Flying to find stray cattle.

[Bob Bement]

I flew up to the Clover Creek ranch to have a cup of coffee with the Wilcox family. They asked if I could take Judy and son, Cody, flying to find some strays that they were out. So we loaded up in 54 November and went looking. I love this kind of flying, hand on the throttle a few hundred feet above the tree tops and ridges. We flew up Clover Creek and over toward Rail Canyon. We spotted most of the missing cattle and then we flew the east side of their range by Deep Creek and Red Creek. I should have taken my video camera and got a picture of their landing strip up behind the house. A great flight and a wonderful family.

 

[Ted]

That sounds like fun! Very cool!

 

[nddons]

Awesome, Bob! Did you see the article about planes used in ranching in one of the last couple of months' AOPA Pilot?

 

[vontresc]

I flew up to the Clover Creek ranch to have a cup of coffee with the Wilcox family. They asked if I could take Judy and son, Cody, flying to find some strays that they were out. So we loaded up in 54 November and went looking. I love this kind of flying, hand on the throttle a few hundred feet above the tree tops and ridges. We flew up Clover Creek and over toward Rail Canyon. We spotted most of the missing cattle and then we flew the east side of their range by Deep Creek and Red Creek. I should have taken my video camera and got a picture of their landing strip up behind the house. A great flight and a wonderful family.

Sounds like a fun flight.

Just one question. You were'nt flying N79079 by any chance???
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31495

 

[ScottM]

Bob sounds neat. When you found the cattle did you then put down flaps and fly steep turns over them at 10 feet off of the ground? It is my understanding from some super wise pilots, who know everything about everything, that is normal procedure.

 

[dmccormack]

Bob sounds neat. When you found the cattle did you then put down flaps and fly steep turns over them at 10 feet off of the ground? It is my understanding from some super wise pilots, who know everything about everything, that is normal procedure.

Only when there are crowds of people present -- otherwise, you just fly normally.

 

[David_L_Wilson]

Bob sounds neat. When you found the cattle did you then put down flaps and fly steep turns over them at 10 feet off of the ground? It is my understanding from some super wise pilots, who know everything about everything, that is normal procedure.

Ouch! Thats gonna leave a mark. Somebody we know?

 

[Bob Bement]

Bob sounds neat. When you found the cattle did you then put down flaps and fly steep turns over them at 10 feet off of the ground? It is my understanding from some super wise pilots, who know everything about everything, that is normal procedure.

No I didn't try to gather them up. Judy and Cody were going to saddle a couple of horses and go back and do that. I had a friend that used to do that but he hit a wire with his super cub and didn't survive the crash landing. He used to hit them with a tire I was told.

 

[Bob Bement]

Awesome, Bob! Did you see the article about planes used in ranching in one of the last couple of months' AOPA Pilot?

Yes I read that article. In fact I was asked if I knew someone for the article and I gave them the names of a few ranchers I knew who flew their planes to help their ranching operations.

 

[wabower]

My friend LaNoel Bond had a cattle ranch (and pretty fair home-brew still) on Blue River when I was coaching at the college. The CAP had a super cub I could fly for gas and $6/hr, but going in circles around the airport got old after a while. Every time it rained, the water gaps would rise and the cattle would head downstream. We always knew about how far they would go, but it was a good excuse to fly the plane (so he would know how far down to take the horses) and we would have a little sippin' event at the ranch when it was over.

 

[Jack Spectre]

Bob sounds neat. When you found the cattle did you then put down flaps and fly steep turns over them at 10 feet off of the ground? It is my understanding from some super wise pilots, who know everything about everything, that is normal procedure.

Well to be fair Henning was talking about cattle mustering (herding) not cattle locating, which would probably be two different styles of flying.

 

[rottydaddy]

Well to be fair Henning was talking about cattle mustering (herding) not cattle locating, which would probably be two different styles of flying.

Well, what Scott describes is, in fact, what Henning was talking about... it's pretty normal ag-utility flying. Even with something you might not expect, like a 172 (which is a very good low'n'slow flyer in the right hands).
But at a flour-bombing comp with spectators... probably not a good idea.

 

[Diana]

We go looking for cattle for our friends and neighbors, too. It's fun. Except one guy I couldn't take because he was tooooooo big to take in the Citabria.

My friend LaNoel Bond had a cattle ranch (and pretty fair home-brew still) on Blue River when I was coaching at the college. The CAP had a super cub I could fly for gas and $6/hr, but going in circles around the airport got old after a while. Every time it rained, the water gaps would rise and the cattle would head downstream. We always knew about how far they would go, but it was a good excuse to fly the plane (so he would know how far down to take the horses) and we would have a little sippin' event at the ranch when it was over.

Wayne, I love your stories.

 

[Kelvin]

Wayne, I love your stories.

You should see the rehearsals.

 

[wabower]

Looks like he was able to round up a pretty good-sized herd.

Well, what Scott describes is, in fact, what Henning was talking about... it's pretty normal ag-utility flying. Even with something you might not expect, like a 172 (which is a very good low'n'slow flyer in the right hands).
But at a flour-bombing comp with spectators... probably not a good idea.

 

[Bob Bement]

I flew one time trying to get some horses out of a BLM field they weren't supposed to be in. I took a friend and a bunch of paper bags with some flour and a rock in the bottom of the sack. I would fly at the horses and my friend that was riding shot gun would throw out a sack. The rock would rip open the sack and the flour would explode and scare the horses. It was in a terrible place with rim rocks and deep draws. I almost had the horses to the place they had taken the fence down when a guy that was horse back rode into the horses I was herding and scattered them back. I left and flew home.

 

[CJones]

One of the cropdusters I used to work with owned a ranch somewhere in Oklahoma. He bought an old Bell helicopter and found someone to teach him to fly it so he could use it for cattle herding and coyote shooting on his ranch.

 

[Trapper John]

Ouch! Thats gonna leave a mark.

Speaking of leaving a mark...

Trapper John