Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire One of those days...

We still have cows on feed and I needed to get farming so mom said she'd help dad roll out a few bales.

Sweet, I had the tractor fired up and ready to go by 7:30.


Notice a low tire on the toolbar so I pull it over to the pickup. Tire rolls and loses its bead, fuuck, whatever.

First pull on the air compressor and the pull cord assembly goes to hell. Great.

Take a short piece of ropes and wind it up on the 'flywheel' and she starts right up. Take a ratchet strap and run it around the tire and she takes air...sweet.

About this time dad pulls up and has that look on his face... Ahhh chit.

Good old cow is down trying to calve and something isn't right.


There goes farming.


I go back down to the cows and sure enough, backwards calf, smells bad, I can't push it back in whatsoever so I shot the cow...damn it she was a nice old cow, #804...

Of course my plastic sleeve glove ripped and I had a nice soaking of nasty juice.

See where we are going here?

Now it's about 11:30 and I get the tractor going.

First pass around the field I notice an old railroad tie about 100' out in the field. Figured some dumbass had tossed it out last fall and I'd grab it on the next pass.

Should have been paying better attention because I notice that the railroad tie is now dragging about 50' behind the toolbar. Sonuvabitch it was part of an old fence!


And of course it got caught up and wrapped around 4 of the spindles on the toolbar. We are talking a 4 wire barbwire fence here and I now have about 40' of it wrapped tighter than chit around the wheels/spindles and all over the place. Pickup is a mile away, all I had was my Leatherman.

All you can do is just start laughing. My poor Leatherman has seen better days.

Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Because crying won't do you any good.

The rest of the day I was literally wondering what other weird chit was gonna happen.

Jinxed bad.

Seems to be that time of year. Lots of work getting done, and with that comes a lot of bull. I've got a water leak, brand new pipeline, about a drop per second. Re-plumbed that spot 3 times now. Starting to think the outlet pipe has a hairline crack, I can't see it and it's been raining so much I can only work on every few days. Seriously thinking about burying it and if it has to come up later, then it comes up later. Got a lot of other [bleep] that needs doing.

As an old man I run with says, "It'll get better"

Yep. Had more than a few days like that farming and ranching. And in life too. 🤠

I remember working the farm one summer and a calf was stillborn ...I guess you'd say that - lifeless on the ground.

My FIL who owned the farm picks the calf up, grabs it by the hind quarters and spins around in a circle. Does that a few times and calf shows signs of life, he throws it in the truck and takes it back to the house.

That was the damnest thing to see

dang son, what a shît day

I don’t have any beers or I’d pour one out for a homie

My old pard used to say, “if it ain’t one thing, it’s two........or more”.

Have a cold one, a big meal, and a good night’s rest. Ya got that chit outta the way!

For God's sake, don't try and jerk off.

Old lard?

Month ago I pulled a big calf out of a heifer.

Hard pull, took awhile.


Calf comes out and has the 1000 yard stare, full of fluid so we quick hang him upside down.
(have a rope and pulley in the barn)

Lay him back down and I started giving calf CPR.

No heart beat at first but when the air got in him you could see the beat under his hide. I was thinking good deal.

Kept at it for 10-15 minutes but he ended up dying.


Chit like that makes you feel bad.

Just finished an ice cold Bud Light. Rib steak on the counter about ready to meet the grill.

I can remember days like that, nothing you try to do ends up going like it's supposed to. Glad it's behind me, kinda

Sam;
Sorry to read of your day sir, truly I am.

My late father used to say that if it wasn't for the occasional bad day we wouldn't appreciate the good ones and there is some truth to that, however when one is in the rocking chair it can be tedious.

The fence part of the story made me wince as I've been there, done that and wrote a colorfully worded book as a result.

I can say however, with some authority, that an 8" ViceGrip, big cold chisel and a 20 oz ball peen - along with good thick roper gloves are the answer to the questions there......

Having done battle with wire using a Leatherman, I can attest to the fact they'll work, but indeed do come away looking used afterward.

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day for you sir.

Dwayne

I just get antsy and extra whiny this time of year.

Drives me nuts that my farmer buddies have been going full throttle for weeks and I haven't planted a single acre yet.


Getting behind with work is annoying and incredibly frustrating.





Dwayne, I felt like such an idiot after the fence mess. Guess I better start carrying a fencing pliers in the tractor!

That Leatherman is a tough little sonuvabitch.

Sam;
Mixed farming/ranching is always fraught with possibilities it seems.

Has ever been thus I suspect.

Here's hoping for better days ahead for you sir.

Dwayne

Those who have not been there will never understand how we feel about losing a newborn calf let alone a good cow.

And they sure as hell will never understand how, a couple years later, we can send them off to slaughter or put one in the freezer.

It sounds like a rough day Sam, one to be glad is behind you. I feel for you, pulling that wire out of an implement. I have been there a few times. But never as badly as you describe. Sometimes you just wanna say Fuggit. Walk to the truck, and head home for a beer. And maybe an Acetylene torch.

Heck, we have silage corn in the fields standing two or three inches high today, and first cutting hay is being harvested all over the valley. There is a big dairy a mile up the road. The trucks are running nonstop past our house in town, delivering chopped hay to the silage pits.

Sam;
As I'm ever the eternal optimist with such things, I have one strapped to the double rig cinch on my saddle... fencing tool that is.

Leatherman Wave has been on my right hip since I saw the first one.

Dwayne

Sam two words about the old fence winding up on the tool bar,Cutting torch.

Did that hand cutting thing and that broke me.

Sucks about the backwards calf/cow problem.

Look at it this way Sam you got a weeks worth of bullshit out of the way in a day. Onwards and upwards..