Horsewright
Dave, do you table at shows and events much anymore? If so, any chance you’ll be around San Diego this week?
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Horsewright Knives and Leather
- Thread starter JonMcD
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Horsewright
Dave, do you table at shows and events much anymore? If so, any chance you’ll be around San Diego this week?
Horsewright
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We do the occasional one but not many. What's going on down there?
My wife is there for a conference. For some reason she said Tehachapi was a bit far to drive after a full day at the conference.
Horsewright
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Yes sir she’s right, it is. Just did two twelve hour hauls last week ourselves. Still recovering.
Horsewright
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I love it when my knives see some hard use on a ranch:
When I first started making knives that was my focus. Knives to be used cowboyin'. I've learned that most of my designs crossover as an EDC or a sporting knife. But my original intent was a small fixed blade knife that could be carried safely and securely horseback, for folks that needed them.
Some of you might remember our young colt Mitchy The Kid. Mitchy was started under saddle when he was two. He was ridden lightly, more exercise,than training since.
Well Mitchy is three now and physically and mentally ready to have the heat turned up a lil bit. Our son Logan agreed to take Mitchy and show him the ropes (literally for a ranch horse), since we're kinda retired from ranching. Mitchy was needing a job.
Logan works for Rattlesnake Creek Ranch in south eastern Oregon. This ranch is about 18 miles to the east of Burns. We set out from here with Mitchy in the trailer and heading north for the twelve hour ride. we stopped in Lone Pine to fuel. There was a perfect view of Mount Whitney from the station. At 14,495 ft it is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. Big mountain and a big chair for the tourists to take their pics in front of the mountain:
Well we made it up there by 5:30 or so. Met Logan and his wife Katie at the barn and dropped off Mitchy and then went to their house about five miles away but still on the ranch. Next day since Katie and Logan both had to work we went into town and did some shopping. We met Logan back at his place when he got off. We'd spoke in this thread before about the flooding that they were suffering up there. While it had subsided some, there was still a lot of water around. These aren't lakes, these are pastures and hay fields:
Both sides of the highway:
I had this knife in for sharpening. Its been seeing some cowboyin' !
The sheath needed restitching because he'd been in a hurry putting the knife away and had cut the stitching on the bottom of the belt loop when he put it behind the sheath and not in the sheath:
So Logan tells us we're going branding in the morning! We didn't know this, it was a surprise. Logan helping us some years back on our place. He's a pretty handy guy:
Pulling his knife out of his Horsewright Buckaroo pouch:
More later.
When I first started making knives that was my focus. Knives to be used cowboyin'. I've learned that most of my designs crossover as an EDC or a sporting knife. But my original intent was a small fixed blade knife that could be carried safely and securely horseback, for folks that needed them.
Some of you might remember our young colt Mitchy The Kid. Mitchy was started under saddle when he was two. He was ridden lightly, more exercise,than training since.
Well Mitchy is three now and physically and mentally ready to have the heat turned up a lil bit. Our son Logan agreed to take Mitchy and show him the ropes (literally for a ranch horse), since we're kinda retired from ranching. Mitchy was needing a job.
Logan works for Rattlesnake Creek Ranch in south eastern Oregon. This ranch is about 18 miles to the east of Burns. We set out from here with Mitchy in the trailer and heading north for the twelve hour ride. we stopped in Lone Pine to fuel. There was a perfect view of Mount Whitney from the station. At 14,495 ft it is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. Big mountain and a big chair for the tourists to take their pics in front of the mountain:
Well we made it up there by 5:30 or so. Met Logan and his wife Katie at the barn and dropped off Mitchy and then went to their house about five miles away but still on the ranch. Next day since Katie and Logan both had to work we went into town and did some shopping. We met Logan back at his place when he got off. We'd spoke in this thread before about the flooding that they were suffering up there. While it had subsided some, there was still a lot of water around. These aren't lakes, these are pastures and hay fields:
Both sides of the highway:
I had this knife in for sharpening. Its been seeing some cowboyin' !
The sheath needed restitching because he'd been in a hurry putting the knife away and had cut the stitching on the bottom of the belt loop when he put it behind the sheath and not in the sheath:
So Logan tells us we're going branding in the morning! We didn't know this, it was a surprise. Logan helping us some years back on our place. He's a pretty handy guy:
Pulling his knife out of his Horsewright Buckaroo pouch:
More later.
