hi I'm Mike today is bubble the Bulls last day here on the ranch today you and
I are gonna load him up in a trailer we're gonna take him to Buffalo Wyoming
for his big day the auction which actually takes place tomorrow we're
gonna find out what his leaving the ranch means to not only the ranch but to
us personally right here on our Wyoming life
welcome back and if this is your first time here please subscribe and join us
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become a part of the ranch behind me is the project list we hit it every week on
Tuesdays and today is no exception this board behind us is a list the things
that we need to get done around here it's constantly growing and shrinking
but if you need something to do head on over here take a look and pick a
project today we're taking our little lost Bowl bubbles to auction his time on
the ranch is over he's been here for six years he's helped
create hundreds of calves and he's kept the ranch going and for that we thank
him and we treat him with respect
as bulls get older their effectiveness as breeding animals fail they become
more susceptible to injury and unfortunately they tend to become more
irritable towards other animals and even sometimes towards us when we receive a
new bowl we buy them from breeders in the area they are registered and tested
we know that they're in good shape and last year we purchased three new bowls
from a neighbor up the road bulls are almost on a constant rotation but
eventually their time here comes to an end and hopefully they can end it with
their heads held high bubbles will be traveling with us about
80 miles to Buffalo Wyoming where a sales barn awaits his arrival as part of
their auction tomorrow in a bit we'll talk about his future but for right now
let's get him loaded up and ready to go since he's a single rider today we're
gonna use our small stock trailer to go better it's a steel trailer which will
hold up better the debt to the damage that a bull can do but by since he's by
himself I'm not expecting too many problems from it since we sorted off the
Bulls bubbles has been hanging out by himself waiting for today now he hasn't
been too happy about it being separated from his friends and herd is hard on him
but this morning he seems to be in a freaking mode so once we have the
trailer hooked up and we have inspected all the lights and brakes to make sure
that they work we can back up to the loading chute word that he will utilize
to climb on in bubbles weighs close to 2,000 pounds we will know exactly what
he weighs after the auction tomorrow but even if he's a little lighter he still
weighs a lot more than me and he knows it working bulls by yourself can be a
little bit daunting I always have an escape plan in mind usually that means
sticking close to the fences staying out of open areas and trying not to get too
close to it with a bowl this size if he doesn't want to move he's not going to
and although he has been through this before when we move Bulls from their
past year for the winter they ride in a trailer bubbles has written on more
trailers actually than any Bowl on the ranch and once the gate is open to let
him into the loading area he cruises right in but that might be as far as
he's willing to go he walks around he inspects his new surroundings and
chooses not to go the way that we need him to go pushing him doesn't help he's
gonna push right back and he pushes a whole hell of a lot harder than I can
being the only one out here injury to myself is not an option
maybe with two or three guys bubbles might move onto the trailer on his own
but with just me here he's content just to heat a bit of the grass that's
growing and ignore me sounds like kids on their iPad bubbles
is however used to moving for the Gator that's what I call the big guns when
moving the bull we aren't going to shock him with a prod or even try to move him
with a paddle in order to get him to move we're gonna use something he
recognized it's about his same size and something he doesn't want to push around
another added advantage is that we are a bit protected allowing us to get closer
to him and politely suggest to him that he needs to move the way we want him to
go he's no dummy he's going to try to sneak around but by applying a little
bit of pressure from one side he quickly realizes that the only way for him to go
without us bugging him is down the chute and onto the trailer where we can lock
the door behind him
it's not time to go yet though we have a lot of weight in this trailer and right
now he has the entire trailer to wander around it driving down the road with him
and he here moving around can cause the trailer to sway or even fishtail on the
road if he starts throwing his weight around and with any trailer you want a
majority of the weight towards the front this trailer is divided into two parts
and by closing the inner door we can lock him in the front half where he can
do the least amount of damage and now off we go but not to the sales barn
quite yet we need to actually take him to town any time an animal is taken to
the sales barn the state wants proof of ownership and with a quick stop at our
local feed store we can pick up what is known as a G form the G form is required
whenever livestock cross county lines and after a bit of paperwork we're now
on the road for Buffalo Buffalo is a town of about 4500 people
nestled in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains and the location of our
closest sales barn it's also by the way the home of Longmire days thanks to
local Craig Johnson the author whose books became a big hit
with the TV show Longmire Bowls is used to write in the trailer but this is the
longest drive he's probably ever taken and he's getting a little impatient to
get there and get out and soon we do arrive and it's time to let him out this
is where bubbles will be sold to his next honor what will happen to him
we will probably never know he could be sold to another rancher who would like
to get some more breeding time out of him but more than likely he'll be sold
for slaughter he will only bring between 50 cents to $1 a pound but that's money
that the ranch can use to help carry on
bubbles is left behind and we start the drive home
so we're heading home without bubbles back there the trailers a lot lighter
pulls a little bit better without him moving around all the time and you know
you get to thinking about the time that he had on the ranch really bubbles was
has been on the ranch almost just as long as I have so there is that question
of you know when do you wear out your usefulness I like to think of it just
like everything else obviously it's all about the future
bubbles worked on the ranch for six years while he was there he guaranteed
the future of the ranch for six whole years he paved the way for more bulls to
come in and continue doing the job that he did in the same way when my times up
on the ranch I hope that I've paved the way for somebody else to come in and do
my job
hopefully one of the kids but you never know
I think that's exactly what everybody wants to leave a legacy that carries on
bubbles sure has done that he will hold a place in our hearts and our minds and
just like every animal out here he paves the way for the future of the ranch I
think that's a pretty noble purpose thanks for coming along today we have a
super busy week ahead of us and we'll be back with you on Thursday night for our
live stream where we get a chance to sit down and answer questions in real time
from you we can bring you news from the ranch and share our stories we hope that
you're able to stop by and hang out with us for just a little bit
that's Thursday at 7 p.m. mountain time I'll also be back with you on Sunday as
we take a look at what could be argued as the biggest day on the ranch sale day
and you aren't going to want to miss that be sure to subscribe so that you
don't miss a thing and until I see you again have a great week and thanks for
joining us in our Wyoming life