ROUNDUP 2018 PART ONE by Frank Mason

Connie and I headed over to the Centennial Valley last week to help with the Martinell Ranch roundup.  We have been helping with this ranching tradition since 1992.  And it is always early morning get ups way before light starts to show up in the east, long days in the saddle, and hard work - but it is always fun and enjoyable being around that family.  The first day we gather the cows out of about 19 sections of pasture (about 5 miles by 4 miles) much of which is state land and put them in a smaller pasture.  The second day they are again rounded up and put into a smaller pasture near the corrals.  The third day all are brought into the corrals where the cows are separated from the calves and and the calves are separated by their sex and put in different pens. Then the calves are put in trucks and the steer calves are taken to a feedlot and the heifer calves are put in trucks and taken down to the ranch head quarters and later kept as replacement heifers or sold. The fourth day the cows are taken back up to the pastures they came out of.  The whole family is involved in this operation and others like Connie and I and the range riders help.

THE GATHER

Unloading the horse trailers and getting mounted up.

Me on Bill with Zeph wanting to get going!

All of the riders ready to go.

Me on Bill.

Getting some of the cows gathered up. 

Bill's and my shadow on the grass.

Pictures of the state land.  Lots of grass still left in the field.

The fall colors were pretty much in full color.

Pushing some of the cows down into Tepee Creek. One of the range riders on the left and Rachel Potter who is a neighbor of the Martinells.

Just about to the headwaters of Tepee Creek.

Just got the cows through the gate into the Buck Field which is the smaller pasture.

Taryn Martinell braiding Anne's tail down at the Monte Kent cow camp where we all stay in trailers, campers, or cabins.

The horses around camp.

Taryn after getting the braiding done.

A little football with the kids. 

Sunset.