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Horsewright
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Thanks David! That Sonoran Belt Knife is a looker. I'm sure I've mentioned in these pages before but this knife model started out life specifically as a branding knife. Since it has morphed into a great caper, bird and trout or even an EDC.Enjoying the cowboyin pics Dave. Good ya got Mitchy to working. Reckon they still got a lot water from the flood. Happy trails
View attachment 2861239
So this one I was talking about above:
I found a pic of it when it left this outfit. Quite a bit of toll taken on this guy over a long branding season.
So Friday morning, dawn looked like this: from Logan's yard.
Logan had left about an hour earlier and had hooked up to our trailer. He'd gone to the barn and saddled Mitchy and another horse Lil Sis. Lil Sis use to be my horse but Logan and I did some trading a few years back. She'd kept dropping me on my head. No buck in her, but man if something spooked her she turn around so fast and so far. She'd go about 270 degrees, always to the left. I'd stay on about 180 degrees and then there wouldn't be horse under me any more. Until Lil Sis I'd of told ya the horse didn't live that could turn faster than I could ride. Have ya met Lil Sis? Funny thing is she and Mitchy are related, she's a distant auntie. Anyhoo the plan was that Logan would use Mitchy for four or five head since he's still young and then switch to Lil Sis. As an older and experienced horse she can take a lot more work. So he was back at the house to pick us up, all saddled up and ready to go. His trailer is still in Burns with several families belongings in it from the flood. They had warning of a couple of days prior to the flooding and were able to get belongings, in Logan's stock trailer to higher ground. We headed out. Logan had never been to this ranch before but had been invited to this branding and so had asked the cowboss, if his parents could tag along since they were visiting and also got permission to bring a colt. We were going to an area bout 45 minutes away and to the south some, called Diamond. We stopped at his best friend's place to follow them in to the branding area as Wyatt his friend runs a nearby ranch to where we were going. Even in this Diamond area they had some flooding too:
So we pulled into Wyatt's place and met him and his wife Andie (Katies best friend too and how Logan and Katie met but that's a different story), and there two lil girls, Jo Jo is four and Rainie is eight. They caught up their horses and we went into their cool old barn to saddle up. Both girls were riding too, so there was four to saddle.
That's Wyatt in the tan vest, Rainie in the back sitting up there with the red ball cap and Nichole in the black jacket. Loaded everybody up and Rainie rode with us as we followed Wyatt's rig. She likes to ride with "uncle" Logan. This lil girl was amazing. She proceeded to give us a geographical, geological, historical, lesson/tour of the countryside interlaced with current events like, "See that smoke over there?" That's our neighbor Seth. He was burning weeds in the ditch and caught his hay stack on fire. it's still burning" "Now notice that we're actually in a crater of an extinct volcano right here and that's Moon hill over there, that's where we're going to brand and you can just make out Moon lake over there." She was absolutely astounding. Both girls rode out with their parents and Logan, well.........ain't a plethora of baby sitters out here in this vastness. So kids go. Took this pic as we were leaving Wyatt's. Logan has had this hat for a moment or two:
Of course I had knives for sale or trade if the need arose which this one on the hat is one of those. Driving in. Bunch grass country:
Logan had never even been on Mitchy before. The plan was he was gonna ride him for us Thursday afternoon after he got off work. However, Thursday went way south. They had a hundred head crash through an electric fence. So he had to tie his horse Junebug to a t post and hope that they were both still there when he got back, as he couldn't get her across the fence as it was down but not broke. He jumped across on foot and got in front of the cattle and started pushing them back. These are not dairy cows that you can move around much on foot but he got em and brought em back getting shocked himself a couple of times getting em back across the fence This really only reinforced his extreme dislike of electric fences. So by the time he got home Thursday afternoon he just didn't plain feel like it, plus the wind was howling. He was ready for a drink not to ride a colt. But we're going branding in the morning. I made Logan's spur straps some years back. Might be time for a new pair:
So Logan jumped Mitchy out of the trailer, bent him left and bent him right and bridled him up with the snaffle, (a type of bit used basically on young horses, works on lateral pressure mostly). Bridling up Mitchy:
Then Logan stepped up, Wyatt had his family marshaled and off they went to help gather the cattle. Big ranch country like this everything is at the long (fast) trot. That's Wyatt's dad on the far left, never did get a chance to meet him.
