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Yep! It almost touches the Park,I think.I've never been to that part of Black Gap. From the Headquarters : [Taken on the way out] To our campsite: Where you actually look East into Mexico since the River is running South to North on that stretch, is 18 miles. Then it is about 10 more miles North[down the river] to the draw where we built the pens : The big railroad tie posts are left in place each year.We put all the rest up and then take it back down. We were never more than a half mile off the river once we left camp.That's the only water around, so all the cattle will be along it. This is our border with Mexico for [literally] hundreds of miles : It's about 12 feet wide here.Almost a foot deep.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I remember back in mebbe the 80's or early 90's there was folks huntin' them. I think even Finn Aggard wrote about huntin' them. But it was way down closer to the valley in the reeds and cattails. Buff style.
Did I dream that? But regardless, I love that country out there. Thanks for sharin' the pics cur!!!!!!! (Is that a Pinzgauer on the one trailer????)
BN
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Border is safer and more secure now than it has ever been.
NRA-Benefactor TSRA-Life
"It's a terrible thing when governments send their young men to kill each other." Charles Byrne,WW2 Vet. On the day Desert Storm began.
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This pic shows the front of our Growler , which is how my pard and I stayed close enough to the action to get decent pictures,[Better than the professional photographers that were there ]. There is a bull right under Russ's "one horse remuda".He named it the Red Grasshopper.He helps gather cattle in West Texas,N.M. and AZ. He's considered by most as being the best in the business.This is his show all the way since he has the contract with TP&W. Better pic of him :
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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That's a good payday at about $1000.00 a head. 450 wt steers brought $2.50 last week at Gainesville.
NOVIT EMIM DOMINUS QUI SUNT EUIS {Arnauld Amalric} "Kill them all,God will know His." Never trust Horses ,Women and very few Mules.A good rifle will let in lots of AIR AND LIGHT.
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Campfire Ranger
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I remember back in mebbe the 80's or early 90's there was folks huntin' them. I think even Finn Aggard wrote about huntin' them. But it was way down closer to the valley in the reeds and cattails. Buff style.
Did I dream that? But regardless, I love that country out there. Thanks for sharin' the pics cur!!!!!!! (Is that a Pinzgauer on the one trailer????)
BN There was a Mexican back then that offered hunts for 'em South of Del Rio , I've been told. And I have no idea what that fancy word is , so I can't answer you.I'm pretty sure me and Donnie didn't bring one !
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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That's a good payday at about $1000.00 a head. 450 wt steers brought $2.50 last week at Gainesville. All these are required to be sold straight to the packer in San Angelo and they won't eat a bite of food between the time they are caught and the time they are killed.At least the big bulls won't.An 1800 lb. bull at the catchin' will shrink to 1400 to 1450 at killin' I was told. But still,this hunt will probably pay itself out.Most times they are lucky to make expenses.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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"And I have no idea what that fancy word is"...
I bet you didn't! LOL! It's that funny looking vehicle in the one pic on the trailer behind the white surburban ... Buddy of mine in Corpus has one.
BN
Founder Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Joined: Oct 2009
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Campfire Outfitter
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25% weight loss is pretty high ,why no feed,,how bout water
There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle----Robert Alden . If it wern't entertaining, I wouldn't keep coming back.------the BigSky
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Campfire Ranger
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South border I believe.
Y'all run any illegals into those pens CD? This particular area is not favored for crossing.They can go a few miles North on the river,cross into Reagan Canyon,drop into San Francisco Creek Canyon and come out at the Headquarters of the ranch we lease for hunting. Out hunting camp house is only about 15 miles as the crow flies from where we built the pens.By public roads it would be over a hundred miles of driving !By private ranch roads , it would still be about 50 or 60 miles. The folks who keep advocating stationing troops all along the border to secure it have no idea what that would require in the way of infrastructure. And that lack of infrastructure is actually our best defense right now.You put water sources and roads in the Black Gap,The Nat'l Park, and Big Bend Ranch State Park,and you would solve AZ. and N.M.'s border problem.The Cartels would all flock to the Big Bend.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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If there be an expert on this subject,it would be Randy,the rancher who gave me that number.I have no trouble believing it.These are NOT domestic animals that strayed.Some could be 4 or 5 generation feral.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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Campfire Ranger
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"And I have no idea what that fancy word is"...
I bet you didn't! LOL! It's that funny looking vehicle in the one pic on the trailer behind the white surburban ... Buddy of mine in Corpus has one.
BN The same guy who produced "Ice Road Truckers" was hired to come down and film this gathering for a proposed "reality show".They rented that thing from somewhere in Texas 'cause it had Tx plates , I think.They had 9 folks in their crew and seemed to be OK type people.They camped and ate with us and weren't much bother unless they had you pegged as [maybe] a main player in the deal,which I sure wasn't. They damn sure got REALITY throwed at 'em.Not one thing was done differently to favor them.[except one little deal on the last morning that didn't involve any action]. They everyone of 'em -even the girls- fell in and made good hands when we were taking the pens apart.And it was plenty damn HOT!
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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For a cowboy that beats the hell out of mending fence all day. Thanks for posting, cd. Sammy, better get down there next time.
"Be sure you're right. Then go ahead." Fess Parker as Davy Crockett
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CD, are the horses OK with a chopper hazing for them?
Not to derail your thread, but it made me think of the time I had a C-130 haze for me. A local guy was an Air Guard pilot out of St. Joe, MO and he took great pleasure in doing low level training over his home turf. Many in the neighborhood were buzzed while cultivating or haying.
Anyway, I was called for a calving cow and was assured she'd be caught before I got there. When I got to the pasture she was on the run and the whole neighborhood was in on the chase. No horses involved, just pickups, tractors, ATV's, and some on foot. The cow bailed off in a pond, and we quickly surrounded her, but she stayed just out of lariat range. Nobody was too keen on going swimming to catch her. It was a standoff.
Just then a pair of C-130's playing follow the leader come over the horizon and banked toward us. The cow looked straight up as Eddie buzzed us at treetop level, and I got my chance to drop a loop over her head. Got a live calf and all was well.
So the joke in that neighborhood is if we can't catch a cow, we might have to call out the National Guard...
Always drink upstream from the herd...cowdoc...
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Sign me up, looks like work but fun as well.
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Campfire Ranger
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All the horses except one had worked with Russ and the Grasshopper before.All the dust you see in this picture is caused by the filming crew's chopper.I was on the side of the draw.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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Campfire 'Bwana
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If there be an expert on this subject,it would be Randy,the rancher who gave me that number.I have no trouble believing it.These are NOT domestic animals that strayed.Some could be 4 or 5 generation feral. You see any deer to speak of. I'm headed for persimmon gap today as the mt lions have nearly cleaned ALL the deer off a few hundred thousand acres. The rancher says if you blink you'll never see the young govt trapper move.
Last edited by eyeball; 03/03/12.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If being stupid allows me to believe in Him, I'd wish to be a retard. Eisenhower and G Washington should be good company.
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Campfire Ranger
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No deer.Word is that lions have reduced the sheep on Black Gap from 400 to 100.
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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I "found" my missing pictures.This is the draw shown earlier , but this time the pens are in place. And the cattle that were roped too far away to walk the skid steer loader were manhandled onto this sled and pulled to the trailor with the Toyota pickup. This is the remuda for one bunch of cowboys And this is the other
Never holler whoa or look back in a tight place
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Thanks for the great story and pictures!!
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