Bulls
Little Cowboys and Impressions
Red Doc Sale
By Stephen L. Wilmeth
My earliest
memory of bulls was on the Mangus with my paternal grandparents.
Grandpa
Albert was the influence and the impressions were various. Horned Hereford bulls were the
norm and they seemed to fight just to stay in practice. I was always taught to
steer clear of them especially when they were fighting. It wasn’t just the
fight that was of greatest concern. It was the retreat of the loser in his wild
eyed departure. It was accompanied invariably by the winner chasing him trying
to get a parting shot at an exposed hip. Both would run bawling and screaming
open mouthed. If you were in the way, you might wind up being a real casualty.
There were
epic battles when you could hear bulls fighting through the night. Guttural
combat of raw power and drama echoed across the valley bottom. They’d fight and
rest only to resume the battle. I can remember witnessing my grandfather
penning them in disgust suggesting he hoped they’d get tired or one or the
other would end the fight.
Those were
also the days of screw worms. The wounds from the fights were as dangerous to
their wellbeing as the fight itself. Cleaning wound channels from goring was
necessary for treatment if the screw worm flies found that exposed, bloody and
vulnerable flesh. The hatched larvae would be working alive while consuming
living flesh.
Horns became a dreaded thing in my view of
cattle.
That was
made worse by dehorning calves or witnessing horned cattle coming off cattle
trucks at the old stockyards below Silver
City. Broken horns and
spewing blood were nasty outcomes that I found very unappealing and traumatic.
Pink eye was no different. At spring brandings, treating pink eye in too many
of those white faced Herefords was a normal practice. I hated pinkeye as much
as I hated those horns.
Perhaps
those issues would be expected to turn any kid against ranching, but it didn’t.
From the time I was little, it was all I ever wanted to do. I did, however,
develop affinities of preferences in cattle. I don’t like horns. I don’t like
pink eye. I don’t like bulls you can’t work safely around. I want cattle that
fit our country and I want them uniform.
If they are red … all the better.
Santa Gertrudis
The first
Santa Gertrudis cattle I ever saw were below White Signal at Homer Arnn’s.
Homer had come from a big country Arizona
ranch near the end of his life. He bought a place down there and stocked it
with strange new cattle. They were liver colored red and massive things. I can remember
looking at their scurred horns with a bit of fascination. Hereford horns never looked like that.
Dick Hays
developed a relationship with Homer and it was being there with him and Hank
that I was exposed to them. Dick kept Homer’s wells pumping and his water
system together. Homer didn’t have any heirs that we knew of and I know that he
tried to get Dick to stick around. He told Dick he could have the Hogback if
he’d only commit. Dick and Hank would have been good for Homer and much as
Homer would have been good for them, but that never happened.
What is
left are the memories of Homer and his cattle.
Homer
himself was a rotund fellow who looked like he had always been at a full
trough. He was funny and good to us boys. For the years he was around, we
always had a good Homer story. One of them was about his longevity. Hank asked
him one time what he attributed it to. Homer told him it was eating sardines
and drinking whiskey on Sundays. An answer that good had real impact. I have always
loved … sardines.
His cattle
came from the breeding program at the King Ranch which had a vision of
developing a hardy, heat tolerant breed of cattle that could withstand the
harsh conditions of south Texas
and yet produce beef of superior quality. They crossed Brahman cattle with
shorthorns to develop an animal that is 3/8ths Brahman and 5/8ths
shorthorn. In 1920, the distinctive color of the breed appeared in a calf
they called Monkey. The calf became the breed’s foundation sire. The cattle
were recognized as a distinct breed, the first breed developed in the United States,
by the USDA in 1940.
Today, the
cattle continue to be developed not just for crossbreeding and hybrid vigor,
but for a better marbled and tenderer beef for the consumers’ table around the
world. It now thrives in harsh ranching conditions all over the globe and is
the most prevalent breed in Australia.
Red Doc
Last
Saturday we attended the Red Doc Red Hot Santa Gertrudis sale in Belen. This
sale, produced and graciously hosted by the Sanchez family of Belen, was held
in conjunction with the 65th Annual Rocky Mountain Santa Gertrudis Association
meeting held this year in Albuquerque.
We had come
to buy some bulls for our rugged high desert country of southern New Mexico. The bulls
were intended to go on our crossbred cows with strong red Angus/ Beefmaster
influences.
The sale
was well attended with many association members and guests from across the
country as well as strong regular attendance by Texas, New Mexico, and Mexican cowmen. It was a time
to view good cattle and mingle with hats and contemporaries.
Our
littlest cowboy, our only grandson, was with us and it was through his eyes and
actions that made the event even more special. He had his note pad and pencil
out as we viewed the animals and made our visual inspection that added to our
technical assessments. He caught quite a bit of attention and had his picture
taken with several people. One lady from North
Carolina told him she had come all the way to New Mexico to find a
real cowboy and she had finally found one.
As Texas auctioneer Leo
Casas finally tagged us with a winning bid, Aden flashed our buyer number at him and
conversation from Leo to Aden
became an ongoing theme. Who knows what those exchanges of communication might
bring. Leo might well have lodged some influence on a little cowboy that might
not only be another son of the American West, but a steward of our way of life.
His
granddad would be elated.
Future
The science
and the art of breeding cattle are more important today than ever.
Every major breed of cattle has contributed to
the state of America’s
beef herd. Each has provided unique genes that in combination make our national
herd more tolerant of the varied conditions that constitute cow country. The
technology of the business is growing in leaps and bounds and fine tuning
cattle to specific conditions is not just a dream but a growing reality. The
industry isn’t just looking at conception and breed back, but docility, feed
conversion efficiencies, carcass quality and longevity. It is an amazing time
to be in the cow business, but the industry’s participation recruitment is
vital. Young cowmen, scientists, veterinarians, auctioneers, bankers, marketers,
and truckers are all critical to its future.
Next week
we will go back to Belen to haul the bulls purchased in the sale to their new
home in southwestern New Mexico.
We will be in the alley with them convincing them to load and we expect them to
act somewhat like gentlemen. They will revert to being bulls from time to time,
but then we will insist they respect our interactions with them.
Giving him
every opportunity to be involved in our industry, I intend to have my little
cowboy with me. He will be protected from undue risk, but, when the conditions
are right, he will be part of the process. I want him to learn to see, hear,
smell, feel and anticipate the interactions with these amazing genetic
creations.
There is nothing more symbolic of
our trade than a bunch of bulls. I am glad strides have been made to take the raw
nastiness out of bull batteries, and, along with it, shortcomings that make
life better both for these resilient and productive animals and … their
stewards.
 |
| Little cowboys can get tuckered out |
Stephen L.
Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New
Mexico. “Long live … little cowboys.”
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