They were gone for about 45 minutes and then they were back with lots of other riders and a large group of cattle, 230 momma cows and 190 calves. While we were waiting I was looking back and took this pic. Ya can just make out the smoke from the burning hay stack grounds.
We stayed with the truck as we didn't know where they would come with thee cattle and so didn't want to inadvertently be in the way. Here they come up and out of a canyon:
Different than what we do here but this is called a rodear branding. There are no corrals, just a fence corner and once the cattle were in that corner some trucks and trailers were moved in to kinda close them off. However there was a large area left in-between the trucks so that the riders could get in and out and after branding, if a mom and baby wanted to wander off that away they could. The boss knew that Logan was on a colt, of course, so he had Logan work the ground at first and Mitchy was tied up over at the trailer with Lil Sis to rest up. We were introduced to the boss Eric and his wife Lara, super nice folks. We sorta inherited the job of keeping the branding fire stoked. Then later, using a shovel, I'd put dirt on the handles where they crossed that log to keep the handles cool enough to use without gloves but the business end was hot enough. Highly technical and skilled job.....not. But I was near the ice chest.
Same time that my friend Josh brought me his Sonoran Belt Knife he also brought me his wife's Cowboy Toothpick. It too had seen a long branding season:
More later. Working on a batch of knives. Got some handles to shape.
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Horsewright
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Mitchy is actually working out very well! Thanks!
The branding itself is organized chaos. There is a large crew with lots of ropers. The ropers rope when the boss tells them too. While not roping they rotate in to the groundcrew.
It was interesting from a knife standpoint. I didn't see any of my knives which is a lil surprising cause you can go a lot of places and I have and run into my knives in this cowboy world. But what I found surprising was the amount of modern folders represented. Of course there were the old standby Case etc trappers but just quite a few moderns. There was a diamond steel located in the center of one of the flatbeds parked there near the fire. Folks would come up and put a few licks on their knife and back to work. I bet ya it'd been a lot of years since I'd seen a modern folder at a branding. This ranch earmarked too and if ya haven't done it, carving the earmark in a calf's ear is tough on an edge. That's some pretty tough leather. Just an observation too but it seemed like the modern folders spent more time at the back of this truck getting touched up. Now I don't know brands, models or anything like that, didn't have time for such discussions but in general modern folders seem to have thicker ground blades while traditionals as we all know are famous for thin and slicey. So the boss told Logan to go get his colt, (Mitchy).
Logan rode in. He came up behind a guy that had one necked and took a shot at the heels to see how Mitchy would react to the rope being thrown off of him. I'd spent quite a bit of time doing this with Mitchy and roping on a dummy but Mitchy had never roped anything alive. Logan missed that shot on purpose as he was checking Mitchy's reaction to the rope. He didn't care so Logan rode down to the herd and did Logan stuff he just necked a calf (jumping in the deep end). Logan's buddy Wyatt came in near him and rode along side to give Mitchy some moral support and Mitchy drug that calf right on out of the herd and to the fire. Logan and Mitchy in the center of the pic:
Wyatt stayed near while the whole process was done. The vast majority of horses when introduced to a branding situation are scared about some things. All the other horses, all the commotion, that many cattle, fire , calves bawling but the one that gets almost every horse because they are very near it is the smoke in the face when the calf gets branded. Mitchy didn't care about any of it. He had work to do. Nichole told Logan "You and Mitchy are both bad asses!" She was crying. After that first one Mitchy was ready and struck out on his own, he didn't need Wyatt's horses support. Heeled a few for other folks too:
He even set a lil one up for Wyatt's eight year old daughter Rainie to heel. She was on her big grey horse, Thor:
She got er done and they brought that calf into the fire for processing. Ya should be able to watch that here:
Mitchy coming out with Wyatts horse's help:
Big horse now:
Anyhoo we were super pleased with how it went. If you'd been standing there with me and I'd of told ya this was Mitchy's fifth branding, ya'd of said "Wow, he's doing great!" That it was his first branding, incredible. It was a great day and we stayed visiting late as did everyone. We'd finished the work by 1 had a great lunch and then visited with folks till about 5:30. Next morning fired up the old truck and headed back south.
Got this one cleaned up too and tightened the sheath:
Delivered them to our friends yesterday:
Sharpened these guys for them too.
I'm working on the sheaths for the current batch right now. A couple unusual handle treatments in this batch.
