Good ranch managers often use numbered
ear tags to monitor their herd more closely. Clem thought Reg ought to
give up and start all over again. They had moved the pairs that were
mothered up to the east pasture down the road. Accidentally, calf number
R31 had gone with that bunch. His mama had been left behind. In his
I.D. number the R stood for red. His mama's number was also R31 but her
tag was yellow. In the record book she was listed as YR31. Her calf was
listed as BYR31. There was also a cow in the herd with a red tag
numbered 31 (R31 in the book).
Mama
YR31 was bawlin' and missin' her calf. Reg asked Clem to haul her to the
pasture and find her calf. On the way he asked him to pick up a dry cow
they'd left in a trap.
When Clem
reached the pasture he had two cows loaded in the 16-foot stock trailer.
They were separated by the inside gate. Sure enough a calf came runnin'
toward the trailer. He was black brockle just like the cow. She went to
bellerin'. Unfortunately she was in the front. Clem couldn't coax her
out the side escape hatch. So, somehow he smashed the dry cow between
the inside gate and the side of the trailer with a piece of cotton rope.
And using one foot and one hand managed to lift the wooden door panel
out of the tail gate. Mama YR31 squeezed by and leaped out. She raced to
the herd and never even looked at the calf!
Clem
closed the trailer up, leaving the dry cow in the rear section. Reg
drove up. After finding out that Clem never actually saw the calf suck
the cow, he thought they ought to check her to be sure. Out across the
pasture they drove to find the cows. Reg was drivin' and lookin' for a
place to cross the creek.
"Reg," said Clem. "We don't wanna cross here. I see cattails."
They
stuck it when the front bumper hit the opposite bank! Clem escaped out
the window and they walked the mile back to his pickup and trailer. Reg
got the handy man jack and set it under the tongue.
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