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| MONTANA
- FLYNN HIGH COUNTRY CATTLE DRIVE |
Experience real authentic ranch life on this exciting, fast moving horseback adventure. In late May and early June you can join the small team of experienced riders (maximum of 12 people per drive of a minimum age of 18) as they move cows and newly branded calves from the foothill pastures near the ranch to mountain pastures, and in August there is a pasture change drive, moving cattle to the higher mountain pastures.
By moving small groups of cattle at a time, you can expect to be trailing 30 to 40 miles every day.
With long hours in the saddle, you will be grateful of the home cooked food served back at the ranch both mornings and evenings, along with showers, bathrooms and electricity.
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| IDAHO
- MEDICINE LODGE HORSE DRIVES |
Day 1: Arrival for dinner
and overnight accommodation at the ranch.
Day 2: After your hearty breakfast you are introduced to your mount
and have a short orientation before riding out.
Day 3-5: Round-up and drive a herd of horses through 60 miles of
beautiful Idaho backcountry.
Day 6: Arrive at Warm Creek cow camp at noon with the horses, sort
out some colts and begin a colt start-up clinic
Day 7: Continue with the colt starting clinic until it's time for
your departure around mid-afternoon.
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| WYOMING
- BITTEROOT RANCH CATTLE ROUND-UP |
The Bitterroot cattle graze
on the adjacent national forest land from July to October. Guests who
ride well enough can help the cowboys with the challenging work of herding
the cows into the mountains the first week of July and rounding them up
again the last week of September. The cattle are spread out over fifty
square miles of high mountains, forests, clearings and river valleys so
that riders are often off the beaten path in grizzly country where one
encounters wild game like elk, deer and moose.
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| NEVADA
- COTTONWOODS HORSE / CATTLE DRIVE |
Live an authentic Old West Adventure,
feel the excitement of riding the open range driving a thundering herd
of horses home to their summer pastures! Ride with the Cottonwood Buckaroos
through mountains and across rushing streams. Eat delicious western meals
served up from our horse drawn chuck wagon. Enjoy evenings around the
campfire and count the stars at night as you drift off to sleep in your
own comfortable bedroll. You spend six exhilarating days on this horse
drive adventure. There is also twice a year around June and September
time a combination Horse/cattle drive. It's a Western adventure you'll
never forget!
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| MONTANA - LONESOME SPUR CATTLE GATHERS & BRANDING WEEK |
Mid May to Mid June is a busy time on the ranch with plenty of riding and gathering of the cattle before sorting out mother cows and calves ready for branding and tagging. Spring activities can be difficult to schedule because of the unpredictable weather conditions but you will be sure of plenty of varied activities and a truly unique adventure.
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| MONTANA
- MONTANA HIGH COUNTRY CATTLE DRIVE |
Since the 1870's cattle has been moved across south-western Montana from winter range to the mountain pastures and the cattle drives which you are invited to participate on are a continuation of this tradition. Three times yearly, guests have the opportunity to join these experienced ranchers for an authentic western cattle drive.
Although they are traditional and authentic, they have been modernised, in that entertainment is included, along with great meals. Along the way you will be educated upon the geological and natural history of Montana, you may also learn how to fly fish in one of the nearby trout streams or learn the art of throwing a lariat rope. At the end of the experience, when the cattle arrives at the summer pasture, celebrations take place in the form of a tradition barn dance.
If you would like an adventure that is high in western authenticity, superb scenery, thrills of the great outdoors and the chance to be a cowboy then this could be ideal!
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| WYOMING/MONTANA
- DRYHEAD RANCH HORSE DRIVES |
The ranch stretches from the foot of the Pryor Mountains to the edge of the Big Horn Canyon. They have the privilege of taking care of 25,000 acres of native grassland country where they run 55 head of mares and 50-60 2’s, 3’s and 4’s in various stages of training, all colts having been born each year to their horse program.
In the Spring you will help trail the ranch mares from their Winter Pastures in Wyoming to the Dryhead Ranch in Montana. The Fall Horse Drives will be the reverse of our Spring Horse Drives.
If weather permits, you might be camping out. They have a well-supplied camp and a good cook to supply wonderful cooked meals. The decision to actually camp has to be made according to weather, but when the decision is made, tents, sleeping bags and bedding are supplied.
Spring Horse Drive Schedule
If they have a lot of snow on top of the Pryor’s, and we are not sure that they will be able to trail horses over the mountain ---- they might have to trail them around.
Our tentative schedule for spring horse drives is to come from Billings on Sunday and stay at the camp that night. We will get up on Monday and after breakfast, go to the Diamond T Bar Ranch where the horses are and ride there that day, getting horses ready to trail. We will stay again at camp that night and leave with the horses on Tuesday.
All we can really guarantee, is that they will have a horse drive and you will have the experience of a lifetime in joining them. Be ready to take it as it comes.
If they can trail over the mountain, they will do just like they did in the fall. Two groups of horses trailed separately and over the mountain and into the ranch each Thursday after three days of trailing. We will then ride at the ranch on Friday and head back to Billings on Saturday morning. Either way they will trail Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Fall Horse Drive Schedule
In Fall usually they will ride at the ranch on Monday as you gather their mare band and get them in a corral or pasture where they are sure not to lose any of them. They will have weaned the colts the week before and given them time to adjust to not having their youngsters.
Tuesday will be the first day of trailing. You will head out of the Dryhead Canyon straight up the Pryor Mountain and follow a power line road down the other side.
Wednesday and Thursday will be full of manoeuvring them through open meadows, mountain pastures, pine tree forest, ranch country, highways, bridges, and country lanes.
The beautiful hay meadows where the mares will spend the winter are up near the base of Red Lodge Mountain. You will ride the horses back over the mountain to Dryhead Canyon on Friday. This is a 45-mile journey, one way.
You will camp three nights. So think about mountain country in November in Montana but don’t let it scare you away. It will be cold (30 - 40 degrees in the night) so bring layers of clothing to put on and take off as the day warms up (50 - 60 degrees in the day) and the evenings get cold.
It may snow and then again it may be the most beautiful Indian summer weather you could hope for. One of the charms of Big Sky Montana in the Fall.
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| DH002 - DRYHEAD RANCH CATTLE DRIVES - WYOMING/MONTANA - 7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS |
SPRING CATTLE DRIVES
The spring cattle drive season starts in mid-April to early May with three cattle drives from Wyoming to Montana. We trail between 250 to 300 mother cows with their calves over an old Sioux trail that stretches between 50 to 55 miles from Wyoming to Montana. Camping will all depend on the weather.
SUMMER CATTLE DRIVES
The summer cattle drive season starts the last week in June and the first week in July. We trail a herd of cattle up into the Big Horn Mountains (elevation 10,000 feet). We ride with our neighbours up the steep mountain trail pushing cattle that need to go to summer pastures.
The scenery in this drive is beyond description and you will marvel at the beautiful countryside. From the top of the Big Horn Mountain, you can easily see for several hundred miles. This is definitely a photographic paradise. Camping will again depend on weather and conditions.
FALL CATTLE DRIVES
The fall cattle drives begin the fourth week in October when we begin to gather our cows from 25,000 acres of ranch grazing pastures. The calves have already been weaned in late September and the cows are ready to leave the high country and make the 50-mile trek to farm ground pastures in Wyoming for the winter. We will return to the Dryhead Ranch each night of the drive for a wonderful home cooked meal and a warm dry bed.
Fall is a varied season to ride in Montana. The trail home to Wyoming is full-varied temperatures and varied challenges and rugged awesome beauty. This is what REAL cowboy experiences are made of.
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