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lambertiana
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Too many people think that just because it has a fancy steel it will cut better. However, the majority of one-handed modern folders have very thick edge bevels and frequently are made from thick blade stock. Geometry cuts. I don't know what steel is in the modern folders that you saw. They could have just been poorly heat treated 420J2 or something similar, which won't hold an edge at all. But even if they are a high carbide steel like S90V, if the edge bevel and blade stock are too thick, they require a lot more effort to cut even when sharp, so folks will visit the sharpening stone more often to fix that perceived problem, but with a thick edge and blade stock you can sharpen all day and still not cut well.
I have a few modern folders with high carbide steels that have thin edge bevels and thin blade stock, and they are real cutters. But such knives are the exception.
echoscout
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Love the barn pic. I like barns. Most the old barns around here are gone nowadays. Lots of the ones left are is a sad state of repair. Only a few have been kept up in good shape. Some of my fondest child hood memories were had in the barn. On Saturday afternoon after the days work was done at one of the feedlots I worked worked at. We'd meet out at the horse barn and open the ice chests and the yarn spinning would begin. 
Good times! 
Good times! Always a pleasure to see your work and your pics.....Mitchy is actually working out very well! Thanks!
The branding itself is organized chaos. There is a large crew with lots of ropers. The ropers rope when the boss tells them too. While not roping they rotate in to the groundcrew.
It was interesting from a knife standpoint. I didn't see any of my knives which is a lil surprising cause you can go a lot of places and I have and run into my knives in this cowboy world. But what I found surprising was the amount of modern folders represented. Of course there were the old standby Case etc trappers but just quite a few moderns. There was a diamond steel located in the center of one of the flatbeds parked there near the fire. Folks would come up and put a few licks on their knife and back to work. I bet ya it'd been a lot of years since I'd seen a modern folder at a branding. This ranch earmarked too and if ya haven't done it, carving the earmark in a calf's ear is tough on an edge. That's some pretty tough leather. Just an observation too but it seemed like the modern folders spent more time at the back of this truck getting touched up. Now I don't know brands, models or anything like that, didn't have time for such discussions but in general modern folders seem to have thicker ground blades while traditionals as we all know are famous for thin and slicey. So the boss told Logan to go get his colt, (Mitchy).
Logan rode in. He came up behind a guy that had one necked and took a shot at the heels to see how Mitchy would react to the rope being thrown off of him. I'd spent quite a bit of time doing this with Mitchy and roping on a dummy but Mitchy had never roped anything alive. Logan missed that shot on purpose as he was checking Mitchy's reaction to the rope. He didn't care so Logan rode down to the herd and did Logan stuff he just necked a calf (jumping in the deep end). Logan's buddy Wyatt came in near him and rode along side to give Mitchy some moral support and Mitchy drug that calf right on out of the herd and to the fire. Logan and Mitchy in the center of the pic:
Wyatt stayed near while the whole process was done. The vast majority of horses when introduced to a branding situation are scared about some things. All the other horses, all the commotion, that many cattle, fire , calves bawling but the one that gets almost every horse because they are very near it is the smoke in the face when the calf gets branded. Mitchy didn't care about any of it. He had work to do. Nichole told Logan "You and Mitchy are both bad asses!" She was crying. After that first one Mitchy was ready and struck out on his own, he didn't need Wyatt's horses support. Heeled a few for other folks too:
He even set a lil one up for Wyatt's eight year old daughter Rainie to heel. She was on her big grey horse, Thor:
She got er done and they brought that calf into the fire for processing. Ya should be able to watch that here:
Mitchy coming out with Wyatts horse's help:
Big horse now:
Anyhoo we were super pleased with how it went. If you'd been standing there with me and I'd of told ya this was Mitchy's fifth branding, ya'd of said "Wow, he's doing great!" That it was his first branding, incredible. It was a great day and we stayed visiting late as did everyone. We'd finished the work by 1 had a great lunch and then visited with folks till about 5:30. Next morning fired up the old truck and headed back south.
Got this one cleaned up too and tightened the sheath:
Delivered them to our friends yesterday:
Sharpened these guys for them too.
I'm working on the sheaths for the current batch right now. A couple unusual handle treatments in this batch.
