter came, which he said made my bolt-action more reliable than his Winchester pump. Anyway, bunnies met their makers just as reliably at -30 to -40 as they did in the summer, I found.

Never did get a chance to use a pistol in such frigid temps.

I do know, from a couple of my patients back in Wisconsin who served with the 5th Marines at Chosin reservoir, that the M1 Garand and 1911A1 pistol both functioned well in extreme cold once they were stripped of all lube, as did the M1 Carbine. But unlike the Garand and the 1911, the carbine exhibited poor terminal performance... Chinese soldiers could absorb multiple hits from a carbine before they died. Makes me wonder if the carbine cartridge was more affected by the cold due its smaller size, or what?

Anyways. Thanks for your good report.


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Originally Posted by lvmiker
Last Saturday I was shooting w/ friends in mild temps of about 20*. I was wearing light gloves and twice had the tip of a finger catch in the magwell of my Glock.


Gloves can be a real problem in the cold with revolvers, too. I'm surprised Ed-of-too-many-letters didn't mention that in his post about firearms training in Alaska, actually.

I conducted some cold-weather training for a concealed carry article I wrote years ago. I learned, like you, that Glocks are prone to malfunctions when I wear a heavy glove, as are revolvers. The first shot is usually fine, but then as the trigger comes forward the glove fabric/leather gets jammed between the trigger and the frame and turns your expensive & fancy-pants gun into a crummy club that is now welded to your hand.

After that experience I took to wearing light & tight gloves in the winter, with either a heavier pair of gloves or a pair of mittens over that. I used to wear Hatch gloves, but they became obscenely expensive in short order. I've found that "Mechanix" brand work gloves are a good, tight fit, and passably warm for brief cold exposure in what passes for winter in most of the Lower 48.


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