Horsewright
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Yeah I’d agree with you, kinda using an axe to slice a tomato deal with those thick grinds. That I could see in the few minutes they’d spend touching them up. I was talking with two rancher friends couple of days ago. They were asking how our trip went. I told them we’d had an opportunity to go to a branding up there which was cool. One asked how it was up there and I told it was an opportunity for market expansion as I didn’t see any of my knives. He thought that was funny, he literally had two on. The other, older and wiser and only wearing one said; “That’ll change now.”
Funny thing is I’ve sold quite a few knives to that area over the years. Just none showed up here. It was cool so most guys were wearing sweaters and or vests so they could of had em on and I just didn’t see it. Not everybody cuts either. Thats another job assigned by the boss. For instance when Logan was on the ground he was doing earmarking, he’s a Case Trapper guy. Hates carrying anything on his belt and always has. When Logan first started his cowboy career, right out of high school, it was in this area. He was having dinner with the owner and his family to get to know them one of the first nights he was up there. The owner asked Logan about his family and he mentioned Horsewright. The owner got up and left the room and came back with two Horsewright knives he had. So they are there, that was 16 years ago.
Yes sir! It was cool to see those two lil girls do what they could to get their horses ready and then mom and dad finish em off. Just a neat old place. Google French’s Round Barn. While we wern't there it was nearby and is actually owned by the guy that owns the ranch that Wyatt lives and works on. Its pretty cool. I think I remneber some of those stories………. Or similar ones…….Love the barn pic. I like barns. Most the old barns around here are gone nowadays. Lots of the ones left are is a sad state of repair. Only a few have been kept up in good shape. Some of my fondest child hood memories were had in the barn. On Saturday afternoon after the days work was done at one of the feedlots I worked worked at. We'd meet out at the horse barn and open the ice chests and the yarn spinning would begin.
Thank you sir for the kind wordsAlways a pleasure to see your work and your pics.....
Horsewright
Dave’s Gordo handled in mammoth tooth with a Damascus blade. Picked up the Gordo secondhand. Must have been neglected and left in its sheath for a while. Had rust and tarnish but it cleaned up well.Dave crafted this beautiful range flap holster. Original idea was to do a pancake holster for a Ruger Redhawk, but we decided on the range flap. Very happy with our decision because it also fits other models well, e.g., S&W 625 Mountain Gun (N Frame) and a S&W 15 (K frame). No pictures, but the semi-autos fit well too. Thank you, Dave!
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Horsewright
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Good deal glad that Gordo cleaned up for you. I use to do a lot of knives in mammoth tooth or mammoth ivory but as July 1 2016 that was outlawed here in California. This Gordo predates that by some time as I haven't done center pins for a much longer time than that. It was a big hit at the time as it was a 20% reduction in sales as literally one out of five knives I did was mammoth ivory or tooth. Funny thing I don't really miss working with the tooth.
Dave crafted this beautiful range flap holster. Original idea was to do a pancake holster for a Ruger Redhawk, but we decided on the range flap. Very happy with our decision because it also fits other models well, e.g., S&W 625 Mountain Gun (N Frame) and a S&W 15 (K frame). No pictures, but the semi-autos fit well too. Thank you, Dave!
That sheath at the time was called a Gordo sheath as that was the only model I made it for. Gordo btw for those that don't know is Spanish slang, (at least around here) for "chubby boy." I have since morphed that sheath pattern into my current Horizontal sheath.
Good deal on the Rangeflap. Glad that is working out for ya. You know I talk to lots of folks about orders etc. I had no idea that the guy I was talking to about the Rangeflap was the same guy I was talking to about cleaning up a Gordo! Kinda cool! We had some friends here visiting family here from Wyoming many Christmas' ago. His father had given his wife a lil Ruger Bearcat for Christmas. He brought it over to me on the sly and said what kind of holster can we build for it, for a present from him to his wife to go along with the Bearcat. The Rangeflap is what I came up with. It's morphed quite a bit since then too as most designs do. His wife's sister liked the holster so much the she went out and bought a Bearcat for herself so she could have me make another holster.
That the Rangeflap will fit so many handguns a guy might have is just a bonus. For instance these original ones for a Bearcat also fit a Tokarov of all things. Go figure. I use to carry a Tokarov as a ranch gun (that round will sizzle across a canyon at a coyote). The longest handgun shot I ever made on a coyote was with that Tokarov. 250 yards on a running coyote. We ranged it later to confirm the distance. First round was shy bout 20 yds or so, so I elevated some as he hit another gear. Second shot was right between his legs and he jumped straight up in the air and hit another gear. Third shot rolled him right over. Fortunately I had a witness and you KNOW that Nichole would throw me down hard if I was exaggerating! Case ya don't know it's bout a continuous state of warfare between ranchers and coyotes. They'll eat baby calves alive. Same with an older horse or cow that might go down. They'll just eat it. Don't even bother killing it first. At least a mountain lion will kill em first. Don't much like coyotes.
echoscout
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Looked up Pete French Round Barn. Sure is a interesting bit of history.
Your spring branding pics reminded me of a spring branding on a ranch east of Walsenburg Colorado I worked in 75 when I was nineteen. The owner was a hard bitten crusty ol rascal. He put me on his rankest horse he had. Probably thought he'd get a good laugh watching me gettin thrown eating dirt. It was a challenge but gotter done. Learned a lot that branding. That ranch had more rattlesnakes than any place I've ever seen. Had several cows bit and a bull that died from a rattlesnake bite. One of the old cowboys told me he used his rope more for killing rattlesnakes than roping cattle. Don't know if that was true but sure made a good story
Understand your sentiment on coyotes. We shot'em on sight and trapped them in the winter when their pelts were prime to earn a little extra money. Back in the the day there was a bounty on them. Yet today there's more of them than ever.
Your spring branding pics reminded me of a spring branding on a ranch east of Walsenburg Colorado I worked in 75 when I was nineteen. The owner was a hard bitten crusty ol rascal. He put me on his rankest horse he had. Probably thought he'd get a good laugh watching me gettin thrown eating dirt. It was a challenge but gotter done. Learned a lot that branding. That ranch had more rattlesnakes than any place I've ever seen. Had several cows bit and a bull that died from a rattlesnake bite. One of the old cowboys told me he used his rope more for killing rattlesnakes than roping cattle. Don't know if that was true but sure made a good story
Understand your sentiment on coyotes. We shot'em on sight and trapped them in the winter when their pelts were prime to earn a little extra money. Back in the the day there was a bounty on them. Yet today there's more of them than ever.
Looked up Pete French Round Barn. Sure is a interesting bit of history.
Your spring branding pics reminded me of a spring branding on a ranch east of Walsenburg Colorado I worked in 75 when I was nineteen. The owner was a hard bitten crusty ol rascal. He put me on his rankest horse he had. Probably thought he'd get a good laugh watching me gettin thrown eating dirt. It was a challenge but gotter done. Learned a lot that branding. That ranch had more rattlesnakes than any place I've ever seen. Had several cows bit and a bull that died from a rattlesnake bite. One of the old cowboys told me he used his rope more for killing rattlesnakes than roping cattle. Don't know if that was true but sure made a good story
Understand your sentiment on coyotes. We shot'em on sight and trapped them in the winter when their pelts were prime to earn a little extra money. Back in the the day there was a bounty on them. Yet today there's more of them than ever.
View attachment 2865659
echoscout
, are you familiar with Will Dudley’s Walsenburg Wedding Song?Now if I could just find one of Ruger’s new Flattop Bisleys in 41mag to compliment the Redhawk…
Horsewright
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Great story. Think I know that horse! Round here there was always a deal about hanging a dead snake on a fence as a warning to other snakes. Don’t think it works. Killed one rattler here at the house already this year. He was up on the porch slithering around under the chairs and benches. Yeah in my friend JP’s book Accidental Cowboy he’s got a bit where he says when the bones from the last human lay bleaching in the sun, there be some coyote to lift his leg on them and then trot off.Looked up Pete French Round Barn. Sure is a interesting bit of history.
Your spring branding pics reminded me of a spring branding on a ranch east of Walsenburg Colorado I worked in 75 when I was nineteen. The owner was a hard bitten crusty ol rascal. He put me on his rankest horse he had. Probably thought he'd get a good laugh watching me gettin thrown eating dirt. It was a challenge but gotter done. Learned a lot that branding. That ranch had more rattlesnakes than any place I've ever seen. Had several cows bit and a bull that died from a rattlesnake bite. One of the old cowboys told me he used his rope more for killing rattlesnakes than roping cattle. Don't know if that was true but sure made a good story
Understand your sentiment on coyotes. We shot'em on sight and trapped them in the winter when their pelts were prime to earn a little extra money. Back in the the day there was a bounty on them. Yet today there's more of them than ever.
View attachment 2865659